Study Guide

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TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Quick Facts (pg. 2) II. Pre-Show Activities (pg. 3) III. Meet the Playwrights (pg. 4) IV. About the Play (pg. 6) V. Historical Context and Background (pg. 8) VI. Jane Austen & Pride and Prejudice (pg. 12) VII. Post-Show Activities (pg. 15)

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QUICK FACTS What is this play? This is Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, which was co-written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon. It is produced by Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara and directed by Andrew Barnicle. It is an imagined sequel to the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. What’s it about? In the words of co-writer Margot Melcon, Miss Bennet is “a true celebration of the struggle we all feel against who our family expects us to be versus who we actually are” and the power of being uniquely yourself. It is an energetic, witty, and romantic holiday play about family, “awkward nerd love,” and personal transformation. Where and when is it set? The play is set in England, in December, 1815. More specifically, the takes place in the drawing room and library of Pemberley, a grand country estate in Derbyshire, Northern England. What’s the basic plot? The Bennet family gathers at Pemberley to celebrate Christmas together. Unlike her sisters, Mary Bennet is unmarried, nerdy, and growing tired of her role as the obedient middle sister. But an unexpected guest, Arthur de Bourgh, arrives at Pemberley, and as Mary finds herself drawn to him, she begins to hope for independence, an intellectual match, and the chance to be the heroine of her own story. How long is it? The play runs approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes with a 10-minute intermission. What is an “imagined sequel?” The play imagines what has happened to the characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice after the end of the novel itself. It picks up two years later, as the characters come together to celebrate Christmas. I haven’t read Pride and Prejudice – is that a problem? No. The play has been carefully written and staged to be accessible to anyone – die-hard Jane Austen fans and newcomers, alike. Some familiarity with Austen and Regency England is helpful, but not necessary to understanding the plot or characters of the play. Themes Family; personal growth and evolution; gender roles; science and exploration; Christmas and holiday traditions; inheritance; courtship and marriage Theatre Etiquette Please do not talk or make excessive noise during the performance. If you can see and hear the actors, they can see and hear you. Feel free to laugh, gasp, and applaud during the show. Do not eat or drink anything (besides water) while in the theatre space. No photography or recording of any kind is permitted during the performance. Turn off all cell phones and electronic devices.

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PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES Creative Writing Ideas Have there been times when you felt like you didn’t fit the role that your family or friends expected you to play? Write about the experience: What role did they expect you to play, and why? Why didn’t you fit? How did you feel? What did you do? Think about your family’s holiday traditions. Is there one that is unique or particularly meaningful to you? Describe the tradition. What makes it unique or meaningful? Where do you think this tradition come from? Does it have any symbolic or metaphorical meaning – to you, your family, or the world at large? Pick a favorite book, movie, or story. Imagine that you were tasked with creating a sequel; how would you go about writing it? What character or characters would you focus on? Why? Where would it take place? How much time has elapsed? What would the main story be? Discussion Questions Read through the “Historical Context and Background Section” (pg. 7). Compare and contrast the Regency Period with our current day. What has changed? What is the same? What kind of parallels do you notice? Mary, the protagonist in this story, undergoes a transformation over the course of the play. Have you had an experience that changed the way you think about yourself or your role in the world? Did you share this experience with others or did you experience it alone? Have you noticed someone close to you have a similar experience? “Inheritance” is an important theme in Miss Bennet. Think about the multiple meanings of the word “inherit.” What are some ways and things you can inherit? What does it mean to “inherit” something? What have you inherited? Are there traits or characteristics that you’ve inherited from your parents, siblings, friends? Activities As a class, listen to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata (Piano Sonata no. 14 in C-shapr Minor, op. 27, no. 2). Then discuss what you heard; what images, colors, feelings, moods did you hear in the music? Did the music invoke a story or narrative? Read aloud a passage from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, listening carefully to the narration and dialogue. Try to describe Jane Austen’s language: what does it sound like? Do you notice any specific patterns or rhythms? How is it similar/different from the language we speak/write today?

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MEET THE PLAYWRIGHTS Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley was co-written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon. The idea for the play came to them during a six-hour road-trip they took together in 2013. In the car, they began to discuss the lack of good holiday plays and began to brainstorm. “We decided on five essential things for the perfect holiday show,” Melcon says. “It had to be centered around family coming together; there had to be beloved characters; there had to be a moment of personal transformation/recognition; there had to be a love story; there had to be a tree.” By the end of the trip, Gunderson and Melcon had seized on the idea of creating a holiday sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, identified characters, and outlined the plot on Starbucks napkins.

Above: Margot Melcon (left) and Lauren Gunderson (right), playwrights of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley;

Photo by Josh Edelson/San Francisco Chronicle Lauren Gunderson grew up Georgia, and wrote her first play while she was an undergraduate at Emory University, where she studied Southern Literature and Drama. After graduating from Emory, she attended New York University, where she earned a graduate degree in Dramatic Writing. Gunderson has received a number of prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Lanford Wilson Prize, the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, and a Mellon Foundation Residency. Gunderson has had more than twenty of her plays produced throughout the United States, and she is the most produced American playwright in 2017-18. As a recent profile of Gunderson in The New Yorker states, Gunderson’s plays include “witty historical dramas about women in science (“Emilie,” “Silent Sky,” “Ada and the Engine”), giddy political comedies (“Exit, Pursued by a Bear,” “The Taming,” “The Revolutionists”) and wildly theatrical explorations of death and legacy;” and “her plays are less likely to end in a kiss than in a beautiful explosion of computer data.”

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Margot Melcon primarily works as a dramaturg and arts administrator. She attended California State University, Chico, and is currently the Program Executive for Promoting Culture at the Zellerbach Family Foundation. Previously, she was the Director of New Play Development at Marin Theatre Company, where served as a production dramaturg, produced the New Play Reading Series, and developed new plays by playwrights such as Steve Yockey, Carson Kreitzer, Amelia Roper, Thomas Bradshaw, and Martyna Majok.

Above: set design of ETC’s Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley; rendering and set design by Bruce Goodrich

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ABOUT THE PLAY Synopsis Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is a witty and heartwarming sequel to Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. Set in England, in 1815, the play picks up two years after the events of the book and finds the Bennet sisters gathering to celebrate Christmas at Pemberley, the stately home of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Amid the festivities, Mary Bennet, the bookish and socially awkward middle sister, once again finds herself the odd-sister-out. Mary’s charming elder sisters, Jane and Elizabeth, are both happy and secure in their marriages, and Mary’s irrepressible younger sister, Lydia, finds every opportunity to brag about her exciting life with her “charming, handsome and clever” husband, Wickham, but Mary is beau-less, still living with her parents and facing an uncertain future. Mary’s spirits are lifted, however, by the appearance of an unexpected guest at Pemberley – Lord Arthur de Bourgh; not only is Arthur “a single man in possession of a good fortune,” but he happens to be absorbed in reading the exact same scientific tome as Mary. As Mary gets to know Arthur, her hopes for independence and for an intellectual match seem close to being fulfilled; but, as in any Austen novel, the route to love and marriage is never quite so simple.

Above (clockwise from top left): Elizabeth Bennet (Kiera Knightly) and Mr. Darcy (Mathew MacFadyen) in the

2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice; the Bennet sisters from the same film adaptation; Elizabeth (Jennifer Ehle) and Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth) in the 1995 TV adaptation; and the Bennet Sisters, from the same adaptation

Characters Mary Bennet The middle of the five Bennet sisters. In Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, she is portrayed as a boring, bookish stickler. But, two years later, she has grown into an intelligent, curious, and lively woman. She is still a loner and can usually be found with her nose in a book, but she has a fire in her now. Though her family doesn’t expect much from her, she has grand hopes and desires for her life.

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Arthur de Bourgh A student at Oxford University, Arthur is studious and socially awkward. He was an only child and is not used to being around women or large families. Like Mary, he prefers books to people. Arthur has just recently inherited a large estate and fortune, and he has no idea what to do next. Elizabeth Darcy The second oldest of the Bennet sisters. She is confident, charming, and witty. She is the main character of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, which depicts the bumpy romance between her and Mr. Darcy. Now, she is happily married to Mr. Darcy and living in their grand estate, Pemberley. She is best friend with her older sister, Jane. Fitzwilliam Darcy Elizabeth’s husband. He is loving, generous and smart, though slightly stiff and formal. He is quiet and observant, so he often sees what other people might not. He knows what it’s like to be in love with someone who doesn’t feel the same way. Jane Bigley The eldest of the Bennet sisters. Jane is married to Charles Bingley, and she is seven months pregnant with her first child. She is sweet and optimistic. Charles Bigley Jane’s husband. He is easy going, happy, and loves to dote on his wife. He is Mr. Darcy’s closest friend. Lydia Wickham The youngest of the Bennet sisters. She is flirtatious, youthful and self-centered. She is always the life of the party. She is married to Mr. Wickham, who does not appear in the play. Anne de Bourgh The cousin of Arthur as well as Mr. Darcy. She is the only daughter of the Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who is a major character in Pride and Prejudice but has died before the events of the play. Anne’s mother tried her best to arrange a marriage between Anne and Mr. Darcy, but Elizabeth got in the way of her plans. Anne is spoiled, judgmental and impatient. Playwrights’ Perspective: Characters “Mary only gets about a dozen mentions in all of Pride and Prejudice, and none of them are particularly flattering. She’s described as this dowdy, fastidious, pious girl, I think in large part to make the other four sisters appear more dynamic. She’s the middle child. The overlooked, misunderstood middle child and we felt like she deserved her own story. The things she is ridiculed for - her attention to books, her dedication to practicing the piano, her distaste for the frivolity of society - all sort of endeared her to us. She’s a more modern heroine, she defines her own world and isn’t as concerned with conforming to the status quo. What happens when a woman like that is given a story where those liabilities are suddenly assets, and she has a chance to shine?” – Margot Melcon

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is set in England, in December of 1815, during what is called the Regency Era. This period of history, which lasted from around 1800-1837 is named after the Prince Regent, George August Fredrick, who ruled Great Britain in the place of his father, King George III, after he was deemed unfit to rule due to mental illness. During the Regency Era, there were a number of important cultural, political, and artistic developments that serve as the background to Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley.

Above: portrait of King George III by Allan Ramsay, c.1866 (left); and portrait of King George IV by Richard

Cosway, c. 1780 (right) Endless War Between 1775 and 1815, Great Britain was engaged in a near constant state of war – first, against rebellious American colonists in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783); then, against French revolutionaries in the French Revolutionary War (1793-1802); next, against the self-proclaimed Emperor of France, Napoleon, in the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815); and, finally, against the newly-minted United States in the War of 1812 (1812-1815). The deployments and casualties of four decades of war resulted in a skewed gender ratio in Great Britain – few eligible unmarried men, many eligible unmarried women. Around a quarter-million British men served in the military during the Napoleonic Wars, while many of those who remained at home joined militias to protect England from a looming French invasion (which never came). British society was already exhausted by war and on edge at the prospect of invasion; and the presence of these militias – full of rowdy, rude, often drunk and gambling young men – in cities and small towns throughout the country caused further disruption and anxiety.

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Above: “The Field of Waterloo” by J.M.W Turner, c.1856

Economic Shifts Britain experienced great economic instability as the wars with France and the United States disrupted trade and created food shortages and drastic price fluctuations for goods such as grain, tobacco, tea, wool, timber and coal. This instability had the largest effect on the working classes and created widespread unemployment. At multiple points during the Regency era, roughly a third of the country was close to starvation, creating deep unrest and frequent food riots. At the same time, Britain was in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. The bulk of economic and political power remained in the countryside, in the hands of aristocrats and wealthy land-owners, but the growth of factories had begun to shift power towards cities and swell the ranks of the merchant middle-class. One reaction to industrialization was the Luddite rebellion, an anti-technology uprising of skilled workers and craftsmen who saw themselves being replaced by machines and new industrial technologies. In a series of uncoordinated protests and riots that occurred throughout England between 1811 and 1817, groups of Luddites attacked textile mills and factories, smashing industrial machinery and occasionally killing mill owners and soldiers. Political Upheaval In the midst of this economic and social turmoil, radical ideas were making their way into British society; the American and French Revolutions, as well as revolutions in North Africa and Greece, introduced new ideologies of equality, democracy, individualism, and self-determination. And, on a more basic level, the revolutions demonstrated that it was possible to overthrow longstanding monarchies and create entirely new countries and governments. Movements advocating universal suffrage, nationalization of land, organized labor, abolitionism, parliamentary reform, and full-on revolution sprouted up throughout Britain.

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Above: reward poster for arrest of Luddite protestors (left); and illustration of the 1854 Bread Riot (right)

These ideas and movements threatened the British monarchy and aristocracy. The government reacted with a wave of repressive measures, censorship, and frequently violent military suppression. This became a recognizable cycle throughout the Regency Era: periods of liberal reform followed by periods of reactionary repression. Growth of Arts, Sciences, and Literacy Between the 18th and early 19th century, education and literacy rates improved significantly throughout Britain. The rise in literacy was due in large part to the growth of the middle class, accompanied by industrialization and urbanization. But it was also promoted by the expansion of print culture and letter-writing in the 18th and 19th centuries. New printing and book-binding technologies made books and newspapers more affordable, while new forms of marketing and the development of circulation libraries increased demand and access to reading materials. With the establishment of the government-run post office in in the late 17th century, and the increasing reach, reliability, and affordability of the postal service throughout the 18th century, letter-writing became an integral part of the business and social lives of British citizens of all classes. As the need and desire to read and write increased, so too did the ability to do so.

Above: pages handwritten by Jane Austen from her unpublished comic work “The History of England” (c.1790)

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The rise of literacy corresponded with a dramatic growth in literary arts, especially the novel, which became the dominant literary form by the 1850s. Scholars link the development of the novel to the rise of letter-writing during this period; not only did the sending and receiving of letters democratize the practice of writing and reading, but it created a distinct form of prose narration, interiority, and dialogue between writer and reader that was perfectly suited to, and quickly appropriated by, the novel. In fact, Jane Austen first wrote Pride and Prejudice as an epistolary novel – a novel made up of a sequence of letters – which was titled “First Impressions.” During the Regency Era, George IV provided a great deal of support for the arts, as well as for the new scientific disciplines of biology, geology, physics and chemistry. George IV funded many building programs, public pageants, performances, art commissions, scientific expeditions and renovations of the many royal residences. An example of one of George IV’s projects was the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, designed by John Nash: an exotic, Persian-inspired palace built beginning in 1811, as a seaside vacation retreat. George IV’s direct patronage, as well as his indirect influence over British culture, resulted in the flourishing of arts and sciences, and the development of a distinctive “Regency style,” a Romantic interpretation of classic Greek and Roman aesthetics (and later, “Oriental” themes) that emphasized restrained structural simplicity that was then layered with high ornamentation and elaboration.

Above: Royal Pavilion, Brighton, designed by John Nash (left); and a Regency style interior rotunda (right)

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JANE AUSTEN & PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Jane Austen (1775-1817) is one of the most famous English writers, and notable for being one of the earliest female novelists. In her six published novels, she wrote about upper-class life in 19th century England, and about what it was like to be a woman in a society that thought of women as inferior.

Above: two portraits of Jane Austen; pencil and watercolor sketch by Austen’s sister Cassandra, c.1810 (left), and

engraving published by Richard Bentley, 1870 (right) Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is a sequel to Jane Austen’s most well-known novel Pride and Prejudice. The play imagines what would happen if the Austen’s characters reunited for a family Christmas celebration two years after the end of the novel. As they collaborated on writing the play, Melcon and Gunderson found themselves immersed in the world of Jane Austen, and, as Gunderson states, “we discovered a world both of us could happily inhabit and the story just came easily.” Playwrights’ Perspective: Jane Austen “Jane Austen’s style is a great combination of being sort of soap-opera gossipy mixed with some really interesting social commentary. It’s extremely entertaining while also pointing out universal truths, in particular regarding how women face a wide variety of challenges with varying degrees of�grace and humor. The women in her work are vastly familiar, and flawed, and inspiring, all at the same time.” – Margot Melcon “I think Jane Austen is a feminist hero, in part because her characters are specific and iconic. She also shows that you don’t need riches and�titles to make a mark on the world; you can use wit, intelligence and compassion. She proved long before Gloria Steinem that women had minds and ambitions and complexities and that they deserved their own stories. She continues to prove just how funny women are too (whenever some idiot asks “Why aren’t women funny?” I want to smack them in the face with a copy of Pride and Prejudice and watch them bruise). And her best gift? Showcasing the range of women as full human beings, flaws and all.” – Lauren Gunderson

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Synopsis of Pride and Prejudice Excerpted from The Jane Austen Companion, ed. J. David Grey Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their five daughters live in the village of Longbourn in Hertfordshire. When the wealthy Charles Bingley leases the house of Netherfield near Longbourn and comes to stay there, accompanied by his sisters and his friend Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mrs. Bennet has high hopes that some of her daughters will be married. Mr. Bingley and Jane, the Bennets’ sensible oldest daughter, are attracted to each other when they meet at the Meryton assembly ball, but Darcy’s cold and proud behavior offends Jane’s younger sister Elizabeth, a witty and intelligent young woman who is her father’s favorite. Elizabeth’s prejudice against Mr. Darcy is confirmed when Mr. Wickham, an attractive young officer, claims that Darcy cheated him out of an inheritance left by his godfather, Darcy’s father. Darcy and the Bingley sisters, disgusted by the vulgarity of Mrs. Bennet, persuade Bingley to abandon his interest in Jane and return to London. Mr. Collins, a foolish clergyman who will inherit the Bennet property by entail, arrives at Longbourn and proposes to Elizabeth, but she rejects him with her father’s approval. Mr. Collins, who is a favorite of Mr. Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, next proposes to Elizabeth’s friend Charlotte Lucas, who accepts him. Visiting Charlotte and her husband on Lady Catherine’s estate, Elizabeth meets Darcy again and is surprised when he proposes to her. She refuses him, only to be shocked and mortified when Darcy writes a letter which convinces her that Wickham is a deceitful adventurer who [had previously] tried to elope with Darcy’s younger sister.

Above: an engraving of a Regency Era ball from the magazine The English Spy (1825)

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Elizabeth makes a trip to Derbyshire with her worthy uncle and aunt from London, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, and while they are in Derbyshire, they decide to visit Darcy’s country estate, Pemberley, believing that he is absent. Darcy appears unexpectedly on the scene, insists on introducing Elizabeth to his younger sister, and is in every way a changed man, perfectly agreeable. Elizabeth learns that her wayward sister Lydia has eloped with Wickham, and without her knowledge Darcy tracks down the couple and sees that they are properly established. Bingley and Jane renew their love, and after Elizabeth learns of Darcy’s generosity she realizes her love for him and they are reconciled, in spite of the opposition of the proud Lady Catherine. At the end of the novel Elizabeth and Darcy are settled in Pemberley, where they are visited regularly by Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth’s father. Pride and Prejudice has always been the most popular of Jane Austen’s novels because it satisfies our natural longing for the probable and the possible. The social world of Darcy and Elizabeth is scrupulously described, but within these limitations the hero and the heroine are allowed to achieve freedom and self-expression. Like all truly classical artists, Jane Austen was welcomed the opportunity to demonstrate her freedom within restrictions, to prove – in Andrè Gide’s words – her “exquisite mastery of what can be mastered.” In marrying Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet is satisfying our sense of social rightness and our sense of personal style. Pride and Prejudice has often been compared to the music of Mozart, because it gives us a sense of liberation while obeying the strictest laws of form and structure.

Above: photos of two estates in Derbyshire that were Jane Austen’s inspiration for Pemberley – Chatsworth House

(top) and Ilum Hall (bottom)

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POST-SHOW ACTIVITIES Creative Writing Ideas Letters and letter-writing are an important part of the plot of Miss Bennet. Write a letter in the voice of one of the characters in the play – Mary, Arthur, Anne, Elizabeth, Mr. Dary, etc. In the letter you are writing to another character in the play, and you are trying to confess a secret or reveal a hidden truth. Try your best to capture the voice, tone, sound and cadence of the character. After you’ve written the letter, try reading it out loud. How does it sound? Discussion Questions Several characters undergo transformations during this play. Which ones changed most noticeably? Which ones stayed the same? Did you identify with any particular character’s journey? Activities Read a scene from the script out loud. Try to remember how the scene played out on stage. What elements of the performed scene are present in the script and what were added by the director and actors? How did the set, costumes, lighting, sound, and movement affect your experience of the story? Select a scene from the play and rewrite it in contemporary speech and setting. Then, read both the original scene and your rewritten aloud. How does your rewritten scene sound? What has changed? Discuss the choices you made in updating the scene and how those choices affect the meaning and dynamics of the scene.