Jenna Bacon, Campus Carrier arts and living editor

Rome Little Theatre will perform Pride and the Prejudice at the Desoto Theatre in downtown Rome. The production, directed by Mandy Maloney, Executive Director of Rome Little Theatre, will be shown on Feb. 14-16 and Feb. 21-23. The Friday and Saturday shows will begin at 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday shows will begin at 2:30 p.m. This theatrical adaptation of Pride and the Prejudice was written by Kate Hammill, who was listed as one of American Theatre’s “Top 20 Most-Produced Playwrights of the 2023-24 Season.” Berry Alumnus Trey Wilkerson will be playing the role of Mr. Darcy, the male protagonist of the age-old love story. 

“I mean, the story’s as old as time, and it’s been retold time and time again, this enemies to lovers, it is the blueprint for that,” Wilkerson said. “The show does a good job of elevating that and making it dramatic so that it conveys well on a stage and is also interesting for an audience to watch as opposed to sitting down and reading a book.” 

Senior Caroline Bailey will be playing the role of Jane Bennet. While the fictional character of Liz Bennet is the female protagonist, her eldest sister, Jane, has an intriguing storyline as well.  

“I think that Jane is very like spurred on by her relationships, um specifically like with her sisters and like her family,” Bailey said. “As the oldest, there’s a lot riding on what she does. I feel like she wants to do what she can to provide for her family as a woman by behaving like the best woman that she can be in that time.” 

“Pride and the Prejudice” is set in the Regency era, where most social gatherings involved dancing. During that time, dancing played an important role in the social interaction and courtship that took place. Different styles of dance would be used depending on the formality of the gathering. According to Rome Highschool student Millie Maloney, there are two dance scenes in the show. Maloney, who plays the role of Lydia Bennet, has a background in dance performance.  

“We had a lot of fun learning the choreography, and dancing is something that I’m very passionate about so it kind of comes naturally to me,” Maloney said. “Our second ball is a bit more formal and a lot slower, so we did more couple dances.” 

Participating in a theatrical performance can require actors or actresses to multitask at times. While the talented performers on stage may make it all look easy, it takes a lot of rehearsal to be able to react to stage effects, execute choreographed movements, and interact with props without breaking character. Freshman Preston Green, who plays the role of Mr. Bingley, shared the most challenging aspect of his performance.  

“The most challenging part of rehearsal so far has been figuring out how to deliver lines while bouncing a ball the entire time,” Green said. “In one scene my character has a ball on stage. I’m bouncing it while saying stuff and I have to figure out the rhythm of the bounce to not make it so annoying on stage.”  

Performers are responsible for portraying their character in a way that is authenitic to the performer as well as the script. Furthermore, performers are tasked with cultivating and conveying the relationships that form between their characters. The central relationship of “Pride and the Prejudice” is the one between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. Their love story is one that has captivated readers and audiences for many years.  

“In terms of like cultivating that relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth, a large part of my process was understanding the trajectory of the relationship, how things change because it’s not one of those things where he sees her and is immediately in love with her,” Wilkerson said. “To me, it’s been like a slow process. So, at what moment does he start to, think she’s okay instead of thinking she’s plain? Like, at what point does he fall in love with her?”  

Rome Little Theatre has a number of upcoming performances, including a production of Mystic Pizza that will be shown on May 2-4 and May 9-11. Visit romelittletheatre.com to purchase tickets, see more upcoming shows, and read about the theatre’s history.