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Book brought to life
  
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By Nicole Chillino
When Tri-Lakes area resident Karen Hamer set out to write an adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” for a community musical theater production, she took an active approach.
“It was important to me to tell the beloved, familiar story of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ with as much fullness as one can in three hours on the stage, but I didn't want an Austen play in which the characters just sit about and talk to each other all day long,” she said.
Her musical play will be performed in a way that engages the audience as Forestgate Presbyterian Church Community Theater presents her adaptation of the beloved classic Nov. 4-14.
“Pride and Prejudice” tells the tale of the Bennet family, all women except for Mr. Bennet, and how the family members’ lives are changed by the introduction of rich gentlemen Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley.
The play is the product of many people including Hamer’s editor, her sister in New Zealand Andrea Diprose and Abby Carcich, who took the melodies Hamer wrote and turned them into full-fledged accompaniments for the play’s musical elements.
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs professor Joan Ray, who is an expert on Jane Austen’s literature, also helped with the creation of Hamer’s theatrical adaptation of the novel, said publicity and house manager Jana Bussanich.
“I knew that I wanted the play to be recognizably ‘Jane Austen,’ so I pulled as much as I could straight from the novel for lines and lyrics,” Hamer said. “You can’t beat the author’s own words; they have such a beautiful cadence and fit very well into songs.”
The play with music, as it is described, was cast from Forestgate’s surrounding community, including the Tri-Lakes area and Black Forest, as a means of outreach for the church, Bussanich said. As a result, only a few of the principal roles are held by members of the congregation, among them, the role of Mrs. Bennet is played by the founder of church’s community theater program, Joan Funke.
Funke, who holds a bachelor’s of fine and communications arts degree in film and television from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, began offering drama classes at Forestgate Presbyterian Church in 2003, out of which came the church’s first production, “Little Women.” Since then, she and Hamer have traded off the direction of plays through the church’s community theater group.
“Year by year, God’s grown the program,” she said. “We love it, it’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun.”
Thousands of hours have gone into producing this year’s musical play, Funke said. The work is made easier by the highly-talented actors and actresses recruited for each part.
Many of the cast members and musicians have strong backgrounds in their crafts, including Matthew Newton, who plays Mr. Bennet. Newton performs in Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center productions.
“The costumes are lovely, the music is wonderful and it’s a fun story,” Funke said.
“Pride and Prejudice” begins at 6:30 p.m. each evening from Nov. 4-14 at the church, located at 970 North Gate Blvd. in Colorado Springs. Tickets are $10, available at www.prideandprejudice2009.net.
“It was important to me to tell the beloved, familiar story of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ with as much fullness as one can in three hours on the stage, but I didn't want an Austen play in which the characters just sit about and talk to each other all day long,” she said.
Her musical play will be performed in a way that engages the audience as Forestgate Presbyterian Church Community Theater presents her adaptation of the beloved classic Nov. 4-14.
“Pride and Prejudice” tells the tale of the Bennet family, all women except for Mr. Bennet, and how the family members’ lives are changed by the introduction of rich gentlemen Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley.
The play is the product of many people including Hamer’s editor, her sister in New Zealand Andrea Diprose and Abby Carcich, who took the melodies Hamer wrote and turned them into full-fledged accompaniments for the play’s musical elements.
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs professor Joan Ray, who is an expert on Jane Austen’s literature, also helped with the creation of Hamer’s theatrical adaptation of the novel, said publicity and house manager Jana Bussanich.
“I knew that I wanted the play to be recognizably ‘Jane Austen,’ so I pulled as much as I could straight from the novel for lines and lyrics,” Hamer said. “You can’t beat the author’s own words; they have such a beautiful cadence and fit very well into songs.”
The play with music, as it is described, was cast from Forestgate’s surrounding community, including the Tri-Lakes area and Black Forest, as a means of outreach for the church, Bussanich said. As a result, only a few of the principal roles are held by members of the congregation, among them, the role of Mrs. Bennet is played by the founder of church’s community theater program, Joan Funke.
Funke, who holds a bachelor’s of fine and communications arts degree in film and television from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, began offering drama classes at Forestgate Presbyterian Church in 2003, out of which came the church’s first production, “Little Women.” Since then, she and Hamer have traded off the direction of plays through the church’s community theater group.
“Year by year, God’s grown the program,” she said. “We love it, it’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun.”
Thousands of hours have gone into producing this year’s musical play, Funke said. The work is made easier by the highly-talented actors and actresses recruited for each part.
Many of the cast members and musicians have strong backgrounds in their crafts, including Matthew Newton, who plays Mr. Bennet. Newton performs in Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center productions.
“The costumes are lovely, the music is wonderful and it’s a fun story,” Funke said.
“Pride and Prejudice” begins at 6:30 p.m. each evening from Nov. 4-14 at the church, located at 970 North Gate Blvd. in Colorado Springs. Tickets are $10, available at www.prideandprejudice2009.net.
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