Austen Meets Improv

Taylor and Alex improving a scene.

I moved to the Bay Area recently from Chicago. If you’ve been to that toddlin’ town, or if you know anything about Second City, you know that Chicago theatre has a strong foundation in improvisation. A lot of people think that improv is solely comedy and coming up with ridiculous situations and ideas in a matter of seconds. That’s definitely a large part of it, but improv is essentially unscripted story telling in its most raw and honest format. It can be between one, two, three, seven, twenty-eight, or any number of people about any subject.

We’ve been using improv during some “Pride and Prejudice” rehearsals for several reasons. First of all, Austen is like Shakespeare in that the language is specific, lyrical, and follows a certain pattern. Even though Hallie is updating the script to fit a more modern setting, some of the language and situations are antiquated. Improv allows the actors to make the scenes and words real for themselves. Second, improv puts everyone on the same page. Whether you are an actor with years of experience or a young person just starting out, on book or off book, improv brings everyone to a similar starting point.

Jane and Lizzy gossip about Mr. Collins.

 

In our production, there are a few wordless moments that are happening in the background simultaneous to dialogue in the foreground. We’ve been asking the actors to improv these moments by adding their own dialogue – which hopefully assists them in finding the emotional reality of the situation as well as their character’s subtext. It’s been very interesting watching the actors tackle and explore this format for rehearsals. This cast is unique in their willingness to explore and play and take chances.

Barry and Barnaby love to improv.

I hope the audience will have as much fun as they are!

— Eileen Tull, Assistant Director

Six Ladies and a Gentleman

Mr. Bennet and his women.

I vaguely remember reading Pride and Prejudice in high school many moons ago. I remember it was a difficult read and pretty dense stuff.  It seems that the folks who write the SAT exams must pull a lot of sections from the novel and use it for reading comprehension as part of their standardized tests.

I’ve been rereading the novel as we rehearse, and although my memory was sound (it still seems dense), I am really enjoying the writing and the story. Perhaps the passage of the many intervening years has helped a little in that regard. It’s clear that Jane Austen was a very smart lady and her most sympathetic characters in the story, Lizzie, Jane, and Mr. Darcy are pretty darn smart as well. I’ve found myself rereading a lot of what they say in the novel in order to better understand what they truly mean, and I’ve discovered that they have a lot of great things to say about integrity, loyalty and modesty.

Kitty, Rose, Mr. Bennet, Mary, and Jane.

While playing the role of Mr. Bennet, it is easy to be especially sympathetic to my two eldest daughters, Jane and Lizzie, because of their strength of character and the way they treat others. The play is also a lot of fun for me as the only male in a family of ladies who are each unique and provide lots of good acting choices and challenges. Some of those choices include having fun with some trying circumstances for the family.

The story and the play have several situations that would give any parent a lot of grey hair and worries. Coming from a large family of seven children, the play is giving me a more powerful sense of the stress I know that my siblings and I put our parents through. The story also shows how the Bennet family members, including their cousins, support each other in tough situations.

The cause of grey hair.

It’s been a lot of fun to work with a dedicated and talented group, and I’m looking forward to a great run in a few short weeks.

— Scott Van de Mark (Mr. Bennet)

Becoming Jane

Jane and Lizzy

As someone who grew up with a brother who I forced into dress up clothes, it is refreshing and exciting to find myself with four very different sisters to console, gossip with, scold, and dress up with. I can’t wait to explore these relationships further.

Another delightful thing about playing Jane is that she is so graceful, sweet, and pure. Jane reminds me of my lovely great-aunt Jackie who I will try to channel when playing Jane.  Jackie was always loving, joyous, feminine, romantic, graceful, and saint-like. Like Jane, she was terribly forgiving and never thought ill of anyone. Her gentle nature could be perceived as passive sometimes. However, like Jane, she disliked confrontation so remained peaceful in the face of adversity.

Rose, Elena, and Terry

Jackie and Jane both enjoy domestic tasks and are natural care-takers. This is not to say either is repressed. They both genuinely like house tasks and care-taking, and don’t have a desire to enter the work force.  Although Jane and Jackie are quieter types, they are by no means stupid or dull.  They are shy and introspective. Above all, they are good listeners who are used to really hearing what other people have to say. Jackie, similar to Jane, was okay taking the back burner around strong, bold personalities like Lizzy or Mrs. Bennet. Jackie and Jane are like flowers, beautiful but delicate, blooming with romance. I am so grateful to explore the world of Pride and Prejudice with Hallie, SLP, and this very talented cast.

Audrey Hepburn’s poem about beauty reminds me a lot of Jane’s philosophy on beauty and life.

Audrey Hepburn’s Beauty Tips

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed;

Never throw out anybody.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

— Elena Mae Spittler (Jane)

On Being a Bingley

Being a Bingley is harder than it first appears.

Throwing lavish parties, entertaining guests, allowing tourists to walk through your house–managing an estate is tough.

Best friends forever. Charles and Fitzwilliam with their little sisters, Caroline and Georgiana.

Okay, well maybe not that tough. But being loaded does take a toll on a person’s personality. Luckily, Charles has a sweet naïveté. Unlike his sister and his best friend Darcy, Charles seems to not see class. He digs the Bennett sisters even though they are so much poorer than he. He’s a really fun character to play and this will be a great, yet faithful, adaptation of one of the most beloved books in history.

Barry Eitel as Mr. Bingley and Barnaby Williams as Mr. Darcy.

Thanks a lot to Hallie, Terry, and the rest of SLP. I was in their fall production of Mrs. Warren’s Profession and that was a fantastic experience. It’s great that the communtiy of San Leandro supports their local theatre so much. I hope everyone out there can come and see it!!

— Barry Eitel (Mr. Charles Bingley)

Complexities of Human Emotion

I am so happy to be embarking on this journey along side such sweet and talented people. Pride and Prejudice is not only a brilliant social commentary, but most importantly I believe a sharp and accurate portrayal of the complexities of human emotion. This is why Hallie’s decision to set it during the 1940’s is a great one, as it shows the story’s unique flexibility.

Mr. Darcy and Caroline Bingley

While preparing to play the role of Mr. Darcy I am finding it hard to disassociate myself from all of the existing images of such an iconic character. There have been so many wonderful renditions that I fear it will be difficult for me to make the role my own. I must instead seek to discover the truth behind his actions, the human wants and needs that posses and motivate him. The biggest challenge may be that Darcy does not actively perform his personality. By this I mean that he has little interest in other people’s opinions of himself and does not seek to change them. This is usually a huge motivator for many people and can often be a gold mine for determining objectives for characters. I feel that Lizzie’s good opinion is one of the few that Darcy has ever sought, which is what makes their relationship so interesting and tumultuous. I hope to learn more about Mr. Darcy as the rehearsal process progresses.

— Barnaby  Williams (Mr. Darcy)

A Sassy Villainess

Danielle Gray as Caroline Bingley

Caroline Bingley here! I’m so happy to be a part of this show. I’m a big reader, but honestly, I’ve never gotten all the way through Pride and Prejudice before now. Hallie’s love of the text is infectious though, and I’m really getting into it. While thinking about my character, I’ve been referencing the original text (which of course has been on my bookshelf for years, waiting to be finished). I’ve always been a sucker for a sassy villainess, so I like getting into Caroline’s head. She’s every bit as smart as Elizabeth I think, and perhaps they aren’t as different as they’d like to believe they are. Both passionate and reactionary, both ready to whip a sharp verbal barb at a perceived attacker, and of course, both fascinated by the same man. The circumstances of their births and upbringings have simply given them different goals and priorities. Caroline’s goals are a bit on the shallow side, unfortunately, but she’s not without tenderness. She does love dear, optimistic Jane, after all. She has so many barriers up, I’m sure no one but Jane, Darcy and Charles ever get to see the real Caroline, sans defensiveness! All we can do is speculate, and enjoy her pointed commentary as she “takes a turn about the room.”

For this production, I’m looking forward to costuming and hair. I’m a sucker for vintage, and the 1940s had some wonderful fashion! What does WWII Caroline look like? She’s perfectly polished, of course, and expertly tailored. Her dresses are hemmed to the exact right length, her hat worn just so, her gloves spotless and the most fashionable color of the moment. There may be a war on, but you’d never know it from how well Miss Bingley wears her rationed silk. Perhaps you find her unpleasant… but doesn’t she look GOOD while she cuts you down?Back to the script for me, thinking about subtext, and devouring inspiration imagery. I can’t wait to put it all together onstage!

❤

Danielle Gray (Caroline Bingley)

Hairspray

Oh, the wonderful smell of hairspray! Tonight Kristin did a hair workshop for the lovely ladies in the cast and she used me as her guinea pig (this metaphor would make more sense if guinea pigs had longer hair, but you get it). My hair has been slowly deflating and now it looks like a poof ball and smells like flowers, waterfalls, Christmas trees, sunsets…and yeah, it mainly just smells like chemicals. But the familiar smell of hairspray, however unnatural it may be, always gets me in the mood for a show. I think the hairspray actually helps me act because the scent is so very different from anything that I experience as Rose. It’s just a little thing that helps me get out of my own head and really dive into a different character. And of course, it also keeps my hair in place- or at least tries to!

Rehearsals have just begun, but I already feel very connected with a lot of people in the cast. I’m particularly excited about working with Elena (my lovely sister, Jane) because I think our characters balance each other out nicely. As an actress, Elena is a very good listener and as a character, Jane is very sensitive and perceptive. During our initial read through of the script, when Elena read her very first line out loud, Barnaby (Darcy) and I exchanged glances that said, “Oh my god, this girl is Jane.” Really, Elena is perfect for the role and I’m looking forward to developing our friendship, on and off stage!

Many more rehearsals to come! Hallie certainly didn’t hold back from giving me lines, so I need to start memorizing those soon. I also want to re-read the book and re-watch the BBC version of the movie. Good times ahead, I’m sure!

— Rose Oser (Elizabeth Bennet)

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