VENTURA, CA – Local actors of all ages will have the unique opportunity to audition for a stage performance of Jane Austen’s classic novel, “Pride and Prejudice,” Aug. 31-Sept. 3 at the Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Road.

The play is a production of Ventura County Community Theatre, in association with Performance Theatre for Young Artists. Austen’s most popular novel, first published in 1813, has been adapted for the stage in a script written by VCCT and PTYA Director Marta Dewey. Most youth parts to be cast are written for 12- to 18-year olds, and adults will perform age-appropriate roles. Performances are planned for November.

“This is a great opportunity for adult and youth actors of all experience levels to bring this literary masterpiece to life,” said Dewey. “It’s rare for a show like this to be performed on a community theater stage.” She said she hopes the show will increase interest in literary classics, especially among young people and in the schools. One of the most acclaimed novels in English literature, “Pride and Prejudice” has stood the test of time, and to date has sold an estimated 20 million copies worldwide.

Although a drama, the show will feature several “old world” dances and songs. With a humorous slant, “Pride and Prejudice” deals with marriage, manners, morality, education and other issues among England’s 19th-century, land-owning English gentry. The story follows the Bennet family and their five daughters, who fear that when their father dies, their house and property will be inherited by a distant cousin. The family’s future security and happiness depend on the daughters’ marriages to suitable and financially secure husbands, who they are longing to find.

Main characters include Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their daughters Elizabeth, Jane, Mary, Kitty and Lydia; Mr. and Georgiana Darcy; Charles and Caroline Bingley; Mr. Wickham; Mr. Collins; Charlotte and Maria Lucas; Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner; Louisa Hurst; Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourgh; Mrs. Phillips; Mrs. Forster; and Miss Younge.

Actors should prepare a 1-minute monologue to perform for the audition. They will also be asked to do a cold reading from the script. For more information about auditions, “Pride and Prejudice” characters, the plot and the production, go to www.ptya.org. To schedule an audition appointment, call (805) 653-1962.