City Theatre to Present BEYOND PERSUASION in March

City Theatre at Sacramento City College will bring Jane Austen's beloved novel Persuasion to the stage in a new adaptation called Beyond Persuasion. Lori Ann DeLappe-Grondin adapts and directs this Austen play fusing the production with contemporary elements. The production opens Thursday, March 2, and plays through Sunday, March 12. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on March 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11; and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 5 and 12. Performances will be held in the Auditorium in the Performing Arts Center on the Sacramento City College campus at 3835 Freeport Blvd. in Sacramento. Ticket prices are $18 General Admission; $15 Seniors, SARTA Members, Veterans/Military Personnel and Persons with Disabilities; and $10 Students. Tickets may be purchased online or in-person one hour before the performance begins. All details and tickets are available online at CityTheatre.net.

THE PLAY

Beyond Persuasion adapts Jane Austen's novel, Persuasion, fusing the Regency era and contemporary times. When Anne Elliot was persuaded to end a relationship with Captain Fredrick Wentworth, little did she know that she would meet him eight years later. Do Anne and Fredrick get a second chance at love?

Beyond Persuasion follows the story of the admirable and sweet Anne Elliot, the heroine who has a resigned outlook that she will not marry. The story centers on themes of love, and rekindled romance, and comments on the lavish and superficial life of Bath, where the story is partly set. Amidst the satire of the superficiality of high-status society, there is also a Royal Navy influence found through Captain Fredrick Wentworth and others that hints at an outgoing or fulfilling life outside of society's pretensions.

THE PLAYWRIGHT

Jane Austen, born in Steventon, Hampshire on December 16, 1775, was the seventh of eight children. Her novels, also adapted for the theatre arts, are popular among Austen enthusiasts and theatregoers alike. Austen's novels include Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion. Persuasion was her last completed novel and was published posthumously along with Northanger Abbey.

Many of Austen's novels have inspired film adaptations, plays, and musicals including the popular holiday theatre productions of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley and The Wickhams both by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon. Austen passed away in 1817 due to illness. Austen's legacy remains through her stories found in many forms.

THE ADAPTOR AND DIRECTOR

Lori Ann DeLappe-Grondin

Artistic Director, Wildflower Women's Ensemble

Associate Professor, Sacramento City College

A member of the faculty at Sacramento City College since 2005, Lori Ann has been working in the local theatre community since 1994. She founded an all-female Shakespeare ensemble, Wildflower Women's Ensemble with co-founders Julianna Hess and Josh Anderson. Wildflower Women's Ensemble provides free Shakespeare in the park to the community and endless opportunities for women, female-presenting, and non-binary artists to explore all roles, regardless of gender identity. As an artistic team member of both the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival (SSF) and City Theatre at Sacramento City College, she takes on both artistic and administrative positions, including directing, managment and education. She is also the program director of the High School Intern Program for SSF which she created in 2004.

"Beyond Persuasion" marks Lori Ann's first full-length, solo written play. It received two staged readings during development and will premier in Sacramento in February 2023. She has also written multiple 10-minute and one-act plays for various festivals with her long-time writing partner, Kayla Carerro.

THE PRODUCTION

Beyond Persuasion will be directed by Lori Ann DeLappe-Grondin. The cast will feature Shelby Saumier, Vincent Barnett, Jonathan Blum, Johnna Wood, Blair Leatherwood, Lauren Ormond, Caylin Bach, Peter Eden, Mia Matista, Sarah Palmero, Kathleen Poe, Gabi Solis, Petra Tafoya, Shaan Ali, Sawyer Stock, Alejandro Barrera, and Sinead Kennedy. The artistic team will include Shawn Weinsheink (scenic and lighting design), Nicole Sivell (costume design), Steven Grondin (sound design), and Scott Bailey (properties design).

ABOUT CITY THEATRE

City Theatre is the performing arts program at Sacramento City College, part of the Los Rios Community College District, in Sacramento, California. City Theatre's season consists of four Mainstage productions, two Storytime children's productions, and the elementary school touring troupe known as The Pennywhistle Players, although the children-related theatre is currently on hiatus. During the summer, City Theatre produces the annual Sacramento Shakespeare Festival. The company welcomes all members of the community to audition and participate in their award-winning productions.