Center Stage Sets PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Cast

Center Stage announces the cast and creative team of Pride and Prejudice, the first show of its 2015/16 Season. The play begins performances Sept. 11, with opening night set for Sept. 18.

Directed by Center Stage Associate Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif, Pride and Prejudice will feature a cast of 21 actors performing Jane Austen's classic, with a fresh adaptation by Christopher Baker that's set in 1797. The story revolves around the romance between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, as well as other Bennet sister pairings.

"I can't be prouder of all we achieved in Season 52, and I'm overjoyed to be opening Season 53 with Pride and Prejudice and to know it's in the hands of Hana Sharif," says Artistic Director Kwame Kwei Armah.

"I think that we have an incredible cast," Sharif says. "Pride and Prejudice is a beloved text. It's about connection and choice, and I think everyone sees someone they know - or themselves - in these characters."

The principle romantic couples are performed by Kate Abbruzzese (Elizabeth Bennet) and A.J. Shively (Mr. Darcy), Ali Rose Dachis (Lydia Bennet) and Asher Grodman (Mr. Wickham), Mary Jo Mecca (Mrs. Bennet) and Anthony Newfield (Mr. Bennet), Eric Neufer (Jane Bennet) and Josh Salt (Mr. Bingley), Kelly McCrann (Charlotte Lucas) and Christopher Bolan (Mr. Collins), with Victoria Frings as Caroline Bingley.

The cast also includes Julia Brandeberry (Mrs. Gardiner), Maya Brettell (Mary Bennet), Patricia Hodges (Lady Catherine de Bourgh), Travis Hudson, Greg Joubert, Carolyn Kashner, Sarah Rose Kearns, Ed Klein, Hillary Mazer (Mrs. Reynolds) and David Sedgwick (Mr. Gardiner).

Pride and Prejudice features scenic design by Scott Bradley, costume design by Ilona Somogyi, lighting design by Colin D. Young, projections by Alex Koch, original music and sound design by Broken Chord, choreography by Paloma McGregor and casting by Pat McCorkle. Production dramaturg is Faedra Carpenter. Stage manager is Amber Dickerson and assistant stage manager is Lindsay Eberly.

Following the success of last season's interactive lobby creations - such as sand and a reggae DJ creating Jamaica in the lobby for Marley and a boxing ring setting up the 1964 Miami Convention Center for One Night in Miami - audiences will join the world of Pride and Prejudice as soon as they enter Center Stage's Calvert Street building and be transported to a Regency ball.

Pride and Prejudice opens Friday, Sept. 18, with previews Sept. 11-17, and closes Oct. 11. For more information, visit www.centerstage.org or call the box office at 410-332-0033. Press night is Friday, Sept. 18.

Center Stage's 2015-16 Season also includes family musical The Secret Garden, new football play X's and O's and a limited engagement of South African opera company Isango's productions of Carmen and A Midsummer Night's Dream at the 700 N. Calvert St. home. An all-female version of As You Like It and Dominique Morisseau's Detroit '67 will be at the Center for the Arts at Towson University, where Center Stage will be in temporary residency during winter/spring 2016.

CAST (in alphabetical order)

Kate Abbruzzese* Elizabeth Bennet

Chris Bolan* Mr. Collins

Julia Brandeberry Mrs. Gardiner

Maya Brettell Mary Bennet

Ali Rose Dachis* Lydia Bennet

Victoria Frings* Miss Caroline Bingley

Asher Grodman* Mr. Wickham

Patricia Hodges* Lady Catherine de Bourgh

Travis Hudson 1st Soldier

Greg Joubert 2nd Soldier

Carolyn Kashner Young Woman #1

Sarah Rose Kearns Young Woman #2

Ed Klein 3rd Soldier

Hillary Mazer Mrs. Reynolds

Kelly McCrann* Charlotte Lucas

Mary Jo Mecca* Mrs. Bennet

Erin Neufer* Jane Bennet

Anthony Newfield* Mr. Bennet

Josh Salt* Mr. Bingley

David Sedgwick Mr. Gardiner

A.J. Shively* Mr. Darcy

Amber Dickerson* Stage Manager

Lindsay Eberly* Assistant Stage Manager

* Member of Actors' Equity Association

ARTISTIC TEAM

Christopher Baker Adapter

Hana S. Sharif Director

Scott Bradley Scenic Designer

Ilona Somogyi Costume Designer

Colin D. Young Lighting Designer

Broken Chord Original Music & Sound Design

Alex Koch Projections Designer

Paloma McGregor Choreographer

Faedra Carpenter Production Dramaturg

Maya Brettell Dance Captain

Pat McCorkle Casting Director

Pride and Prejudice is made possible by DLA Piper and KPMG LLP. Pride and Prejudice media partners are WBJC and Maryland Public Television. Center Stage is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business and Economic Development, the MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities. Funding for the MSAC is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Center Stage's 2015-16 Season is made possible by Season 2015-16 presenting sponsor M&T Bank and season sponsor The Shubert Foundation.

About Center Stage

Under the leadership of playwright, actor and director Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE (Artistic Director) and national arts leader Stephen Richard (Managing Director), Center Stage is an artistically driven institution committed to engaging, entertaining and enriching audiences through joyous and bold performances.

Hailed by The Wall Street Journal as "one of America's leading regional companies," Center Stage has, for more than 50 years, dedicated itself to exploring new works and bringing classics to life. This rich history is marked by critically acclaimed new works that have shaped the American theater- from the Tony Award-winning The Triumph of Love to world premieres such as Miss Evers' Boys by David Feldshuh and On the Verge by Eric Overmyer.

In 2015, Center Stage's production of Kwei-Armah's world premiere Marley became the best-attended and highest grossing show in Center Stage's 52-year history. The 2015-16 Season is a transitional year when the theater's historic Mt. Vernon home will undergo a dramatic renovation and revitalization in order to welcome innovative future projects, relocating Center Stage to a temporary residency at Towson University for final two productions of the season.

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