To give students the opportunity to engage directly with literature, the UT English department, in collaboration with the Knoxville production company First Take Co., will be hosting the Jane Austen Regency Ball on Saturday, Feb. 17 in Hoskins Library.
The Jane Austen Regency Ball is a piece of interactive theater. Actors from First Take Co. will play iconic characters from “Pride & Prejudice,” “Mansfield Park” and “Emma.” Attendees can choose how much they would like to interact with the actors.
Emily Pope, the dramaturg with First Take Co. and UT theatre administrative specialist, discussed a bit of the interactive portion of this experience.
“There will be lots of, not only interactive in the way that there will be characters interacting around you that you’re familiar with, but the actors will be talking to the guests,” Pope said. “We have little bits that we may use where Mr. Darcy might send someone on a task, or Emma might make someone help her turn pages, something like that. So there’s a lot of chances not only to enjoy watching the actors and the theatrical performance of it all but to actually be involved in it as well.”
For those who are worried about interacting or just prefer to observe, Misty Anderson, a professor and the head of the English department, reassures that this is also an option.
“We invite them to participate as much or as little as they want,” Anderson said. “We always know in life there are spectators and there are players and people can choose their own adventure.”
Interacting with the actors is not the only thing to do at the Regency ball. Lark in the Morn English Country Dancers and Consort will be providing dance lessons and live music to help further immerse attendees in the feel of a Regency Era ball.
Attendees are also encouraged to dress up in Regency fashion, whether that’s historically grounded costumes or modern pieces styled to Regency trends. Costumes are not required but do give attendees a chance to further immerse themselves in the story.
Both the English department and First Take Co. have worked hard to bring the stories of Jane Austen to life for this ball. Laura Clift and Ethan Graham Roeder from First Take Co. created the scripts for the main characters that pull from the novels but allow room for the audience to interact. First Take Co. has also been responsible for making sure the performances are accurate to both history and the literature.
“On the First Take end of things, I know we’ve been working hard on coordinating someone for costumes, making sure that we have everything right historically, dramaturgically,” Pope said.
The English department helped book the historic Hoskins Library for the ball and recruited undergraduate English students to act as docents and get involved with the event.
John Han, an English professor and the director of student engagement for the English department, talked more about getting students involved.
“The undergrads are actually involved with the process,” Han said. “They’ll be coming to the rehearsal so that they’ll feel like a part of the production, which I think is pretty neat. Everyone has a stake in it, and it’s something to be proud of.”
This ball is not the first time First Take Co. and the English department have worked together for a Jane Austen-themed event. In April 2022, the two came together to host Miss A’s Garden Party, another interactive theater event with Jane Austen characters.
“Seeing the garden party and the actors, we were just completely blown away,” Han said. “They were so talented and I was confused. At one point I thought to myself, I might want to punch Mr. Darcy. Not seriously. But they knew their lines so well, and they were very, very light on their feet. They are so talented, and we’re just so grateful that we have this talented cast to help us out with this project.”
While this ball and the garden party before it both are experiences that allow attendees to connect with the literature in new ways, they also give people new opportunities to interact with each other and their shared interests.
“I think Misty would agree with me, but just to create a community within the university, I think that’s more important now, now more than ever,” Han said. “Because that’s the way that I think universities are going to be configured now. We need to be thinking about how to bring people together, how to make students excited about not just English but about meeting new people, having new experiences that are loosely arranged, organized throughout literature.”
The Regency ball is a ticketed event, but tickets can be purchased at various price points. Standard tickets are $5 per ticket with proof of student ID or $25 per ticket for the general public. There is also a Royal VIP option available for those who wish to live the fantasy of being in the historical upper class. The Royal VIP tickets are $250 for two tickets but come with perks such as a footman attending to you, the title of Lord or Lady, an announcement upon your entry and a reserved table. The extra profits generated from ticket sales will go towards scholarships for first-year English students.
“Ticket sales are already happening, so we do encourage people to reserve soon,” Anderson said. “We expect to be at capacity on this one.”
The Regency ball will take place from 7-10 p.m. For more information and links to ticket sales, check out the English department’s website or Instagram or First Take Co.’s website.
