The words “Pride and Prejudice” meant something different to people two centuries ago, but modern-day Juneau residents watching that classic novel come alive on stage later this month will still see stereotypical expectation of sexes and people with personas completely different than their first impressions.
The play is part of the Fourth Annual Alaska Theater Festival, which begins Monday with the first of six “Neighborhood Cabaret” shows at various locations during June and will conclude with an annual Climate Fair for a Cool Planet on July 27. The middle event is the staging of Jane Austen’s 1813 book described by study.com as “a satirical and social critique on social status and the expectations of women during the eighteenth century.”
Also notable is Kate Hamill’s adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” will be performed by eight people, five of whom will appear as multiple characters, said Flordelino Lagundino, producing artistic director for Theater Alaska, which hosts the annual festival.
“I liked this version,” he said. “It feels kind of like what we’ve been doing for Theatre Alaska. We have been doing Shakespeare and cutting it into an hour and a half, and having people play multiple characters in it.”
Juneau Dance Theater members rehearse for the outdoor production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Treadwell Mine Office on June 7, 2022. Several performances of the play “Pride and Prejudice” are scheduled at the location this summer as part of the Fourth Annual Alaska Theater Festival. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Hamill, in addition to writing the play, is also an actor who worked with a downtown New York theater where people don’t have many resources,” Lagundino said.
“So it’s like you really have to rely on the actors to tell the story,” he said. “And so sometimes you have a few actors so you switch characters really fast. And it’s a fun way to tell the story.”
The play is scheduled to be performed June 19 to July 14, with the first eight performances at the Treadwell Mine Office Building. Among the subsequent venues are the Juneau Pioneer Home, Jensen-Olsen Arboretum and Noyes Pavilion at the University of Alaska Southeast.
The play is free, as are other festival events, with donations accepted.
The cabaret shows feature a variety of local musicians, with the lineup changing at each venue, Lagundino said. The locations include indoor sites such as the Glory Hall where the first show will take place to outdoor venues such as Marine Park.
Also, many of the performers are teachers in a summer musical theater camp this month in collaboration with Juneau Dance Theater, with the first of those camps culminating in a “Broadway Cabaret” show at 7 p.m. June 15 at Thunder Mountain High School that will be a fundraiser for Theater Alaska’s youth and education programs (tickets for that show are $50).
“We’re going to be offering professional theater training for youth in the fall of this year,” he said. “That’s going to be a performance of a play. We haven’t decided what it’s going to be yet. But we’re going into supporting because there’s a real lack of opportunities for young performing artists to get training, so we’re going to be stepping into that and offering those educational programs for them.”
A heightened effort is also being made to expand this year’s climate fair at Overstreet Park, which is co-produced with 350Juneau to promote climate change awareness and issues, Lagundino said. Among the feature performers is Quinn Christopherson, an Alaskan Native musician from Anchorage whose song “Erase Me” about experiencing male privilege as a transgender man won NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2019.
Theater will also be part of the event, with local artists Darius Mannino and Roblin Davis making large-scale puppets to stage a performance with, he said. Local food trucks will also be onsite.
“We’re going be longer” compared to performances at previous climate fairs, Lagundino said. “It’s going to probably run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with theater starting at 1 p.m. and then music at a different time.”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
Know and Go
What: Neighborhood Cabaret
Who: Performers include Ericka Lee, Jenny Lagundino, Salissa Thole, Kainoa Thole, Jocelyn Miles, Johnathan Gee-Miles, Margeaux Ljungberg, Herbie Caparas, Q. Smith, Lawrence Stallings, Billy Bustamante, Julian De Guzman and Rob Cohen. Participants will vary by show
When and where: 6 p.m. June 10 at the Glory Hall; 2 p.m. June 16 at Savikko Shelter #1 with barbecue following show; 2 p.m. June 22 at Marine Park; Sunday, 6 p.m. June 23 at Forget-Me-Not Manor, with limited seating; 6 p.m. June 26 at St. Vincent de Paul; 6 p.m. June 30 at Riverside Rotary Park.
What: “Pride and Prejudice” stage play
When and where: 7 p.m. June 19-22 and 27-29, and 3 p.m. June 23 at Treadwell Mine Office Building; 2:30 p.m. June 30 at Juneau Pioneer Home; 6:30 p.m. July 2 at Riverview Senior Living; 7 p.m. July 5 at Riverside Rotary Park; 7 p.m. July 6 at Jensen-Olsen Arboretum (reservations required); 3 p.m. July 7 at Sealaska Heritage Institute Heritage Plaza; 7 p.m. July 11 at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library; 7 p.m. July 12-13 ad 3 p.m. July 14 at the Noyes Pavilion at UAS.
What: Climate Fair For A Cool Planet
Where: Overstreet Park
When: Noon-5 p.m. July 27
Who: Artists include Quinn Christopherson, Darius Mannino, Roblin Davis, Collette Costa, Air Jazz, Lisa Puananimōhala’ikalani Denny, Stacy Unzicker, Guy Unzicker, and Diamond Dollar Entertainment.
