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YOUNG LOVE: Macaulay Hammond and Emily Martin portray Mr. Darcy and
Elizabeth Bennet in Halifax County High School's production of Pride
and Prejudice. The Jane Austen classic opens this Thursday for three
performances. Tickets may be purchased at the door.
Pride and Prejudice: The Unexpected Lovers
By Grace McAbee
Family, love, and deceit come to the Halifax County High School stage
as HCHS's annual play opens this Thursday with Jane Austen's classic
story, Pride and Prejudice. Becky Donner directs this delightful
comedy that will be shown for three performances on October 18, 19, and
20 at 8:00 PM. Tickets cost $5 and can be purchased at the door.
This adaptation by Jane Kendall is set in the 1800 English home of the
Bennet's, a family consisting of five very different girls. According
to their frivolous and flighty mother, Mrs. Bennet, played by Virginia
Purvis, all of these girls must be married to a perfect - meaning
wealthy - gentleman.
Mr. Bennet, played by Alex Robbins, balances his wife's melodramatic
attitude with his easy-going and witty mannerisms.
Senior Emily Martin plays Elizabeth Bennet, one of the most well-known
characters in the novel. Elizabeth is the second oldest daughter of
the Bennett's. Martin observed, "She (Elizabeth) is very independent,
witty, and observant."
Emily has attended several summer theatre workshops, and has written
and directed Christmas plays at Clover Baptist Church. In addition,
Emily played Kelsi in the groundbreaking production of Disney's HIGH
SCHOOL MUSICAL last spring and Mercy Lewis in The Crucible two years
ago.
In keeping with her performance passion, she plays the piccolo in the
Blue Comet "Pride of Halifax" Marching Band. She is also a member of
the National Honor Society, the Ecology team, 4-H Honor Club, and is
active in her church's youth group and choir. She also acts as a 4-H
counselor in the summer and enjoys reading and music.
Junior Macaulay Hammond portrays the role of Mr. Darcy, a handsome,
reserved man who comes across as haughty and proud but actually
possesses an honest, kind nature.
Macaulay can be described as a true theatre veteran, with performances
in numerous Little Theatre plays, including HONK, Charlotte's Web, A
Christmas Carol, and Children of Eden. In addition, he was also in The
Crucible at HCHS and played Troy Bolton in Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL
last spring.
In his spare time, Hammond swims and plays soccer for HCHS, and he also
enjoys basketball and hanging out with friends. This past summer,
Macaulay participated in the Governor's School for the Fine Arts in
Richmond during the month of July.
With the play drawing near, Hammond commented, "I feel we are more than
ready to bring the show to the stage. All that's left is fine tuning."
Martin confessed, "We'll get it done but it's been lots of work. We've
had to put a lot of time into this production."
This production has been especially tough for the cast because of the
use of a British dialect. In keeping with the story, cast members have
worked closely with Sarah Graves to master the linguistic skills of
England.
Emily said laughingly, "It has been interesting turning my Southern
twang into proper British speech."
Hammond admitted, "This is my first show ever having to use a British
accent or any accent for that matter. I find some of it to be a
challenge, but the challenges are what make you better."
Both Emily and Macaulay agreed that rehearsals are going well. Hammond
continued, "It seems like it was just a week ago that we were
auditioning. The time has gone by quickly."
Although this show features a smaller cast than normal with only twenty
performers on stage, it's definitely one you don't want to miss. There
are plenty of new faces since the play has been switched to the fall
season from its usual spring slot.
These first-timers to the high school stage blend their undeniable
talent with the seasoned thespians' gifted experience.
With its timeless theme of love, this play set so long ago is still
extremely relevant today. In fact, Macaulay promises, "You will not be
disappointed!"