Don’t miss the opportunity to see IU Kokomo’s production of Pride & Prejudice this weekend: Nov. 15th through the 17th. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday. General admission is $10 and $5 for students with ID; Tickets sales are cash only.

Students have spent two months bringing the popular Jane Austen novel to life under the direction of Joann Kaiser (Teaching Professor in Communication Arts). Clarissa Kepner, a senior, is a long-time fan of the story and excited to be performing the role of Elizabeth Bennet, the witty and clever love interest. 

“I have been a huge fan of Pride & Prejudice since junior high when we read the book as an assignment for English class,” she says “I didn’t know it was a play until she [Joann Kaiser] announced it over the summer.” 

Playing the role of Mr. Darcy, the reserved hopeless-romantic, is Mason Gottshall. He connected with the character the first night of auditions.

“It has been challenging to balance the coldness, but also the soft side of Darcy as it [the role] grows over the course of the show,” he says. 

Gottshall is happy to be working with Kepner as his counterpart. He says their friendship has made acting together less nerve-racking. 

“I love performing with her,” he says “I actually performed with her first during the auditions and it was then that I thought, not only am I having so much fun, but ‘Man, I would love to do

this with her’ because it flowed so well.”

Many of the students began performing in high school and have performed in other productions at IUK such as: Oklahoma!, The Mikado, Murder on the Orient Express, and Guys & Dolls.

Performing veteran of IUK, William Van Heyningen, is playing two roles: Mr. Bingley and Col. Fitzwilliam. His favorite role being Mr. Bingley because of the aloof nature of the character. 

“I am ready to go,” says Van Heyningen. All the students have put in countless hours to prepare for opening night on Friday.