Taking Pride in ending Austen Prejudice

The cast of the Citadel’s production of the classic novel hope they can appeal to both sexes equally

Amanda Lisman is living one of her dreams come true: leading the cast of an original Citadel Theatre production. And yet, she’s hesitant to reveal to the general public some details about her role—like exactly who her character Elizabeth Bennet is falling in love with.

“That’s the excitement of the play, the surprise for the people who don’t know the book,” exclaims Lisman over lunch last week. “With the reversals and how Lizzie has two romantic leads—it’s just Jane Austen’s brilliance.”

So, in order to keep from spoiling the juicy details, exact circumstances surrounding the mysterious George Wickham (portrayed by Stafford Perry) will not be provided. Rest assured, though, that he’s one of two possible love interests for Lizzie Bennett to choose from and that by the end, Perry is either playing the hero or the villain.

Perry and Lisman are taking centre stage in the Citadel’s season opener, Pride and Prejudice, based on the novel of the same name and adapted for the stage by Tom Wood. This won’t be the first time they’ve shared the spotlight, though, as both actors are University of Alberta graduates who finished up their Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in 2007.

“I’m so thankful for the training at the U of A,” says Lisman. “When I’ve gotten into the real world and worked with other actors, I realize how well they served us there.”

“It made it easy to make that jump into the professional community,” adds Perry.

Lismand and Perry ran through a detailed litany of the various techniques and skills studied through the three-year conservatory training degree. Both are understandably thrilled to be hitting the Citadel stage a year after their graduation.

“The Citadel’s particularly special,” says Perry, “because it’s where a lot of my role models and people I look up to—that’s where I’ve watched them, and now I’m up there.”

Pride and Prejudice recounts the lives and loves of the five Bennet sisters, each searching for a husband under the eyes of their increasingly desperate mother. Unlike many of Tom Wood’s previous literary adaptations, such as Vanya and Peter Pan, the play isn’t altered to a Southern Alberta setting. Instead, the English countryside locale is maintained, as are all the themes Jane Austen crafted when she first published the novel in 1813.

“It’s basically about relationships,” says Perry, noting that Austen’s manuscript was originally entitled First Impressions. “It’s all about the idea of how, when you meet someone and you get to know them on a different level—”

“ [...] how we discover that our assumptions are wrong?” suggests Lisman, adding to his thought. “How we misjudge, and how often our judgments of other people are more a reflection of ourselves. And it’s about young people,” she finishes.

Indeed, the majority of the characters of both the novel and the play are youthful men and women trying to find their place in the world, a sensibility that can easily relate to a university audience. But it’s a testament to Austen’s writing talent that the relevance of the book remains even today—though not for these actors, at least at first.

“I hadn’t read it before; in fact, I’d never read any Jane Austen. So I read it a few times in preparation, and I just keep rereading it,” reflects Lisman. “I know once this process ends, I’ll be quite happy to delve more into [the rest of her work.]”

Perry, meanwhile, also had no previous experience with the text. “Probably never would’ve if I wasn’t in the show,” he laughs. “But I was really surprised—really captivated by it. While I was reading it that first time, I had so many people come up to me, like in coffee shops, just to ask me where I was in the book and commenting on it. And I realized how significant the story still is to a lot of people.” He pauses. “Women, mostly.”

Lisman jumps in, “It seems like so many movies, chick flicks, and chick literature are based on it. It’s not just a romantic comedy, though. That’s not [giving it] enough credit. I think it’s a very clever, substantial story, and there’s great drama in it. To dismiss it as ‘aimed at women’ is not fair at all.”

The rom-com connotations associated with the book are hard to shake, but Lisman and Perry are more than up to the task, as are the other members of the 17-person cast and massive crew, from Leslie Frankish’s gorgeous set design with a built-in revolving stage, to Wood’s tender script.

“Tom has created a really wonderful adaptation,” Lisman says. “He’s made it completely active, so that every scene is full of action, drama, and conflict. He really distilled the important points in this epic story into a three-hour extravaganza.”

“It’s an active show; there’s no narration, which is kind of common with stage adaptations of Pride and Prejudice. It all just happens within the scenes,” Perry agrees. “I think guys have to admit, really, that they’re interested enough in relationships and love, and I think that’s
universal.”

Perry pauses again, trying to come up with the best argument for men to come see the play.

“[...] And there’s sword-fighting.”