THE WICKHAMS: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY
In this delightful play, Gunderson and Melcon bring Austen’s beloved characters to the stage for a yuletide sequel to Pride and Prejudice. THE WICKHAMS takes audiences to the downstairs servants’ quarters during the newlywed Darcys’ Christmas celebratory gathering upstairs at Pemberley. Mrs. Reynolds, a no-nonsense housekeeper; Cassie, an eager new maid; and Brian, a lovesick footman, are bustling with preparations for holiday guests. But their work is interrupted by the midnight arrival of the definitely not invited Mr. Wickham—Lydia’s rogue of a husband and Mr. Darcy’s sworn enemy. THE WICKHAMS is a charming holiday tale that explores the confines of class and the generosity of forgiveness.
“The genius of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, in exploring Austen’s world, is to explicitly articulate what the books more elliptically imply: For these 19th-century women, beyond…security lay the more fundamental dream of liberty…This is world-class theatrical art…” —City Pages Minneapolis.
“…In the tradition of the source material, there is a powerful (without being overbearing) feminist message to THE WICKHAMS: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY…a lovely holiday concoction: melt in your mouth, with just a touch of spice.” —Talkin’ Broadway.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that Gunderson and Melcon brilliantly capture the heightened idiom of Austen’s world. What makes this writing team so remarkable…is the consistency of their plays’ characters with their originals in the novel…enjoy the splendid holiday gift that is THE WICKHAMS.” —Twin Cities Arts.
Performance Dates & Times
Casting
AUDITIONS will be held at the theatre on Monday, October 28 and Tuesday, October 29 beginning at 7:00 pm each night. Please come prepared to read from the script.
ROLES INCLUDE:
MRS. REYNOLDS—Late 50s, early 60s, the housekeeper at Pemberley, knows all and sees all, has been on staff since Darcy was a child, a mother figure to the household.
BRIAN—A footman, in love with technology and inventions, sincere and earnest, perhaps a bit arrogant.
CASSIE—The new housemaid, a village girl, an orphan who came from less than nothing. The opportunity to work at Pemberley means security she has never had, and she takes this job very seriously. She is sometimes maybe too eager and a bit headstrong.
MR. FITZWILLIAM DARCY—Head and owner of Pemberley.
MRS. ELIZABETH DARCY—Mistress of Pemberley.
GEORGE WICKHAM—Grew up at Pemberley, son of the former steward, once a soldier, has been in and out of trouble (of his own making) his whole life.
LYDIA WICKHAM—A bright, warm, and charming personality, if sometimes a bit much, eloped with Wickham at 15 and is now somewhat trapped in this marriage.
SETTING
December, 1815.
The lower floor of the grand Pemberley Estate, particularly the common room where servants gather and eat.