 Posted: Fri, Nov 16 2007, 2:22 pm EST Post subject: Cranbury students hit PHS stage |
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| Cranbury students hit PHS stage
By Madeleine Johnson Posted: Friday, November 16, 2007 10:16 AM EST CRANBURY — When the house lights go down and the curtains go up on Princeton High School’s theater tonight, several Cranbury students will be taking the stage. This year’s fall production, a theatrical adaptation of Jane Austen’s 19th-century novel “Pride and Prejudice” directed by Patricia Wray, will feature senior Luke Brunskill as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, senior Bob Venanzi as Captain Denny, sophomore Danielle Dredger as Ms. Bingley and freshman Leah Reiss as Agatha. As the title suggests, the play is about the pride of the period’s social classes and prejudices that keep them apart, as shown by the interactions centered around the Bennet family, their five daughters and their love interests. The themes found within the play are ones a modern audience can relate to, though the young actors did encounter some challenges in learning the nuances of the classic story. ”Some of the phrasing was a little strange, and all of the lines are written in an older English,” Danielle said on Wednesday. “Sometimes it was kind of hard to make sense of what they really mean.” Leah said that while “Pride and Prejudice” was an entirely new experience for her, her familiarity with the novel helped her get a feel for the play. ”Most of the plays I’ve done were geared more toward children or were musicals. It’s a different play than what I’m used to, but I love it,” Leah said. “I’ve read a lot of Jane Austen, so I kind of had an idea of who my character was.” While both Danielle and Leah have been involved in the theater for years, Bob and Luke are relative newcomers. ”Last year was the first time I’d ever really acted. I can do a pretty good Scottish accent, so my friends in the theater told me to try out because there was a Scottish guy in the play. I didn’t know it was the lead until I went to audition,” said Luke, who landed the role last year and will be playing the male lead again in “Pride and Prejudice.” Bob decided to audition for the first time this year because he felt the experience would help him in college and, like his fellow performers, is glad to be a part of the show. ... http://www.packetonline.com/articles/2007/11/16/cranbury_press/lifestyle/doc473cc5d6e6ddd525947061.prt |
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