Suddenly the audience is transported to early 19th century England shown through the extravagant dress and exquisite use of British accents. You can’t help but feel empathy for Elizabeth Bennett as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage. Growing up during the British Regency Era was not without its challenges and humor.

The AHS Fall Play Class performed four shows of Pride and Prejudice on January 15-18. This is the first time that AHS students put on a fall play due to the class AHS Theatre teacher Logan Carter started just this year. With over thirty students signed up for the class, Carter selected Pride and Prejudice and had students working on set design, lighting, sounds, and acting.

Since the first week of school, students in the class have been working to perfect the production. Each student contributed to the play in some way, however, auditions were held to determine the acting parts.

My impression, as I sat in the audience, was that these students all worked so hard in the varied aspects of this play. From the set design to background sound effects to the impeccable memorization of the lines to the accurate costume interpretation, the entire group pulled together. I was blown away after I learned that it was student run.

“I think it was a really unique experience to be involved in every aspect of the play (acting and behind the scenes) and see both sides come together to put on a performance. Most of the actors have never been a part of stage design before so it is a whole new experience,” Elizabeth Bennett, played by AHS senior Megan Doherty said.

The play was performed at the Black Box, which was set up with the audience sitting higher up than the actors. I preferred this to the District Theatre because it was more intimate for both the viewers and actors. It is a small space, restricting the audience to only thirty. As an audience member, I felt as if I were a part of the play; I could see each expression on Elizabeth Bennett’s face, and even the spit coming out of the actors’ mouths (caution: you may not want to sit in the front row).

In addition, I found that the play was well casted. Many of the actors have similar personalities to the characters they played. Senior Eliza Well’s role of the peppy, adventurous sister accurately depicted the Wells I know outside of the play. The emotion and enthusiasm made it very easy to follow the plot line, as Pride and Prejudice, in my opinion, is not the simplest story to follow.

Many people around school, including myself, were surprised that Pride and Prejudice would have been chosen as the student production; however, they did made it work. Through the acting and emotion, the students were able to add in some humor and make it more kid friendly through the tone in their voices, and awkward interactions. There were both jaw dropping moments and laugh out loud moments, sending the crowd into an uproar.

By the positive response from all, I will be surprised if this Fall Play Class does not become a regular AHS class. For all interested in any aspect of theatre, this class is a great addition to the curriculum at AHS as a way for students to get in more Theatre experience both in acting and behind the scenes. Even for the non-experienced, this is your chance to give it a stab; you never know, it could end up being your newfound obsession.