Classic Performance | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of ECU News Services. The author of this post is Hannah Eccleston.


The final performance of the semester for East Carolina University's Loessin Playhouse begins Wednesday as the School of Theatre and Dance presents “Pride and Prejudice,” running until April 23. (ECU photos by Rhett Butler)
    For the final performance of the semester, East Carolina University and Loessin Playhouse will present "Pride and Prejudice" running from April 19-23 in McGinnis Theatre.

    The show is a theatrical version of Jane Austen's classic novel involving manners, courtship and relationships. Finding a husband is hardly Elizabeth Bennet's most urgent priority. But with four sisters, an overzealous match-making mother, and a string of unsuitable suitors, it is difficult to escape the subject.

    When the independent-minded Elizabeth meets the handsome but enigmatic Mr. Darcy, all feelings of attraction are muted by his pride and her prejudice. As their worlds keep colliding, their attraction increases. But they first must overcome their own weaknesses and many other obstacles before the most famous courtship in history can begin.

    Sophie Brotemarkle, a junior majoring in theatre arts, has "good memories of tech week when we would be standing onstage as the lighting and sound designers crafted their cues."

    "Often, we would start games of 'snap catch' where someone snaps their fingers to someone else to pass the 'snap' and the recipient would snap once to 'accept' and snap again to another castmate to pass it," said Brotemarkle. "We would come up with fun ways to catch and throw the snap, and it was a way to stay (mostly) quiet while focusing on each other."

    This is Brotemarkle's first production with the School of Theatre and Dance, but she has been a part of the SWISH Improv student group for two years. In this group, she has performed monthly improv shows with the rest of the team.

    In this production, she plays Mr. Bennet, Lizzy's father, the patriarch of the Bennet family.

    This adaptation by Kate Hamill brings variations of the classic story of "Pride and Prejudice."

    "There will be different elements compared to the book or your favorite movie," Brotemarkle said. "I hope the audience is ready to laugh at all the shenanigans and realizes that Kate Hamill has crafted a truthful piece that contains the same themes as the source material, but with new twists."

    The talented cast, staff and production crews in theatre and dance have been hard at work preparing "Pride and Prejudice" for audiences.

    "We live in a time where admitting guilt or fault is difficult, but it is necessary to grow as humans," Brotemarkle said. "I hope audiences walk away realizing that it is okay to have misconceptions and that it is okay to be wrong."

    Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and matinees will be at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. To purchase tickets or to learn more about live streaming the performance, visit the School of Theatre and Dance website.