Pride and Prejudice with ASL Integration

Aug. 18, 2026

The Ruth Theater invites audiences to experience Jane Austen’s beloved Pride and Prejudice in a new way this season, featuring Deaf actress Anne Post Fife as Mrs. Bennet and the integration of American Sign Language throughout the production.

Adapted by local playwright Melissa Leilani Larson, this fresh take on Austen’s classic romance brings the familiar world of Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy and the Bennet family to The Ruth stage while incorporating ASL as an integral part of the storytelling. Fife performs the role of Mrs. Bennet entirely in American Sign Language, while fellow members of the cast voice her dialogue live during each performance.

The result is a distinctive theatrical experience that allows ASL and spoken language to exist together onstage and integrated into the storytelling of a beloved classic.

For director Kymberly Mellen, the enduring appeal of Austen’s story lies in its ability to reveal something recognizable beneath the manners, expectations and social conventions of another era.

“It reminds us that beneath our supposed sophistication, we're remarkably simple creatures. We all want to love and be loved.”

At the center of Austen’s novel is Elizabeth Bennet’s evolving understanding of herself. Mellen points to one of her favorite moments in the story as Elizabeth realizes in reading Mr. Darcy’s letter: “Till this moment I never knew myself.”

“Austen seems to suggest that genuine love begins not with finding the right person, but with becoming honest enough to know yourself,” Mellen said. “We can only meet the people we love at the place they are willing to meet themselves.”

That self-discovery is part of what has allowed Pride and Prejudice to remain a cultural touchstone more than 200 years after its publication. Each new adaptation offers audiences another opportunity to recognize themselves in Austen’s characters.

“That’s why we continue reading Austen’s novels and flocking to every adaptation within driving distance,” Mellen said. “Truthful writing—and truthful acting—holds, as Shakespeare wrote, ‘the mirror up to nature.’ Through Austen’s wit and delicious dialogue, we catch glimpses of our own pride, our own prejudice, and perhaps our own capacity to grow.”

At The Ruth, that reflection takes shape through Larson’s adaptation and a cast that brings Austen’s familiar characters into a theatrical world where spoken language and ASL share the stage.

“If this production sends you home looking at someone you love with just a little more curiosity, a little more generosity, and a renewed willingness to choose them as they are today—not as they were five years ago—we will have done our job,” Mellen said.

Pride and Prejudice is now playing at The Ruth Theater in Pleasant Grove. Tickets are on sale at TheRuth.org.

Pride & Prejudice is presented with thanks to our season presenting sponsor, Utah Community Credit Union.

Performance Schedule:

  • Dates: August 17 - Nov 7, 2026

  • Time: Nightly at 7:30pm with select matinees at 12:30pm & 4pm on Saturdays

  • Tickets: Available at the Box Office (801-226-8600) or on our website.

Reviewers interested in attending should reach out to Sydney Dameron (sydney.dameron@haletheater.org) to arrange seating.

PHOTOS
Photo Credit: Lauri Baird

VIDEO TEASER TRAILER
(feat. Lauren Pope and Elizabeth Bennet and James Carter as Mr. Darcy)
Video Credit: Josh Beck

PLAYBILL

PRODUCTION TEAM:

  • Director: Kymberly Mellen

  • Choreographer: Nick Garner

  • Scenic Design: Jo Winiarski

  • Costume Design: Brenda van der Wiel

  • Lighting Design: Renee Fowler

  • Sound Design: Richie Trimble

  • Hair & Makeup Design: Shannon Hutchins

  • Prop Design: Megan Heaps

  • Dialect Coach: Dianna Graham

  • Production Stage Manager: Chris Vlamakis