Programme Pride and Prejudice

The Hamburg Players e.V.
Jane Austen’s
Pride
&
Prejudice
adapted and directed
by
Lexi von Hoffmann
6 – 9 and 12 – 16 November 2013
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T H E A T E R
A N
D E R
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M A R S C H N E R S T R A S S E
The Hamburg Players e.V.
H am b u r g ’ s
o l dest
E n g l i sh - l an g u a g e
theatre
g r o u p
C h i e f Pat r o n
Honorary British Consul Claus G. Budelmann MBE
Honorary Life President
Suneel M. Pathak
Committee
Valerie Doyle
Vice ChairLexi von Hoffmann
Honorary TreasurerReni Pathak
Honorary SecretaryCatherine Schwerin
Chair
Ellen Bergman, Harald Djürken, Edward Gray,
Jürgen G. Schmidt, Wiebke Störtenbecker, Poppy Tirard
Honorary Life Members
Peggy Bigglestone, Alexander Black, Lady Judith Mackeras,
Matthias McDermott, Reni Pathak, Sigrid Reuter, Ursula Schmidt,
Jürgen G. Schmidt, Christine Turner, Inez Waloschek, Peter Wintgens,
Sue Williams, Graham C. Williams
Welcome to our brand-new
2013/14 season at the Hamburg Players
As usual we will be performing three plays for you over the coming year,
and I am happy to be able to announce the forthcoming programme.
From 5 – 15 February, we will be performing Rumours, a classic comic farce by Neil Simon (best
known for The Odd Couple) whilst our May play will be the award-winning play God of Carnage
by Yasmina Reza running from 14 – 24 May.
To kick off the season we have a particular treat in store. Acting on the suggestion of one of our
loyal audience members from Hamburg’s Bridfas club (British Decorative & Fine Arts Association),
we decided to take up the challenge and adapt the most famous novel in the English literary canon,
Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, for the stage.
This is our contribution to the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the novel’s publication in
1813, which has seen new films, books, musical and stage productions, and most notably (spot
the pun) the decision by the Bank of England to have Jane Austen as the new image on the new
10-pound notes.
At the end of last season, we announced our participation in the FEATS (Festival of European
Anglophone Theatrical Societies) Festival in The Hague – an annual European one-act theatre
competition. I had the pleasure of directing the Hamburg Players’ entry – Christopher Durang’s
parody of The Glass Menagerie – For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls.
- A wide selection of British
Essentials and Gifts on offer.
Sixteen Hamburg Players cast, crew and supporters then journeyed to Holland over a rainy and
cold long weekend in May and came away jubilant, winning the cup for second best production,
best actress award for Amy Lee and nominations for best actor and stage management. A wonderful team effort and a continuation of a long line of recent successes at FEATS, which we hope
to continue in Luxemburg in 2014 and in Hamburg in 2015, when we will be hosting FEATS
ourselves in Hamburg in the Altona Theatre.
- Snack & Shop at the same time !
But back to the present season and here’s hoping you enjoy tonight’s show!
- Roddas Cornish Cream Teas
- Cornish Pasties & Various Hot Snacks
- English Breakfasts - incl. The Full Monty!**
(Only Saturdays 10:00 . 15:00)
** Please reserve to avoid disappointment
Chair
Jane Austen’s
Pride & Prejudice
Lexi von Hoffmann
Directed by Lexi von Hoffmann
Adapted for the stage by
Cast in order of appearance
Mr Bennet Roger Graves
Jane Bennet Svenja Baumann
Elizabeth Bennet Madeleine Lange
Mary Bennet Clara Roethe
Kitty BennetSonja Bahnsen
Lydia BennetEllen Bergman
Mrs Bennet Valerie Doyle
Lady Lucas Julie Spanswick
Hill (maid to the Bennets)Sandra Giese
Charles Bingley Dan Marsh
Fitzwilliam Darcy Martin Mills
Caroline Bingley Jocasta Godlieb
Mr HurstTom Ivison
Mrs Hurst Poppy Tirard
Mr Collins Mat Nichol
George WickhamEddie Gray
Charlotte Lucas Martina Plieger
Anne, Guest at Netherfield BallNele Giese
Seth, Guest at Netherfield Ball Julian St. Clair
Colonel Forster Camilo Daza
Mrs ForsterAndrea Treu-Kaulbarsch
MusicianEddie Gray
Lady de Bourgh Carol Kloevekorn
Miss de Bourgh Leanne Harper
Colonel Fitzwilliam Julian St. Clair
Mrs Gardiner Meg McFarlane
Mrs Reynolds Diana Loos
Mr Gardiner John Kirby
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Crew
Producer Amanda Lee
Stage Manager Ronny Nowak
Set design Lexi von Hoffmann, Valerie Doyle
Lighting Jan Luckmann, Walter Petersen,
Christian Petersen, Thomas White
Sound Thomas White
Costumes Barbara Möller
Hair/Makeup
Lottie Lankenau, Tamaryn Sutherland, Sonja Bahnsen
Props Poppy Tirard, Amy Lee
Prompt Elisabeth Härtwig, Mathilde Berry, Elena Ivanovo
ChoreographyAndrea Treu-Kaulbarsch
Greenroom Izzy Orde, Tessa Helbusch,
Wiebke Störtenbecker, Laurence Klasing
Publicity Birgit Brink, Nina Tavakkoli,
Grania Grözinger, Catherine Schwerin
Info table Harald Djürken
Box Office Petra Nowak, Reni Pathak
Front of HouseSonny Pathak, Sigrid Reuter
Programme Catherine Schwerin, Jürgen Schmidt
Photography Henrik Zawischa, Herwig Lührs, Dan Marsh
Abonnement Petra Nowak
Mailing and hotline Reni Pathak
Graphic design Alexander Rühl
The action of the play takes place in 1813/1814 in and around the following places:
Longbourn, the Bennets’ residence
Netherfield, Mr Bingley’s country house
The Parsonage in Hunsford
Rosings Park, Lady de Bourgh’s residence
Pemberley, Mr Darcy’s residence
There will be an interval of 20 minutes half-way through the play.
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Jane Austen’s
Pride & Prejudice
Stolz & Vorurteil
– D e u t s ch e Z u s a mm e n f a s s u n g –
1
Nachbarin Lady Lucas besucht die Bennets zuhause in Longbourn , um Mrs Bennet
zu erzählen, dass das Nachbarhaus Netherfield endlich wieder vermietet ist – an den
jungen, vermögenden Mr Bingley. Mrs Bennet ist begeistert: Sie ist davon überzeugt, dass
eine ihrer fünf Töchter, die schöne und immer freundliche Jane, die kluge und unabhängige
Elizabeth, die altkluge Mary, die leicht beeinflussbare Kitty oder ihre Jüngste, die wilde Lydia,
gute Chancen haben ihn zu erobern.
Nach einem Nachbarschaftstanz erzählt Mrs Bennet ihrem Mann begeistert von der
Veranstaltung. Mr Bingley war von Jane sehr beeindruckt und hat zwei Mal mit ihr getanzt!
Seine Schwestern sind sehr vornehm und elegant, sein noch reicherer Freund, Mr Darcy,
leider ein Totalausfall: Als ihm Elizabeth als Tanzpartnerin vorgeschlagen wurde, hat er nicht
zugegriffen, sondern sich abfällig über sie geäußert.
Ein paar Tage später bekommt Jane eine Einladung nach Netherfield von Mr Bingleys Schwester.
Obwohl es nach Regen aussieht, besteht Mrs Bennet darauf, dass Jane nach Netherfield reitet
und nicht in der Kutsche fährt – damit sie länger dort bleiben muss.
Es kommt wie es kommen muss: Jane erkältet sich furchtbar und muss mehrere Tage in
Netherfield das Bett hüten. Elizabeth besteht darauf nach Netherfield zu gehen, um nach
Jane zu sehen. Das Wetter ist wieder gut – sie geht zu Fuß…
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… was die Gesellschaft in Netherfield – Mr Bingley, Mr Darcy, Bingleys Schwestern
Caroline Bingley und Mrs Hurst mit Ehemann - sehr erstaunlich und unpassend finden.
Jane geht es nicht gut. Mr Bingley lädt Elizabeth ein, in Netherfield zu bleiben und sich um
sie zu kümmern. Miss Bingley versucht, Mr Darcys Unterstützung für ihre Kritik an Elizabeths
unabhängiger Haltung zu gewinnen; zu ihrem Leidwesen stimmt er aber nicht zu.
Abends wird Karten gespielt, Mr Darcy schreibt an seine jüngere Schwester Georgiana – immer wieder unterbrochen von Miss Bingley, die sich ihr empfiehlt, sich nach ihr erkundigt,
ihre musikalischen Leistungen lobt und sich begeistert über Darcys Anwesen, Pemberley,
äußert. Sie fordert Elizabeth auf, mit ihr durch den Raum zu spazieren. Darcy durchschaut,
dass diese Übung ihm gilt – dass er so Miss Bingleys Figur und Haltung besser bewundern
kann. Miss Bingley gibt sich entsetzt, als er das sagt. Elizabeth bietet ihm die Stirn und macht
sich über ihn lustig.
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Zurück in Longbourn hat sich Besuch angekündigt: Mr Bennets entfernter Cousin,
William Collins, Pastor in Hunsford, will die Familie besuchen. Zu Mrs Bennets großem
Ärger wird Collins Longbourn erben, da Grundeigentum nur über die männliche Linie
vererbt werden kann. Mr Collins stellt sich als sehr verschrobener und eitler Mann heraus.
Er schwärmt von seiner Gönnerin, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, und langweilt alle schnell.
In einem Gespräch mit Mrs Bennet teilt er mit, er sei mit der erklärten Absicht gekommen,
eines der Bennet-Mädchen zu heiraten, um die Erbschaftsregelung auszugleichen. Natürlich
ist ihm sofort die schöne Jane aufgefallen. Mrs Bennet lenkt ihn auf Elizabeth um, da sie
hofft, dass Jane bald Bingley heiraten wird.
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Bei einem Spaziergang erzählt Lady Lucas den Bennet-Schwestern begeistert von
den Soldaten des in der Nähe stationierten Regiments – vor allem George Wickham hat
es ihr angetan, den die Gruppe kurz darauf auf der Straße trifft. Als Darcy auch dazustößt,
kommt es zu einer merkwürdigen Szene zwischen ihm und Wickham. Ganz offensichtlich
kennen sich die beiden und können sich nicht leiden. Elizabeth befragt Wickham dazu, der
ihr erzählt, er sei der Sohn des Verwalters von Pemberley und habe Darcys Vater so nahe
gestanden, dass der in seinem Testament verfügt hat, dass George Wickham das Pastorat in
Pemberley übernehmen soll. Leider sei das so vage formuliert gewesen, dass Darcy, nicht
gezwungen war, die Stelle Wickham zu geben, als sie frei wurde. Wahrscheinlich aus Eifersucht
gab er sie jemand anders. Auch wenn Elizabeth Darcy arrogant und eingebildet fand, hätte
sie ihm so etwas nicht zugetraut. Man trennt sich mit der Vereinbarung, sich auf dem Ball
in Netherfield, der demnächst stattfinden soll, zu sehen.
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Auf dem Ball in Netherfield kündigt Collins Elizabeth an, dass er sich Mr
Darcy vorstellen müsse, da er der Neffe von seiner Gönnerin Lady de Bourgh sei.
Elizabeth versucht, ihm klarzumachen, dass er als der Rangniedrigere sich dem Ranghöheren
nicht aufdrängen dürfe. Mr Collins sieht das anders – und Darcy lässt ihn prompt abtropfen.
Elizabeths Freundin Charlotte Lucas fällt auf, dass Bingley ganz offensichtlich sehr von Jane
eingenommen ist. Sie warnt davor, dass Jane ihre Sympathie nicht offen genug zeige; das
könnte von Bingley leicht als Mangel an Interesse verstanden werden. Elizabeth hält dagegen:
Es sei klug von Jane, ihre Gefühle nicht offen zur Schau zu stellen, vor allem, da sie Bingley
ja erst so kurz kenne und gar nicht genug über ihn wisse. Charlotte findet, es sei gar nicht
nötig, so genau zu wissen, wen man heirate – Eheglück sei sowieso eine Frage des Zufalls.
Aus heiterem Himmel bittet Darcy Elizabeth zum Tanz. Völlig unvorbereitet fällt ihr keine
Ausrede ein. Während des Tanzes bringt er das Gespräch auf Wickham und bekräftigt seine
Antipathie. Elizabeth deutet an, er sei vielleicht ein bisschen vorschnell mit seinen Urteilen
über Leute. Darcy weist das zurück, gibt aber zu, dass er nachtragend sei und seine Meinung
über Leute selten ändere. Derweil benehmen sich Kitty und Lydia unmöglich, Mutter Bennet
prahlt mit Janes angeblich bevorstehender Hochzeit, Mary singt enthusiastisch, aber leider
nicht besonders gut, Vater Bennet kanzelt sie vor allen Leuten dafür ab – Familie Bennet
zeigt sich zum Entsetzen von Jane und Elizabeth von ihrer peinlichsten Seite.
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Zurück in Longbourn kündigt Collins an, er wolle um Elizabeths Hand anhalten.
Mrs Bennet zwingt Elizabeth, sich den Antrag anzuhören. Lang, umständlich und in
gewundenen Sätzen – die mehr mit Lady de Bourgh und seiner Wichtigkeit als mit Elizabeth
zu tun haben – bittet Collins um Elizabeths Hand. Als er sie endlich zu Wort kommen lässt
und sie seinen Antrag ablehnen kann, ist er nicht im Mindesten beeindruckt. Wortreich
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erklärt er, er sei keineswegs entmutigt, weil er wisse, dass junge Frauen zuerst immer so
täten, als wollten sie nicht. Auch eine weitere Erklärung ihrerseits hält er für den Versuch,
besonders elegant mit seinem Antrag umzugehen. Schließlich lässt Elizabeth ihn einfach
stehen. Mrs Bennet versucht Collins zu beruhigen: Elizabeth sei manchmal bockig; sie
werde sie schon zur Räson bringen. Das schreckt Collins ab. Eine bockige Frau will er nicht.
Mrs Bennet ruft ihren Mann zu Hilfe, der Elizabeth die Leviten lesen soll. Wenn Eilzabeth
Collins nicht heirate, wolle sie nie wieder etwas mit ihr zu tun haben. Mr Bennet teilt mit,
wenn sie Collins aber heirate, wolle er nie wieder etwas mit ihr zu tun haben. Just in diesem
Moment tauchen Lady Lucas und Tochter Charlotte auf. Sie nehmen den beleidigten Gast
Collins mit zu sich nachhause.
In einem Brief an Jane schreibt Miss Bingley, dass ihre ganze Gesellschaft Netherfield verlässt
und nach London fährt; es sei unwahrscheinlich, dass sie zurückkommen würden. Vor allem
würden sich alle sehr darauf freuen Georgiana Darcy wieder zu treffen, weil sie hofften, dass
Georgiana und Bingley heiraten würden. Jane ist völlig niedergeschlagen. Elizabeth versucht
ihr Mut zu machen – das sei Miss Bingleys Wunsch, nicht der ihres Bruders. Sie schlägt Jane
vor, Onkel und Tante Gardiner in London zu besuchen, um sich abzulenken.
Charlotte unterbricht die beiden. Sie ist gekommen, um ihnen zu erzählen, dass sie Collins
heiraten wird. Elizabeth kann nur mühsam ihre Fassung bewahren. Charlotte nimmt ihr das
Versprechen ab, dass sie sie bald in ihrem neuen Zuhause besuchen wird…
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… was Elizabeth ein paar Monate später auch gerne tut. In Hunsford stellt sich
heraus, dass Charlotte ihr neues Leben und ihren Mann gut im Griff hat.
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Schon bald werden die drei nach Rosings zu Lady de Bourgh eingeladen. Lady de Bourgh
mischt sich in alle Aspekte von Charlottes Leben ein und befragt auch Elizabeth inquisitorisch
nach ihrer Familie, ihrer Ausbildung, ihren Interessen. Elizabeth gibt freimütig Antwort, was
Lady de Bourgh ganz offensichtlich unpassend findet.
Bei einem späteren Besuch in Rosings steht plötzlich Darcy im Raum – er besucht seine Tante
zusammen mit seinem Cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam. Dieser freut sich Elizabeth kennenzulernen;,
Darcy habe ihm schon von ihr erzählt. Darcy bestreitet ihre Annahme, dass er ihr schärfster
Kritiker sei. Fitzwilliam will von ihr wissen, wie sein Cousin sich in Meryton benommen habe.
Elizabeth erzählt ihm, dass Darcy bei dem Nachbarschaftstanz mit niemandem getanzt habe.
Darcy verteidigt sich – er habe dort niemanden gekannt und es falle ihm nicht leicht, neue
Leute kennenzulernen. Elizabeth hält das für eine Ausrede.
Auf einem Spaziergang treffen sich Elizabeth und Fitzwilliam. Ohne zu ahnen, was er damit
tut, erzählt er ihr, Darcy habe vor kurzem Bingley vor einer unpassenden Ehe gerettet; die
Familie der Braut sei gesellschaftlich nicht akzeptabel gewesen. Elizabeth entschuldigt sich
mit Kopfschmerzen von dem für abends geplanten Essen bei Lady de Bourgh.
Als Elizabeth abends allein zuhause ist, kommt unangemeldet Darcy. Zu ihrer großen
Überraschung – und wohl auch seiner eigenen – macht er ihr einen Heiratsantrag. Obwohl
ihm klar sei, dass das gesellschaftlich unpassend ist, könne er nicht anders; fast vom ersten
Tag an sei er total in sie verliebt. Elizabeth weist seinen Antrag zurück. Es sei ein Unding,
sie in einem Atemzug zu bitten, ihn zu heiraten und ihre Familie schlecht zu machen. Aber
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selbst, wenn sein Antrag weniger verletzend gewesen wäre, hätte sie nicht zugestimmt. Sie
könne ihm nicht verzeihen, dass er Jane von Bingley getrennt hat und wie er mit Wickham
umgegangen ist. Verletzt und wütend verlässt Darcy das Haus.
Pause
8
In einem Brief legt Darcy Elizabeth seine Sicht der Dinge dar. Er gibt zu, dass er Bingley,
der total in Jane verliebt gewesen sei, davon überzeugt hat, dass Jane diese Gefühle
nicht im selben Maße erwidert habe. Das habe er nur zum Teil wegen ihrer Familie getan;
er habe sie beobachtet und den Eindruck gehabt, dass sie nicht besonders angerührt war.
Dann schildert er ausführlich seine Beziehung zu George Wickham. In der Tat habe sein
Vater ihn sehr gemocht und für ihn das Pastorat in Pemberley vorgesehen. Allerdings habe
Wickham nach der Testamentseröffnung darum gebeten, ihm statt der Pastorenstelle 3000
Pfund zur Finanzierung eines Jurastudiums zu geben. Als Wickham das Geld durchgebracht
hatte, ohne das Jurastudium zu beenden, habe er die Pastorenstelle haben wollen. Dass Darcy
nicht mehr bereit gewesen sei, sie ihm zu geben, habe Wickham sehr verärgert. Lange hätten
sie nichts voneinander gehört, bis zu einem Ereignis, für das er um höchste Geheimhaltung
bitte. Als seine Schwester Georgiana in einem Badeort zu Besuch war, suchte Wickham sie
dort auf. Er habe sich in ihr Vertrauen geschlichen und ihre Gefühle soweit manipuliert,
dass sie mit ihm durchbrennen wollte. In letzter Minute sei sie davor zurückgeschreckt und
habe es ihm – den sie fast als Vater ansehe – gestanden, so dass er das Schlimmste verhindern
konnte. Colonel Fitzwilliam könne all das bezeugen.
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Pride & Prejudice
l The Peak
Lambton h h Pemberley, Kympton
l Bakewell
l Chatsworth
Dovedale l l Matlock
l actual locations
hfictional locations
Derbyshire
l Birmingham
Warwickshire
l Kenilworth
Cambridgeshire
l Warwick
l Cambridge
Hertfordshire
Oxfordshire
h Netherfield
h Meryton Longbourn
l Blenheim
l Oxford
9
l Hatfield
l Barnet
Middlesex
Clapham l
Epsom l
Bath l
l LONDON
l Bromley
l Westerham
Ramsgate l
h Hunsford,
Rosings Park
Surrey
Kent
Sussex
l Brighton
l Eastbourne
Elizabeth liest den Brief zunächst voller Ärger und Unwillen, aber mehr und mehr kommen
ihr Zweifel. Ihr wird klar, dass sie Wickham sehr viel Vertrauen geschenkt hat, ohne viel über
ihn zu wissen; dass er ihr sehr schnell und ohne Rücksichtnahme sehr intime Dinge erzählt
hat; dass er keine Zeugen hatte, Darcy aber schon. Auch Darcys Einmischung bei Jane und
Bingley sieht sie in einem anderen Licht. Beschreibt er nicht genau, wovor Charlotte gewarnt
hat? Kann Janes Verschlossenheit und Schüchternheit nicht wirklich missverstanden werden?
Und ist ihre Familie nicht wirklich manchmal sehr peinlich? Elizabeth ist verwirrt, peinlich
berührt und erschrocken darüber, wie sehr sie sich von ihrem ersten negativen Eindruck
von Darcy hat leiten lassen.
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Zurück in Longbourn schmiedet Mrs Bennet Pläne mit Lydia. Das Regiment wird
nach Bath verlegt und die Frau eines Colonels hat Lydia eingeladen, mit ihnen dorthin
zu fahren. Kitty ist beleidigt und wütend, dass ihre jüngere Schwester eingeladen wird und
sie nicht. Weder sie noch Mrs Bennet können den Vater überzeugen, die ganze Familie nach
Bath reisen zu lassen. Elizabeth warnt ihren Vater eindringlich davor, Lydia der Kontrolle
der Familie zu entziehen. Sie werde sich und den Rest der Familie unmöglich machen. Mr
Bennet ist ungerührt. Lydia sei wie sie sei und werde vielleicht in Bath endlich merken, wie
unwichtig sie sei.
Wickham kommt, um sich zu verabschieden. Es gefällt ihm gar nicht, dass Elizabeth in Rosings
Darcy besser kennengelernt hat. Der Ton zwischen den beiden ist eher frostig. Elizabeth
wird auch Urlaub machen: Sie fährt mit Onkel und Tante nach Derbyshire.
10
Elizabeth, Onkel und Tante Gardiner besichtigen Darcys Haus, Pemberley –
nachdem Elizabeth versichert worden ist, dass die Familie nicht anwesend ist. Die
Haushälterin lobt Darcy in den höchsten Tönen – er sei warmherzig, freundlich, genauso
großartig wie sein Vater. Plötzlich steht Darcy im Raum – er ist eher gekommen als erwartet.
Elizabeth will am liebsten sofort verschwinden, so peinlich ist es ihr, in seinem Haus von ihm
angetroffen zu werden. Aber Darcy ist ausnehmend freundlich, lädt sie und ihre Verwandten
zum Essen ein und bietet ihrem Onkel an, mit ihm angeln zu gehen.
Am nächsten Tag kommen die Gardiners und Elizabeth nach Pemberley, um das Abendessen
abzusagen. Elizabeth hat Post von Jane: Lydia ist mit George Wickham durchgebrannt. Was
für eine Schande: Lydia lebt unverheiratet mit Wickham irgendwo in London! Das wird auf
die ganze Familie abfärben. Mr Bennet sei auf dem Weg nach London, um Lydia zu finden
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und habe um die Unterstützung von Mr Gardiner gebeten. Sie würden sofort aufbrechen.
Miss Bingley, zu Gast in Pemberley, findet, dass Elizabeth gealtert sei und sehr schlecht aussehe. Darcy gibt ihr nicht Recht. Im Gegenteil: Er findet, Elizabeth ist eine der hübschesten
Frauen, die er kennt.
Measuring wealth
11
In Longbourn ist Land unter. Mrs Bennet ist völlig aufgelöst; Sorge um Lydia,
Angst davor, dass ihrem Mann etwas passieren könnte, wenn er Wickham findet, treiben sie an den Rand der Verzweiflung. Ihr Mann kommt unverrichteter Dinge wieder; Onkel
Gardiner sei weiter auf der Suche, aber er habe wenig Hoffnung. Er macht sich Vorwürfe,
dass er nicht genug Interesse gezeigt und sich nicht genug gekümmert hat. Die Gardiners
kommen mit guten Nachrichten nach Longbourn: Sie haben Lydia und Wickham
gefunden und dafür gesorgt, dass die beiden heiraten. Mr Bennet fragt sich, wie viel
Geld es seinen Schwager wohl gekostet hat, Wickham zu diesem Schritt zu bewegen.
Lydia und Wickham besuchen Longbourn, bevor Wickham zu seinem Regiment in
Newcastle fährt. Lydia ist völlig ungerührt angesichts des Aufruhrs, den sie verursacht
hat und bietet ihren Schwestern an, ihnen auf ähnliche Art und Weise Ehe Männer zu
besorgen. Als sie von ihrer Hochzeit erzählt, rutscht ihr aus Versehen heraus, dass Darcy
auch da war - eigentlich sollte das ein Geheimnis bleiben. Elizabeth und Jane befragen
Tante Gardiner, was es damit auf sich hat. Es stellt sich heraus, dass Darcy nicht nur die
beiden gefunden hat, sondern auch alle finanziellen und logistischen Arrangements getroffen hat. Er hat Gardiner überredet, so zu tun, als sei es sein eigener Verdienst, weil er
absolut nicht will, dass seine Rolle bekannt wird. Was passiert ist, sei seine Verantwortung,
weil er aus Stolz nicht darüber habe sprechen wollen, dass seine Schwester auf Wickham
hereingefallen ist, so dass niemand vor ihm auf der Hut sein konnte. Elizabeth kann
kaum glauben, was sie hört - wie sehr steht die ganze Familie in Darcys Schuld!
12
“A Man of Large Fortune,
Four Or Fiv e Thousand a Year”
Bingley ist wieder in Netherfield! Mrs Bennet ist völlig niedergeschlagen weil
er sich noch nicht gemeldet hat – da steht er auch schon mit Darcy vor der Tür.
Am nächsten Tag kommt Bingley schon wieder; Mrs Bennet arrangiert, dass er mit
Jane alleine ist – und tatsächlich macht er Jane einen Heiratsantrag! An einem der
nächsten Tage will Bingley mit Jane spazieren gehen und bringt Darcy mit. Mrs Bennet
organisiert Elizabeth als Begleitung für Darcy, damit Jane und Bingley alleine sein
können. Eilzabeth nutzt die Gelegenheit, um Darcy für seine Hilfe und Großzügigkeit
zu danken. Darcy hat alles nur für sie getan - und erneuert seinen Antrag. Elizabeth
stottert ihre Zustimmung.
Two hundred years ago, Mr Bingley’s income of ₤4,000 or ₤5,000 per year was obviously
considered a large fortune. In all probability, this income derived from an inherited capital
of ₤100,000 securely invested long-term in government bonds at a guaranteed interest of 4%
or 5%. The Bennet girls had a similar “security”: upon the death of their father they would
each have ₤1,000 in government bonds, i.e., an income of ₤40 - ₤50 per year – just about
three times as much as a farm labourer would earn.
Coming back to Mr Bingley: what would be today’s equivalent of his ₤4,000 per year, to take
the lower figure?
One approach is, obviously, to find out what you could buy with that sum, and how much you
would have to spend today to buy the same. A little problem arises: Mr Bingley would have
spent money on different things than we would today, but that could be taken into account
by substituting similar things: when he bought a carriage and horses, and oats to feed them,
we would buy a car, and petrol, and instead of a large oil painting of a fox hunting scene we
could buy a flat screen TV.
The Retail Price Index (RPI) was first calculated in 1947, but somehow experts have managed to extrapolate it back to the year 1209. Using that index, the equivalent of ₤4,000 per
year in 1813 would be ₤240,000 per year today, or ₤20,000 per month.
Yet a man touching ₤4,000 per year stood out much more in 1813, and was much more influential, than a man with an income of ₤240,000 per year today. Taking that into account, there
is another way of finding a modern equivalent of Mr Bingley’s yearly income: by measuring
it against the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Comparing his income to the GDP
per inhabitant (per-capita GDP), his “prestige value” is that of somebody with an income
of about ₤3,600,000 per year today, and comparing it to the total amount of the GDP, his
“economic power” is calculated to be about ₤13,000,000 per year.
For Mr Darcy, who has an income of ₤10,000 a year, all the corresponding figures are twoand-a-half times as high - ₤50,000 per month in today’s terms, surely a welcome son-in-law!
Mr Bennet kann nicht glauben, dass Elizabeth wirklich Darcy heiraten will –wo sie ihn
doch immer so arrogant und unsympathisch gefunden hat. Elizabeth hat einige Mühe,
ihn davon zu überzeugen, dass sie ihn wirklich liebt. Beruhigt gibt Mr Bennet seine
Zustimmung.
Lexi von Hoffmann
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Jürgen G. Schmidt
Helpful websites:
http://www.measuringworth.com/index.php
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/p/pride-and-prejudice/critical-essays/money-in-pride-and-prejudice
http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/the-economics-of-pride-and-prejudice-or-why-a-single-man-with-a-fortune-of-4000-per-year-is-adesirable-husband
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sibling of
friends with
married to
marries
Mary Bennet
Kitty Bennet
Clara Roethe
Mrs Forster
Lydia Bennet
Sonja Bahnsen
Hill
Camilo Daza
Ellen Bergman
married to
attracted to
the Bennets’
housekeeper
Colonel Forster
Andrea Treu-Kaulbarsch
Mrs Bennet
George Wickham
Valerie Doyle
Eddie Gray
enemy of
Edward Gardiner
married to
and parents of the Bennet sisters
Mrs M. Gardiner
John Kirby
Meg McFarlane
attracted to
Sandra Giese
best friend of
falls in love with
proposes to
Anne
cousin of
friend of
intended for
Elizabeth Bennet
Mr Bennet
Fitzwilliam Darcy
Madeleine Lange
Roger Graves
confidante of
marries
loves
sibling of
aunt of
mother of
Charlotte Lucas
Dan Marsh
Jane Bennet
Lady Lucas
cousin of
Leanne Harper
sibling of
Svenja Baumann
Julie Spanswick
Caroline Bingley
Jocasta Godlieb
benefactor of
William Collins
Roles
&
Relationships
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16 v
aunt of
Anne de Bourgh
companion of
Seth
Eddie Gray
mother of
Charles Bingley
Martina Plieger
Musician
Julian St. Clair
Darcy’s housekeeper
attracted to
Nele Giese
Julian St. Clair
Colonel Fitzwilliam
Martin Mills
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Mat Nichol
Carol Kloevekorn
married to
Mr Hurst
Tom Ivison
sibling of
Louisa Hurst
Poppy Tirard
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Mrs Reynolds
Diana Loos
Cast and Char acters
in alphabetical order
Tom Ivison (Mr Hurst) has been with the HPs since 2008, acting, doing the odd stage job
and a lot of socializing. Since he very much enjoyed Black Adder’s Dish and Dishonesty, Ink
and Incapability, Sense and Senility and so forth, he is thrilled to be part of Pride & Prejudice.
Sonja Bahnsen (Kitty Bennet) joined the English speaking theatre scene in 2005. Playing
Kitty she gets to go back in time to the teenage years, where life is all about pleasures such as
dresses, dances and falling in love.
John Kirby (Mr Gardiner) from Holywood, Northern Ireland divides his time between
school, music, stage and screen. He was last seen in the Hamburg made movie Sleeping Dogs.
Svenja Baumann (Jane Bennet) is a new addition to the Hamburg Players. As Jane,
she can finally show off her good posture
Carol Kloevekorn (Lady de Bourgh) has always been a Jane Austen fan. Her character,
Lady de Bourgh, epitomises both the pride and prejudice of her class and generation.
n
n
n
n
n
Ellen Bergman (Lydia Bennet) is delighted to be a part of the fun-loving, dedicated cast
for this production. Not only does she get to practice her accent and giggle among experts, but
she gets to watch them at work.
Madeleine Lange (Elizabeth Bennet) has (to freely quote this play) great enjoyment of
two things: the English language and theatre. No wonder she is thrilled to combine the two in
such a beautiful way on the Hamburg Players’ stage.
Camilo Daza Tapia (Colonel Forster, guest at Netherfield ball) is a Venezuelan who fell in
love with this city, where he found a home in the Hamburg Players.
Diana Loos (Mrs Reynolds) trained as an opera director in London before emigrating to
Germany over 30 years ago and now spends her time teaching English, singing and looking after
two grandchildren. This is her first appearance with the Hamburg Players, and it’s great fun!
n
n
Valerie Doyle (Mrs Bennet) is originally from Northern Ireland and has been a Hamburg
Player since the 1990s. She has acted, directed, prompted, done props, staffed the box office, cloaks
and a number of other jobs, all part of the team effort needed to put on a successful HP show.
n
Nele Giese (Anne, Friend of the Bennet girls) Nele was last seen on stage in A Christmas
Carol, her first Hamburg Players production. After doing a whole number of backstage jobs,
she is thrilled that she now gets to act again in an adaptation of one of her favourite novels.
n
Sandra Giese (Hill) joined the Hamburg Players in 2010. After filling a lot of backstage
jobs (prompt, props, Assistant Director and Stage Manager), Pride & Prejudice marks her first
appearance on stage, about which she is delighted.
n
Jocasta Godlieb (Caroline Bingley) is proud to come from Australia, and prejudiced in favour
of Hamburg, where she now works as a translator and teacher and occasional actor for the HPs.
n
Like Jane Austen, Roger Graves (Mr Bennet), hails from the English county of Hampshire,
but unlike the novelist, he has been on the stage in Hamburg since 2003 – in many productions
of the Hamburg Players and the Rover Rep Theatre
n
Eddie Gray (Musician, George Wickham) is elated to be on stage for the 7th time with the
Hamburg Players! Only the HPs could turn his 18-year-old disavowal of this required high
school text into delight in playing such a delectable character.
n
n
Dan Marsh (Charles Bingley) has been a member of the Hamburg Players for six months.
After his last performance helping to unravel the mystery in Go Back For Murder, he is very
much enjoying being part of this particular production, his first period drama.
n
Meg McFarlane (Mrs Gardiner) normally does sound for the Hamburg Players, however
this time has decided to climb down from the sound box and onto the stage. She hopes she
won’t regret this decision!
n
Martin Mills (Fitzwilliam Darcy) Martin first appeared for the HPs in 2006, in Wyrd
Sisters, and has since then played a number of roles, as well as taking on various backstage jobs.
His fondest memories of being an HP member include the opportunity to represent the club
at FEATS festivals in Stockholm and Brussels.
n
Mat Nichol (William Collins) has been with the Hamburg Players since 2008 and would
like it to be known that he isn’t quite as pompous as his character and normally doesn’t use
as many words.
n
Born and raised in Rostock, Martina Plieger (Charlotte Lucas) was drawn to the stage
from an early age. After primary school talent shows, high school drama class and even temporary pop stardom (Warhol was right), she finally and gladly found her way to the Hamburg
Players’ stage to debut in P&P.
n
n
Leanne Harper (Miss de Bourgh) hails from England and has enjoyed working with
such a great cast on such a well-loved classic. Playing a character who says nothing yet feels
everything is very interesting!
Clara Roethe (Mary Bennet) after acting in school plays and amateur theatre when she
was little, this is her debut with the Hamburg Players. Like Mary, she is very fond of books and
so has a hard time not being distracted by her props.
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Julie Spanswick (Lady Lucas) has been a member of the HPs for 6 years. The delightfully nosy Lady Lucas will be her last acting role as she will move to Toulouse in the New Year.
n
Julian St. Clair (guest at Netherfield ball, Colonel Fitzwilliam) has lived in Hamburg for
one year but has spent many happy years living around the world and performing whenever
he could. This is his first performance with the Hamburg Players and he hopes to learn much
from his fellow thespians.
n
Just over a year ago, Poppy Tirard (Mrs Hurst) made her first contribution to the Hamburg
Players. What a year! From backstage to on stage to now multi-tasking as Mrs Hurst and
Assistant Director!
n
Although Andrea Treu-Kaulbarsch (Mrs Forster, guest at Netherfield ball) has never
been on stage with the HPs before, she has worked behind the scenes on various plays, prompting and teaching the HPs historical dances.
n
Lexi von Hoffmann (Director) has been a Hamburg Player for almost 30 years, yet
this is her first attempt at adapting. Hopefully you won’t think of it as butchering one of her
favorite books …
Prophetic words
Only last year, in our programme for Proof, I wrote about
Hamburg Player Julie Spanswick: “We live in constant dread
that Airbus might notice just how good she is at everything she
does and make her an offer she can’t refuse … or simply haul
her away to one of their other productions sites.”
I hope I didn’t evoke what I was apprehending: Airbus did
notice, and fulfilling our worst fears, Julie is being hauled
away – to France. More exactly, to Toulouse – a fitting name if
ever there was one. This play marks her farewell performance
for the Hamburg Players.
All the best, my very dear friend. You have left a mark and will be very sadly missed. On stage,
certainly (how many award-winning actors can we call on?); backstage and at set building, without
a doubt; but more than that as a friend and an exuberant, effervescent Lady Wot Dines with an
infectious laugh and a contagious taste for joy.
We’ll manage, sure, but we won’t be the same without you.
This could be
your
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(England)
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©EnchantedLearning.com
Lexi von Hoffmann
for as little as € 105 !!
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For more information please contact Jürgen G. Schmidt
Tel. / Fax (040) 450 05 22 or advert@hamburgplayers.de
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Special prices for Hamburg Players members
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Jane Austen: L acing Life with Irony
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man
in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”
– 2 0 0 t h A n n iv e r s a r y of P rid e & P r e j u dic e –
This statement marks the beginning of Jane Austen’s novel which was published on 28th January
1813. It also sets the marriage motif of the story that has entertained readers all over the
world for more than 200 years. A story in which the main character deals with the issues of
manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry
of early 19th century England. What makes the story of the Bennets so special and why is it
still popular after two centuries? One reason could be that Jane Austen portrayed all of her
characters with a certain profundity because nearly
everything she wrote about was based on her own
experiences or observations in her environment
and, if you take a closer look at her life, even
autobiographical.
Jane Austen was born on 16th December 1775 in
Steventon, Hampshire as the second youngest of
eight children – six brothers and one sister. Out of
a family tradition Jane was sent to Oxford in 1783
and later to Southampton together with her older sister Cassandra to live with a governess.
Both girls caught typhus and Jane nearly died. After her recovery she was educated at home
until leaving for boarding school in 1785 together with her sister. Unfortunately they had
to return after only one year because the Austens couldn’t afford the school anymore. From
then on Jane never lived anywhere other than in the safe boundaries of her family.
She acquired the remainder of her education by reading books, guided by her father
and two of her brothers. Part of that education was also private theatricals staged by family
and friends – first joined by Austen as a spectator and later as a participant. Since most of
these plays were comedies, it leads to the conclusion that Jane’s comedic and satirical gifts in
writing were shaped in that period. Her father, George, was probably the biggest influence.
He gave his daughter unrestricted access to his large and varied library, was tolerant of her
sometimes risqué experiments in writing, and provided her with expensive materials to do so.
A Jane Austen biographer describes the life in the Austen home as an “open, amused, easy
intellectual atmosphere - where the ideas of those with whom the Austens might disagree
politically or socially were considered and discussed”.
After writing poems, stories and plays for her family and a short epistolary novel called
Lady Susan, Austen attempted her first full length novel in 1796. The draft of the story was
called Elinor and Marianne and told in a series of letters. It was read to the Austen family, but
it took another 15 years before it was published as Sense & Sensibility.
Around that time, Jane was introduced to a young man called Tom Lefroy, a neighbour’s
nephew. Even though they’d spend a lot of time together, marriage was out of the question,
since both parties had no money. That kind of situation was very common for this era and
has been reflected in most of Austen’s stories.
Parallel to Elinor and Marianne, Austen started to work on her second novel called First
Impressions which later became Pride & Prejudice. Again the family was the first to read it, and
it became their immediate favourite. At that time Austen’s father started to find a publisher
for his daughter’s work.
The family moved to Bath in 1800 after George Austen retired as rector of the Anglican
parishes in Steventon. This was quite a shock for Jane as she had to leave the house she had
lived in most of her life. This major change had a deep impact on her. She revised some of
her early works and drafts but was not very creative at that time. Socially she received her
only known marriage proposal in 1802, which she first accepted but later refused. That was a
very courageous and emancipated decision considering the fact that this potential husband
was the heir to an extensive family estate and would have provided security for Austen and
her entire family. So this attitude is not unlike how Elizabeth Bennet handled the William
Collins situation in Pride & Prejudice.
In these years there was the sudden death of her beloved father in 1805, which gave her
proposal rejection a tragic note. Jane, her sister and her mother were left in a precarious
financial situation and had to move to rented quarters or were accommodated with other
family members throughout England.
In 1809 her brother Edward offered them a large cottage in Chatown village which
turned out to be the decisive point in Jane Austen’s artistic life after nine years of creative
stagnation. By withdrawing from other responsibilities and concentrating on daily writing
she managed to finish and publish four novels in
the following years, all of which were generally
well-received: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride &
Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma
(1815) – all anonymously, like most of the female
writers at that time.
In early 1816 Jane Austen started to feel unwell,
which she ignored and continued working. But
after a few months it was unmistakable to her and
her family that her health condition was on the decline. Nevertheless she kept on writing,
finished the novels Persuasion and Northanger Abbey and even started a new novel. But from
March 1817 on she was confined to her bed and was brought to Winchester for medical
treatment. Jane Austen died on 18th July 1817 and was laid to rest in Winchester Cathedral.
Her work has lived on and enthused generations of readers. The novels are part of
academic studies and have influenced other writers with their unique style and narrative
art. They were adapted for the stage and movie and television screens dozens of times and
will be in the future. Tonight you experience our own adaptation, so lean back and enjoy.
“Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure”
by Harald Djürken
Sources: Jane Austen on wikipedia.org – the free encyclopedia, Pride and Predjudice on wikiquote.org
Photos: Harald Djürken
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Snobs, L adders and Titles
What was the Pride and what was the Prejudice that Miss Austen wrote about 200 years ago
in Georgian England?
Among the aspirational middle classes, the upward movement through society of a family
name and protection of their reputation was constant work. The Pride was the current status
of a family. The Prejudice was the snobbery that would be used to look down upon people
with less money, land or in a lower position in a society.
Mr and Mrs Bennet owned land and had become “genteel” in that Mr Bennet did not work
for his income and so he was a Gentleman. His family were well-bred, polite and refined of
manner. A family such as this married only upwards (more money or more land) or sideways
but absolutely never downwards (Lord forbid!), which would often result in problems such
as Wickham and Lydia.
A Gentleman was an owner of large amount of land but he did not actually work himself.
The land would have been inherited from his father or another male but in trust, meaning
he could never sell it and it could only be passed to the next male in the family line, never
to his daughters. In all families like the Bennets, the duty of the children was to ensure that
they moved up the social ladder through a good marriage. But what was the “social ladder”?
The “social ladder” is a term used to describe a system of titles and positions across all English
people from the working class at the bottom, then the middle classes, on to the upper classes
and into the aristocracy, which were usually but not always titled and usually but not always
wealthy. England has been using titles since ca 1030 and they were extremely important to
people like the Bennets’ section of society because they were, just, within reach of marrying
one, which would have been (and still is) a great achievement for any mother. If a title was
not available, then inherited wealth and land was the next best thing.
After the King and Queen and members of the Royal Family, the order of the aristocratic
titles are
Duke
The highest rank in the peerage was introduced into England in 1337.
Today in Great Britain there are 29 Dukes.
Viscount
The fourth rank in the peerage was introduced by King Henry VI in 1440.
Today – 115.
Baron
Introduced by William the Conqueror in 1066, this is the lowest rank of
the Peerage in England. Today – 455.
All these people would be called Lord in person. e.g. the Marquess Townsend would be called
Lord Townsend when spoken to.
Baronet
A member of the lowest hereditary titled order, with the status of a commoner but able to style himself Sir and his wife to style herself Lady.
Today there are 1,313 baronets and perhaps among them we have a descendant of Sir William
and Lady Lucas. Baronets are not aristocrats but do have a hereditary title, which means that
they are loved by social climbers like Mrs Bennet for the prestige her friendship with Lady
Lucas brings her. The next position on the social ladder is a Gentleman or Squire (from
Esquire), like Mr Bennet; a respectable country landowner.
This rule of social order is strict and may be illustrated using the following examples. When
called to dinner at a formal occasion Winston Churchill, aged 90, warrior, world-statesman
and Nobel Prize winner for Literature would have to follow into the dining room the 18-yearold son of a Duke, fresh out of school. In Hertfordshire in 1813, after the host and his wife,
Sir William and Lady Lucas would be first in line because Sir William has a hereditary title,
followed by Darcy who is both an honoured guest and a gentleman. However, even though
Darcy has colossal wealth and far more money than his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, because
Fitzwilliam is the younger son of an Earl he would always walk before Darcy into any room.
The complexities of language and behaviour within this society were extremely refined
and had been invented, developed and employed entirely for social control. Not everyone
was as bad as Caroline Bingley or Lady de Bourgh. But for those to whom it was important,
this system was quite simply the only reason for living; it was the root of their Pride and the
source of their Prejudice.
Julian St Clair
Marquess
The second rank in the peerage introduced by King Richard in 1385.
Today there are 34.
Earl
The third rank in the peerage, but the oldest form of title to be used.
Today – 185.
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Sources: David Cannadine, Aspects of Aristocracy, Yale University Press, 1994
Debretts Peerage and Baronetage, www.debretts.com
Wikipedia.com (British Gentry. Georgian Society in Jane Austen’s Novels)
v
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A matter of chance
L ove an d marriage in Pride & Prejudic e
Pride & Prejudice portrays a whole series of young women on the lookout for a husband. All of
them have different views of marriage and the criteria for choosing a partner. The marriage
of convenience between Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins, the planned marriage for status
between Darcy and Miss Bingley, and the marriage of love, trust, and respect between Darcy
and Elizabeth Benett depict three of these contrasting views.
Elizabeth’s refusal to marry for financial reasons, despite the fact that she was perfectly aware
of her own difficult situation because of the entail of her family’s property to a distant relative, is a strong sign of her independence. Elizabeth takes a great risk in refusing Mr. Collin’s
proposal of marriage, since as Mr. Collins himself says, “It is by no means certain that another
offer of marriage may ever be made you.”
But for Elizabeth, common interests, understanding, and true feelings are more important
than financial security. Her sister Jane shares her view, and advises Elizabeth to “do anything
rather than marry without affection.” This shows that Jane, like Elizabeth, objects to marriages based purely on expedience.
Charlotte Lucas has a completely different view of marriage. As Austen herself states, “Without
thinking highly either of men or of matrimony marriage had always been her object; it was
the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however
uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want.” She sees
marriage simply as a provision for a woman’s future security – the man involved is irrelevant.
The Bennet sisters are rewarded for their steadfastness in that they end up with husbands
who leave nothing to be desired with respect to character, fortune, and status.
With respect to the gender roles, the structures in Pride & Prejudice reflect those of the time
in which it was written. The men hold all the reins of power, and for women, marriage is
the most secure provision for their future. Nevertheless, the women who marry on purely
pragmatic grounds, like Charlotte, wind up in less optimal relationships than those who marry
for love, like Elizabeth and Jane. Austen is criticizing, indirectly, the necessity of women to
marry, and the lack of alternatives offered to them, while at the same time demonstrating
the reality of the situation. She is also emphasizing that even a marriage of love can only
be successful if it is well-considered and reasonable. Lydia marries Wickham for love, but
the emotion blinds her so that she disregards all other aspects and doesn’t even recognize
that Wickham does not reciprocate her feelings. Austen’s recommendation on the issue of
marriage is finding a happy medium. A purely pragmatic marriage, with no feelings of love,
is only acceptable for morally weak characters. But even a marriage of love must not ignore
reason and discretion.
Austen creates relationships between men and women in which both partners are equal, and
for the protagonists in her novels
the only conceivable form of cohabitation. That doesn’t mean that
her women always get everything
they want, but they are intelligent,
a play by simon stephens
well-educated, and by no means
fulfil the stereotype of the passive,
subjugated female.
Nele Giese
(Translated by Amy Lee)
porno
graphy
Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever
so well known to each other before-hand, it does not advance their felicity in the least They
always contrieve to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is
better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your
life. (Austen, 25).
21_ 23 jan &
25 jan– 1 feb 2014
This is why she marries Mr. Collins without having any feelings for him. If one considers
Charlotte‘s situation, her decision is wholly plausible. Charlotte is “twenty-seven, without
having ever been handsome,” and has only a very small fortune. Her marriage fulfils the
expectations that society places on a woman of her age.
7.30 pm
audimax
universität hamburg
von-melle-park 4
tickets
tel: (040) 4 28 38-48 52
email: up@uni-hamburg.de
Charlotte’s marriage is, in the end, not as awful as Elizabeth expected it to be, but it is also
very far from being as happy as that between Elizabeth and Darcy or between Jane and Bingley.
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www.universityplayers.de
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Mat Nichol
P r o f i l e o f a H a m b u r g P l ay e r
Several years ago and for several years, an
American acting coach offered acting lessons
to anyone who wanted to take them – no previous experience required. A number of Hamburg
Players went – some taking classes for a couple of
years others scooting in and out as they needed
or as their work schedules allowed. And, of
course, there were others who had no connection to the Hamburg Players. They wandered in
looking for something to do that had nothing
in common with their work life, trying to revive
an old passion, or wanting to flex their acting
muscles. One of those, dimly remembering
some acting stints in school that had been fun,
was Mat Nichol. Mat hails from Manchester
and is an aeronautical engineer – yes, that’s
right: He builds airplanes. Modestly, he claims
that he “sometimes gets to design little bits of
planes,” but that it’s “mostly emails and spreadsheets”. Me, I probably wouldn’t be able to read
the spreadsheets, so I’m sufficiently impressed.
But Mat does seem to be a little disappointed
at the mundaneness of most of what he has to
do at work.
He had come to Hamburg in 2004 to work on
the Airbus 380 programme and stayed for a year
before he went to Munich to work on another
project – and, he says, to drink beer. Now, this
drinking of beer had a particular reason: Before
Mat left Hamburg he had serendipitously met
Hamburg native Karin – and fallen in love with
her, and she with him. So Munich turned out to
be not much of a success, as Mat was miserable
because there was no Karin there. He returned
to Hamburg, found work here and settled down.
Among the things he did to become a Hamburg
native was go to football games. He had been
a Manchester United fan before he came here –
and still is (you never desert your football club
of choice!) – but has now added St. Pauli to his
list of favourites, as he feels that the atmosphere
at St. Pauli games recreates football as it was
meant to be – not about winning or losing, but
about having a good time and doing your best.
Coming back to Hamburg proved to be a
good choice in several ways. He and Karin have
been going strong ever since – crowning their
relationship with a wedding in Denmark in
2009 (much easier and much less red tape in
Denmark if a German wants to marry someone
from another country). And he wandered into
said acting class. He was shy at first, didn’t seem
sure that this was something he really wanted to
pursue, but quickly he became a regular feature.
And quickly, he came into his own. He auditioned
for the University Players’ Richard III in 2007,
and was cast; then joined the Hamburg Players
for A Woman of No Importance in 2008 and
played Francis the Footman. Since then he has
been more or less a regular on our stage, lending his unique acting talent to a wide variety of
plays playing police detectives, guards, socialists,
workers, and crazies in Dial ‘M’ for Murder, Much
Ado About Nothing, Murder on the Nile, Arsenic
and Old Lace, and Pygmalion. No type casting
for Mat – he is versatile and takes on anything.
He really does: Along came the play he wasn’t going to be in, that he didn’t even audition for: Agatha
Christie’s Go Back for Murder. Several weeks into
rehearsals one of the main actors broke his foot. We
called Mat (who was on holiday in Scotland), and asked
him to step in. When we offered to tell him about the
play and give details about his role, he said he didn’t
need to know. We needed him and he’d be there. And
was he ever! He knew his lines at the first rehearsal
he came to, and was good to go within two weeks
(which was all that we had left to rehearse). Quite a
feat, and something the two women directing that
particular play will not forget in a hurry.
But more than being just very reliable and easy to
work with, Mat is a master of underplaying, naturalness and believability – which, come to think of it,
may all mean the same thing when applied to acting.
He’s very economical and subtle on stage and never
shows too much, but you always know what is going
on with him. He knows the power of a look and of a
minimally raised eyebrow. There’s always something
to see, and he is marvellously astute in creating recognizable characters on stage. And it’s hard to take
your eyes off him: He has a wonderful stillness on
stage – even when he doesn’t say anything your eyes
are drawn in his direction. If you saw our production of A Christmas Carol, you may have noticed: His
Spirit of Christmas Past never said a thing, just stood
there, a dark brooding presence – very powerful stuff
that not everyone would have been able to pull off.
There was a time – as with so many of us semiprofessional actors – when Mat thought about “going
professional”. He had been in a couple of TV productions, he was offered role after role by Hamburg’s
English-speaking theatre groups (he was also seen on
the University Players’ stage again, in a very moving
performance as a mentally disturbed man in Così),
and probably the spreadsheets and emails didn’t have
much draw anymore. But in the end he decided he’d
rather be a big fish in a small pond than a very small
fish in a very large pond. We’re very happy to be his
particular small pond and will enjoy watching him
further expand and test the waters!
Englische Stilmöbel
direkt vom Hersteller - auf 800 qm
Spitzenqualität in Leder, Mahagoni, Eibe & Walnuß
Antik & Replikas
Visit our new Chesterfield Studio
- always 15 models on display !
Lexi von Hoffmann
Osterjork 154, Jork (Altes Land)
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Mo. -Fr.15-18, Sa. 10-14 Uhr
& nach Vereinbarung Tel.: 0 41 62 72 18
The Hamburg Players e.V.
The Hamburg Players e.V. ABONNEMENT S C HEME 2 0 1 4 SEASON
Ticket subscription – “Abonnement”
Committee and general information
Chair – Valerie Doyle
Probsteier Strasse 7
22049 Hamburg
info@hamburgplayers.de
Vice Chair – Lexi von Hoffmann
info@hamburgplayers.de
Please note: as a thank-you to our Abonnenten, we are offering season’s tickets at the old prices for another year.
As the season has already begun, the prices for the Abonnement will, of course, be pro rata for the remainder
of the season.
Petra Nowak
Tel. (040) 653 82 88
Möllner Landstr. 32 e
21465 Reinbek-Neuschönningstedt
abonnement@hamburgplayers.de
Please note that the Wednesday 1st week is the lower-price Premiere which is not bookable in abonnement.
Our abonnement prices are unchanged:
(plus EUR 1.00 per ticket postage & admin.)
Membership and club information
Secretary – Catherine Schwerin
Tel. (040) 647 72 68
secretary@hamburgplayers.de
Mailing list, tickets and general information
Reni Pathak
The dates for our 2014 season are as follows
Möllner Landstraße 32 a
21465 Reinbek-Neuschönningstedt
Tel./Fax (040) 713 13 99
tickets@hamburgplayers.de
1st Week
2nd Week
Publicity
Advertising
Birgit Brink
Martina Plieger
Jara Schmidt
Jürgen G. Schmidt
Tel./Fax (040) 450 05 22
advert@hamburgplayers.de
pr@hamburgplayers.de
Rows 1 – 9
Rows 10 – 13
Rows 14 – 16
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Saturday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
(7.30 pm)
(7.30 pm)
(3.30 pm)
(7.30 pm)
(7.30 pm)
(7.30 pm)
(7.30 pm)
(7.30 pm)
EUR 11.50 per seat
EUR 9.00 per seat
EUR 8.00 per seat
6 February 2014
7 February 2014
8 February 2014
8 February 2014
12 February 2014
13 February 2014
14 February 2014
15 February 2014
15 May 2014
16 May 2014
17 May 2014
17 May 2014
21 May 2014
22 May 2014
23 May 2014
24 May 2014
All performances will be at Theater an der Marschnerstrasse, Marschnerstr. 46, 22081 Hamburg
Abo group bookings welcome – why not make up a party and sit together, or introduce your friends to the
Hamburg Players by presenting them with a gift abonnement?
We thank you for your continued support and look forward to welcoming you again next season!
!
1st Week
2nd Week
c
Thursday
c
Wednesday
c
Friday
c
Thursday
c
Saturday (3.30 pm)
c
Friday
c
Saturday (7.30 pm)
c
Saturday (7.30 pm)
(Block Letters Please)
Name________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Tel. No.___________________________________________________________________________ E-mail____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
P L E A S E D O N O T S E N D A N Y P AY M E N T W I T H Y O U R A P P L I C A T I O N F O R M
The Hamburg Players e.V.
I apply for__________________________________ tickets at EUR____________________________________________ (plus EUR 1.00 per ticket admin. costs)
for (please indicate order of preference):
ABONNEMENT S C HEME 2 0 1 4 SEASON
To: Petra Nowak, Möllner Landstr. 32 e, 21465 Reinbek-Neuschönningstedt
Fax: 040-713 13 99 or e-mail: abonnement@hamburgplayers.de