A Directors Notes on Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen’s timeless romantic comedy has been a favourite of mine ever since I first encountered it via the famous BBC TV series in the 1990s. I went onto read the novel a few years later and have been captivated by its story and characters ever since. This year – 2025 – marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, and Pride and Prejudice continues to feel as compelling, witty and entertaining as ever, with its themes of love, family, class and romance.
I was delighted to discover playwright Kate Hamill’s adaptation, having first got to know her work a decade ago, when she wrote and starred in an off-off-Broadway production of another classic Austen novel: Sense and Sensibility. I was lucky enough to catch a performance in New York, and was blown away by Kate’s hilarious and lively take on the novel, which remained absolutely true to the original source material but also brought a twenty-first century freshness and energy to the text. Since that production, Kate’s career has gone from strength to strength – in fact, this year she will be the most performed playwright in America, second only to one Mr William Shakespeare… It’s an incredible achievement, and yet I was surprised to find out that UK audiences haven’t really had a chance to experience her work.
We’re thrilled to be able to change that, by staging this UK premiere production.
During rehearsals we’ve had huge fun exploring the era of the novel whilst also taking some inspiration from the many ‘rom coms’ and other adaptations which have been influenced by it, from screwball comedies to big (and small) screen re-imaginings. We’ve really leaned into the ideas of playfulness, fun and irreverence, with lots of doubling of characters, some lightning quick costume changes and some (hopefully) helplessly romantic dance sequences.
It’s been an absolute joy to work with this hugely talented company of actors, who have thrown themselves into bringing Jane Austen’s iconic characters to life. It’s also been a great pleasure to work with our wonderful creative team, using their superb skills in music, dance, lighting, sound, set and costumes, to create this Regency world. I’m also very grateful to the entire Octagon team for all of their incredible hard work, and to all of our brilliant co-producing partners, without whom a show of this scale wouldn’t be possible.
Finally, I’m delighted that you, the audience – the final, magical ingredient of the production – are able to join us for this performance. We hope you have a wonderful couple of hours of escapism in the world of Pride and Prejudice and that you thoroughly enjoy the show!
– Lotte Wakeham –