Fairbanks Drama Association prepares first annual holiday play since 2019

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - Every year, the Fairbanks Drama Association (FDA) marks the holiday season with a Christmas-themed play for families to enjoy.

After two seasons on hiatus, FDA is putting on a production of “The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley,” a romantic play that follows the events of Jane Austen’s 19th-century classic novel “Pride and Prejudice.”

“The show is a sequel in a way, a follow-up to Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice,’” said director Paul Adasiak.

In the play, audiences find out what happened to some of their favorite characters after the book ends, including Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, “but this play concerns the fate of the youngest Bennett sister, Lydia, who married a real rogue at the end of ‘Pride and Prejudice,’” he explained.

New characters are thrown in for good measure, and some minor parts expanded from the book. “It is a very progressive, pro-woman play. It is for women’s empowerment and independence in a way that the original ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was not, and I think in that sense it rescues the original work and lifts it up,” said Adasiak.

Actors of all ages and experience levels committed to months of rehearsal to bring the play to life. Sarah Swift Masterman plays the role of housekeeper Mrs. Reynolds. “This is my first time that I will actually be doing a performance like this. It’s been a huge amount of work, but it’s also fun to work with a team and put something together that’s hopefully going to be really fun for people to come see.”

FDA veteran Darcy Misel plays the character Cassie. “I’ve met some really great people, and I’ve had just a ton of fun, like, this is a totally worthwhile thing to do, just because I get to come here every night and have fun with my friends.”

The actors have been working hard to perfect their craft. Misel said, “We had to learn an accent for this show, which was really, really difficult.”

Swift explained, “It just takes a lot of time. It’s just a lot of time, learning the lines but then also coming to rehearsals.”

FDA has been a part of the community since 1963, putting on shows for the Interior. “All the people who do it are volunteers. All the people who are in the show and are helping out with the show are doing it because they love this theater and they love the people involved with it and they love the sense of community that it brings,” Misel said.

Showtimes and more information can be found here.

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