A New Generation (Part 1) ... (Originally written 7/17/11)

On Friday, I (Amanda) had the distinct pleasure of speaking with some of the cast members and musicians from the Edmonds Heights K-12 production of Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, A Musical. This amazing little school (only 450 students) produced the first high school production of our show this past May, and did a fabulous job. Through an unusual set of circumstances this summer, the show's director of that production and I were able to arrange two meetings to discuss the show. The goals of the meeting were two-fold: to talk about Lindsay's and my creative process, and share stories about their production. It was a joyful afternoon as questions were asked and the students offered their thoughts and opinions about our work.

Last fall, when Lindsay and I were initially approached by Shileah Corey, the director of the theater program at Edmonds Heights K-12, to license the show, we intuitively knew that she would do a good job with our material. It was something in the way she approached the work and how she talked to us about it that let us know. So when I met with the students this past Friday, it was evident that the project was a valuable learning experience to all and that the show nurtures a new generation of Jane Austen fans.

One of the most important steps Shileah took to encourage deeper understanding of the material was to require all the students to read the novel. From the novel, the students had a true foundation on which to critique and compare our work against the original source material. It provided them with a way to "think" about what they were doing on stage and to understand how we had adapted the material into songs and script. This was especially noticeable in the questions that were asked because they asked questions that were framed from the perspective of the novel.

One of the most interesting questions asked came from one of the mothers who asked if Lindsay and I think in terms of scenes and physical space when we are writing a scene. I found this question to be especially thought-provoking because for us, it is more important that a scene occurs instead of "where" it occurs. Everything within our adaptation is a staged out of the imagination of the author ... so scenery becomes less important and the action more so. It is kind of like living a memory. Do we really remember every detail about the memory or that it happened.

As a result, I think this is why our adaptation can be told minimally. It is what allows the acting and the singing to come to the forefront and tell the story ... As adapters, it is important that we "get this right" ... and while this is subjective, "right" for us means that the audiences understand and love the story.

Edmonds Heights K-12 did, and they evidently had a lot of fun "doing it". The archive copy I saw showed attention to detail, an understanding of the story and an audience who loved it. They are a new generation ... so now ... I can't wait now to talk to the rest of that cast on Monday ...