Following sell-out seasons, critical acclaim and a slew of awards, Bloomshed returns to Darebin with a bold new take on Jane Austen’s insatiable classic. Bringing their signature wit to the depths of the housing crisis, this raucous production flips the table on the Bennet sisters’ quest for love and security through a mercenary marriage.
In the plush ballrooms of high society, Mrs Bennet sees too well the value of a strategic union. But her five daughters all have ambitions of their own. Jane and Elizabeth want to marry for love (whatever that means), Mary is stuck in a goth phase, Lydia’s hot for the local militia, and Kitty is… well, we don’t need to talk about Kitty. With the cost of living rising, and Mr Bennet played by a potted monstera, how will the Bennet family hold onto their precarious position on the property ladder?
Bloomshed are one of Melbourne’s leading independent theatre companies, known for vibrant adaptations that both celebrate and reframe the stories we think we know – from Animal Farm to Paradise Lost, A Streetcar Named Desire and The Importance of Being Earnest. With big design gestures and a powerhouse ensemble, Bloomshed shows are joyous experiences – hilarious, fast-paced and invigorating for audiences.
In Pride and Prejudice, they’re challenging themselves to tell one of the most iconic love stories of the Western canon, turning their critical eye to the politics of love, marriage and the property ladder.
After sell out seasons across Melbourne and countless Green Room Awards, Bloomshed are stepping up to the epic stage of Darebin Arts Centre for this large-scale production, highlighting the company’s growing reputation and offering wider audiences a chance to experience their work.
In a collision of big ideas – a canonical novel and the housing crisis – Bloomshed’s Pride & Prejudice is an opportunity to see these two things in a new light. On one hand it’s a critical engagement with the politics of a story that has been rom-com-ified through film and television adaptations, and on the other it’s a satire about the social moment we’re currently living in, through the lens of a timeless tale of love. Bloomshed’s unique take reawakens the fundamental conflict in the novel, suggesting that in the current climate, marrying for love might be a terrible idea. Bloomshed is a company known for its political work that turns its lens to a story about the pursuit of love, freedom and happiness. How will these smart, critical satirists honour a tale so driven by the deep yearnings of the human heart?
‘Playing with Austen’s original, with the Romantic Comedy, and with the form of reality television, we’re looking at the decay of “Love” as a political category. How the institution of marriage emerges not as an artful expression of human passion, but as a calculated ritual of ownership. Can we redeem actual, radical, really existing “love”? Can we separate property and marriage? And can the romantic comedy save us from social bankruptcy?’ – James Jackson, Co-creator
Creative Team
Created and Performed by Bloomshed
Performed by: Laura Aldous, Elizabeth Brennan, Syd Brisbane, James Jackson, James Malcher, Anna Louey and Lauren Swain
Set Designer: Savanna Wegman
Costume Designer: Samantha Hastings
Lighting Designer: John Collopy
Sound Designer: Justin Gardam
Stage and Production Manager: Jacinta Anderson
Bloomshed are an award-winning group of Australian artists who create cutting edge political satire, energising classic texts with physical comedy and outrageous dance breaks. Their radical re-imaginings mix big political ideas with entertaining and accessible storytelling. Since 2012 they have created twelve new devised and adapted works, including Animal Farm, Paradise Lost (Darebin Arts Speakeasy), The Importance of Being Earnest, We’re Banking On It!, A Dodgeball Named Desire (fortyfivedownstairs), Bad News, The Nose, The Market, and The Government Inspector. Their work has won a slew of Green Room Awards including Best Production for Animal Farm and Paradise Lost, and nominations in every category. Their production of Animal Farm was selected for the VCE Theatre Studies Plays and won the Drama Victoria Award for Best Production in 2023.
Performance Dates
30 July – 10 August 2025
Wed – Sat 7.30pm | Sun 5pm
Venue
Darebin Arts Centre
401 Bell Street, Preston
https://arts.darebin.vic.gov.au/Programs-and-opportunities/Programs/Speakeasy-presentations/Pride-and-Prejudice
