How a deaf Mrs. Bennet is enhancing this 'Pride and Prejudice' production in Utah County

PLEASANT GROVE — The classic romance of "Pride and Prejudice" has been adapted numerous times over the years, but the latest production of the beloved story at the Ruth Theater in Pleasant Grove is unlike any other.

Among the classic characters of Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy and the rascal George Wickham are intertwining classic renditions of pop music, reminiscent of the television hit "Bridgerton." But the most unique feature of this show is the natural integration of American Sign Language.

The character of Mrs. Bennet is played by Anne Post Fife, a deaf woman with more than 25 years of theater experience. As Fife signs the many lines of Mrs. Bennet, her character's daughters take turns voicing her thoughts for the audience.

Fife had to audition for the part just like everyone else, and she said when she got cast, the director told her, "I don't care that you are deaf. You are who you are. You are the mother of these girls. So how would you being you affect the family?"

And for a story that is all about overcoming initial judgements of others, having a deaf matriarch brought an interesting and unique dynamic to the Bennet family, Fife said.

"We showed what it would look like for a similar deaf family at home," she said in sign language through an interpreter.

A collaborative process

Fife, who has both a bachelor's and a master's degree in theater, has been involved in many productions over the years and has directed several. She said oftentimes, it's a collaborative process between directors and actors to create the finished staging and production.

The process for incorporating ASL into this show was no different.

"The (directors) were trying to pick how they'd approach the show with me, and they wanted to just figure out how to include sign ... and so they decided they'd use my 'daughters' as my voice," she said. "That was really unique because I sign all my lines, but I'm not signing the exact English."

Fife explained that she interpreted most of her lines into ASL grammar and structure, and then filmed herself doing the lines with the translations so the actors playing the daughters could practice matching their lines to her signs.

"'Pride and Prejudice' is my first major role, as Mrs. Bennet, and so I was so thrilled to bring that story on stage," Fife said. "It's been a lot of fun."

Because Fife can't hear the other actors when they say their lines, the staging was adjusted to add cues for Fife so she knew when to sign or react in certain ways, such as Mr. Bennet putting his hand on her shoulder or a daughter running up to hug her.

"Sometimes they'd look directly at me and I'd lip-read. During the whole rehearsal process, we had a lot of collaboration going on and I was so impressed with how much people were working together," she said.

Fife also has interpreters with her backstage to help her not miss any of her scene entrances.

Emily Faith Thurman, who plays Kitty Bennet, has a little bit of a background in ASL, so she was so excited to work with Fife on this show. She said the rehearsal process involved much more collaboration than she was used to, which she loved experiencing.

Before some of the rehearsals, the sisters would joke about who was going to get an extra 20 lines to memorize that night, Thurman said. At the beginning of the play, Mrs. Bennet has a decently long monologue talking about the rich man who moves in next door, and Thurman said she enjoyed getting to voice those lines.

Having the daughters' voices for Mrs. Bennet also gave the actors the chance to dive even deeper into their characters. Fife said at times, the daughters say their lines while expressing the opposite emotion of what she is signing.

"When we found out Bingley was coming and I'm all flustered ... but Mary's voicing it very flat," she said. "There's that contrast there, but I think it shows their characters as well as mine. It was so fun to see that develop."

Thurman agreed, saying the ASL integration helped spotlight the lesser-known sisters and characters who don't speak as often.

"You get to know them more, like Kitty and Mary's character, and how they see their mom and how it impacts the relationships with their sisters. It gives you another layer to the Bennet family that you wouldn't get from any other interpretation of the show," she said.

Fife is single cast, meaning she is Mrs. Bennet in every show. She's already done more than 45 shows, as they are a little more than halfway through the 12-week production.

While it's grueling to do so many shows, especially three-show days on the weekends, Fife said she has grown so close to all of the cast members. In fact, Thurman said before each show, Fife goes around and gives each of her "daughters" a big hug.

"It's just her routine. She's so loving and inclusive, and she just loves what she does and she is amazing," Thurman said.

Thurman said that after each scene she voices for Fife, she asks how the audience reacted since she can't hear them.

"It's really cool to be able to hype her up and say, 'Yes, they loved it.' She is so full of light and so excited to be in a space where she can work with a cast," Thurman said.

Making theater accessible to all

The power of theater lies in the humanness of it, Thurman said. Actors tell people stories, giving audiences the chance to see themselves in a character and find healing or relatability.

"When we incorporate more diversity into the stories we're telling and the casts, we give more people the opportunity to say, 'I've been there.' It opens up more of that catharsis and healing that theater can provide to a wider audience, which is the whole point," Thurman said.

Thurman said her friend went to the show with her dad, who is deaf, and he was so excited to follow the story and see Mrs. Bennet signing.

The storyline already emphasizes a theme of overlooking things that might turn you away from someone, Thurman said, and having Fife as Mrs. Bennet didn't "drastically change" what she is capable of as the matriarch — but it did give Mr. Darcy another way to embrace the family.

"There's a really cool moment where at the end of the show, Mr. Darcy actually signs to Mrs. Bennet, and it shows that he cares enough about Lizzy and has embraced her family, even though they might not fit what he feels is the norm, and he has embraced Mrs. Bennet even in her deafness," she said.

Fife said there has been an amazing response from the deaf community who want to see more plays because they didn't realize it was something accessible to them. The Ruth has specific performances of its shows where ASL interpreters are provided for the audience.

Fife hopes that any deaf person who sees her in the show is empowered to know they can be an actor and chase their dreams, too.

"I want to make theater accessible to all people — not just the deaf community, but people that can hear normally as well," she said. "I'm hoping to see more community members — not just deaf and hard of hearing, but other people, including those that don't know ASL — to just come and see it."

While the play is focused on Lizzy and Mr. Darcy's love story, this production pulls them out of the focus slightly to highlight all of the actors and characters.

"This is an amazing adaptation. It's the same story; it just adds a unique aspect," Fife said. "We are just communicating with each other, and that's just the way the stage should be."

"Pride and Prejudice" runs at the Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater through Nov. 7.

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