PRIDE AND PREJUDICE to Open Portland Center Stage's 2026-2027 Season

Portland Center Stage at The Armory will launch a milestone season with playwright Kate Hamill's sharply witty adaptation of the Jane Austen classic, Pride and Prejudice. The Regency-era rom-com, running September 27–October 25 on the Main Stage, combines the beloved characters and story of the original with modern humor, playful theatricality, unexpected double casting, a touch of whimsy, and sumptuous visuals. As the first of seven productions in Portland Center Stage's 2026–2027 season—the 20th in the historic Armory—Pride and Prejudice sets the pace for an ambitious celebratory year.

“Built out with vision, fortitude, and a lot of chutzpah, The Armory remains an incredible home for Portland Center Stage as we create theater and community programs that serve our region from the heart of downtown Portland in this 20th anniversary year,” says Marissa Wolf, PCS Artistic Director. “The arts are an intrinsic part of our humanity, and this season offers that richness, tenderness, humor, and love—on stage and off.”  

Pride and Prejudice is the fourth work by Kate Hamill PCS has produced, including Sense and Sensibility (2019), Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B (2023), and Dracula, A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really (2023), and the third directed by Wolf. Hamill's talent for writing female-centered comedies adapted from classic works makes her a favorite among theatre-goers and has secured her place as one of the most produced playwrights in the US since 2017.

“Kate Hamill wields comedy like no other,” adds Wolf. “She brings a brilliant, feminist approach to all of her adaptations, leading with humor and deep love for her characters. Her adaptation of Pride and Prejudice honors both Austen's sharp social criticism and the deep romance of an iconic couple, Miss Lizzy Bennet and Mr. Darcy, with rolling laughter and warmth throughout. Her approach lets us see ourselves in these characters, more than two hundred years on.”

Published in 1813, Jane Austen's beloved novel has never been out of print. Two centuries later, Pride and Prejudice still enchants lovers of literature, witty repartee, and sensational romance. Adapted into hundreds of films, television series, plays, romance novels, and even horror stories during the last century, Hamill's take on Pride and Prejudice is a whimsical screwball comedy that stays relatively true to the novel's plot while blending modern sensibilities with grand, Regency-era details and a heavy dose of romance.