Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School (PSO) students are looking to spread the Christmas cheer by performing a feel-good play to the public in December.
The play, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, is a spin-off to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, according to Vincent Collins, the drama teacher at PSO.
“It follows the story of Mary Bennet, one of the not-so talked about characters in previous stories of the Bennet family,” said Collins. “It’s a Christmas story and a romantic tale.”
The upcoming play will feature students from grades 10 to 12. Collins said there is a cast of 17 students and another eight acting as crew members.
“Of course the audience can expect a dramatic twist,” said Collins.
He said he saw the production in the past and this play sort of checked off all of the boxes for what he was looking for. The students began rehearsing back in October and with a couple of weeks left before the opening show, Collins said he was quite confident in their performance.
“The students are really enjoying [it],” said Collins. “They wanted a play that had large roles so I picked this production that has a lot of dialogue, tough roles and a lot to mesmerize.”
The play is set to debut at Martin Exeter Hall on Dec. 10, at 7 p.m., with nightly performances until Dec. 14., including a matinee on Saturday (Dec. 14) at 1 p.m.
“I think this is a little different from what has been done in the past,” said Collins. “It’s a Christmas story and not a production that takes place in January. We think the community will enjoy having a Christmas story leading up to the holidays.”
This is Collin’s first year teaching drama.
“It’s been a lot of work but it has also been very exciting,” said Collins. “We hope this production gets the community into the Christmas spirit and remind them why this is such a great time of the year.”
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at Didi’s Boutique and Rustic Elements.
“We’ve been working at it every single day,” said Collins. “I think the community will really enjoy it.”
