Quick Take
For two weekends in August, the Midsummer Ensemble theater troupe, primarily made up of LGBTQ+ and gender-queer individuals, is putting on a reimagined production of "Pride and Prejudice," ignoring traditional gender roles.
For two weekends in August, the Midsummer Ensemble theater troupe, primarily made up of LGBTQ+ and gender-queer individuals, is putting on a reimagined production of “Pride and Prejudice,” ignoring traditional gender roles.
The troupe will perform Joseph Hanreddy and J.R. Sullivan’s state adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel at the Broadway Playhouse, located in the Santa Cruz Art League. Molly Craft and Molly Meyers, founding members of the Midsummer Ensemble, are directing the production.
Funded through grants from Arts Council Santa Cruz County, and in collaboration with West Performing Arts and the Santa Cruz Art League, the show will run from Aug. 8 to 17. Tickets will be sold in advance on the theater troupe’s website for $15.
Audiences can enjoy a free preview of the adaptation on Thursday, Aug. 7, at 7 p.m., with donations being collected for The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ youth. The performances on Aug. 8, 9, 15 and 16 will be at 7 p.m., and the Aug. 10 and 17 performances will be at 2 p.m.
Midsummer Ensemble was founded in June 2022, and this production will mark its third year as a theater company. The troupe has already received praise for its queer interpretation of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” in 2023 and its production of the horror play “Trap. “
“Pride and Prejudice” focuses on the story of Elizabeth Bennet and her romance with the wealthy Fitzwilliam Darcy. Themes of love, marriage and social class in 19th-century England are prominent in Austen’s book.
Have news that should be in Lookout Briefs? Send your news releases, including contact information, to news@lookoutlocal.com.
