By Gracie Wonder
Let me tell you, dancing like it’s 1813 is absolutely not the same as dancing in 2026. First and foremost, wearing a floor-length skirt while attempting to dance (emphasis on attempting) is definitely not one of my strong suits.
But 19th-century dance is a crucial element of the fall play Pride and Prejudice, which will be performed in the Scout Hut on November 5-7 at 7:00 PM.
My dance partner, freshman Kennedy Bosley, was undoubtedly more graceful than I as I proceeded to trip over my overwhelmingly long skirt multiple times at an early rehearsal.
Although I am part of the ensemble, without any lines, there is no such thing as a small part in theater. “I like being in ensemble because we are able to watch the theater process as it happens,” said freshman Mary Grace Brown.
I spoke with our director, Mr. Decker, to find out why he and Assistant Director Rhoda Griffis chose this theatrical adaptation of Jane Austen’s most famous novel. “First, we loved its simplicity,” he said. “It’s a classic coming-of-age story that you can tell in any space with a table and a few chairs.”
He also likes that it “favors compelling characters and relationships over flashy sets and special effects.” I personally was very excited to hear that Pride and Prejudice was this year’s pick, especially since it’s my first ever real play. What intrigued me the most when I found out the decision was the backstory of Pride and Prejudice.
Since it was written in the 19th century, the first wave of feminism had just begun. Jane Austen had published Pride and Prejudice anonymously so she wouldn’t face public backlash, as she did with her other novel, Sense and Sensibility. The novel quickly became one of the most popular of its time, making it an immediate success.
Her book is now considered one of the foundational novels of feminism through critiquing the patriarchal society of the 19th century. It later became a stage play in 1906! The version we are performing here was adapted by Jon Jory in 2005.
The story follows Elizabeth Bennet, the second of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s 5 daughters, and her exhilarating social life in the 19th century. The romantic side of it follows her as she navigates her love-hate relationship with Mr. Darcy.
Elizabeth Bennet is played by junior Finn Williams; Mr. Darcy is played by senior Ashton Hightower; Mr. Bennet is played by sophomore Ren Sonada; and Mrs. Bennet is played by senior Fannie Bradley Hinson. As for the four other daughters, Jane is played by junior Carrington Long, Mary by sophomore Addyson Riley, and Kitty by sophomore Cacki McDonald, and Lydia by sophomore Ariana Bandyopadhay.
Finn Williams, who plays the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, is a big fan of her role. “I feel very excited!” she exclaimed. “I feel like I have some sort of connection with her, so the fact that I’m able to play Elizabeth. I’m very excited to see how it turns out.”
Finn, who moved here from England, has been in the theater world since preschool. Back in England, they were required to participate in theater throughout lower school. When she moved to Georgia, her theater career was put on hold for a year. But then she reunited with show business in eighth grade when she joined a theater class at Lovett!
Over her years performing at Lovett, she feels she is better able to distinguish emotions when acting. “Even though emotions seem to be very similar, you’ve got to be able to differentiate them so that the audience can tell going into the scene,” she said. “Oh, it’s going to be a nerve-wracking scene, or oh, the scene is going to be so happy. She marries Darcy, she’s thrilled! Or she’s breaking up with Darcy. Oh no! So it’s differing the emotions and the energy in between each scene,” she said.
Another key element of acting for her is perspective. “Being able to step into different roles that put me out of my comfort zone helps me to interact with different groups of people and different beliefs and intertwine myself into different groups and still feel comfortable in those situations,” she stated.
As for this year’s starring role, I was intrigued to ask what her favorite scene was, especially since she plays THE Elizabeth Bennet. Her answer definitely did not disappoint. “My first favorite is the first ballroom scene where Mr. Darcy asks for my hand in dance, and I say, ‘Mr. Darcy’s all politeness, but I must deny myself the pleasure.’ And then I turn, and I strut off back to my friends! It’s so sassy!” she said. Another favorite of hers was at the very end of the play, where Elizabeth finally gets what she wants in marriage.
She values Elizabeth’s autonomy. “She doesn’t want what will be good for her parents. She wants love. She wants someone who gets her and understands her and does not care who she is, but what she is. She’s this beautiful, intelligent, witty creature, and to find love with a person that loves that specific part about her, I’m very happy about that,” she said.
I also had the opportunity to Ashton Hightower, Lovett’s Mr. Darcy. He finds his character to be so interesting “because a lot of people understand he’s a very dark or mean character. But then as you see in the play and understand his character more, you realize he’s actually a good guy. And he really cares about the people in the film that he’s around. He just doesn’t really know how to show it.”
In contrast to Finn, Ashton recently joined theater. Before he did three shows last year, he was completely new to theater! Besides starting out with less experience than some, Ashton is a wonderful actor. He believes he has grown significantly in his acting skills, having picked up tips from his peers.
Ashton stated that he had also grown and come to understand the importance of improv, especially through Pride and Prejudice. “You can’t really call a line in the middle of a play, so you have to make it up as you go. Not make it up, but you still know what you’re talking about, being able to stay in character and come up with what you’re supposed to say without making it seem like you forgot your mind mid-play. I feel like that’s something interesting to think about when you’re doing a role like that.”
Another misunderstood character is the socially incompetent Mr. Collins, played by junior Jay Stevens. He told me that he was very fond of his role. “I think my character is a really amazing person, and despite what he does in the show, he is trying to be a good person despite not being seen as one,” he said. Since he is a clergyman, “I learn a lot about religion and how to act like a pastor,” he stated.
Of course, every play is not complete without a student stage manager! The stage manager for Pride and Prejudice is the fantastic Logan Adams.
Logan is a junior who’s been doing Lovett theater since eighth grade! He explained that a ton of work goes on behind the scenes with the stage crew. “We deal with people’s problems all the time in terms of making a prop list. We have to collect, this sounds funny, but we have to collect shoes for everyone. We call those character shoes, so just simple black shoes usually,” he said.
They also have to write down “every single blocking, so that’s tracking the mood of actors to go with their lines if they forget. Farther into the show, we have to be really locked in on book, which is giving the actors a line, but you have to follow along very precisely,” he explained.
As stage manager, Logan supervises the tech crew! “They’re amazing. They are the ones handling props if people can’t find them, managing scene transitions with helping the freshmen learn how to do that, managing any little problem backstage, really,” he remarked.
Because of the recent construction on the community center, the “new” theater for the show is the Scout Hut!
“It’s been a challenge!” Logan said. “They had to do a lot of work designing how we’re going to work with the set. So it’s less of a set and more furniture. We now have more furniture, less set,” he said.
They’ve also had less “space store things, and find places to put kids to change and get makeup and get hair. Even getting up to the Scout Hut has required problem solving, including juniors and seniors driving people. “And then Decker comes in with his bus and we call it the Decker bus and he takes in any of the stragglers up to Scout Hut,” Logan explained. I personally have ridden the Decker bus a few times myself, and it did not disappoint!
Since it was opening night, we asked Logan how he felt about the show. “I’m feeling really excited. We have put in a lot of hard work for this show. I know it’s been a big cause of stress for everyone, but I think we’re going to do great. I know the tech crew has been amazing. The freshman seat movers have been amazing. Our actors have been amazing. Our directors, Mr. Decker and Ms. Griffis; a big shout-out to Ms. Amanda, our costume designer, and Ms. Albert, our designer. They’ve all been doing amazing!” he said.
For Mr. Decker, it’s all about how it all comes together. “My favorite part about theater is collaboration, where many people work together to create a giant work of art,” he said. “I also think theater creates a magical connection between actors and audience, that you can find nowhere else.”
