[NoHo Arts District, CA] – Garry Marshall Theatre and Impro Theatre are celebrating Jane Austen’s 250th birthday by bringing back one of the most coveted events in the city: Jane Austen Unscripted: Tea at Pemberley.
Presented in the beautiful outdoor courtyard garden at Garry Marshall Theatre (GMT), all the action and the improv unfold starring the critically acclaimed ensemble members of Impro Theatre.
This limited immersive experience is a scrumptious tea party, and a fully improvised play inspired by the intoxicatingly romantic world of novelist Jane Austen. This year is monumental as we are marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of the acclaimed author of Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Emma.
Tea-party goers will be whisked away to the English countryside, brimming with live music, garden party table seating, tea and refreshments, and one-of-a-kind theatrics! Jane Austen Unscripted: Tea at Pemberley blends audience suggestions and real-time improvisation with sips and sweets, making the experience an astounding tableside romp in the blooming Marshall Gardens.
With audience-generated suggestions, Jane Austen Unscripted: Tea at Pemberley is a completely improvised full-length play that unfolds for only 10 one-of-a-kind shows!
Impro Theatre co-founder, Dan O’Connor, was enthusiastic in saying, “It’s so wonderful to be able to play Jane Austen Unscripted in a real garden! Even better when the audience is enjoying our version of a traditional English tea with us.”
GMT’s Producing Artistic Director Joseph Leo Bwarie added to that sentiment, “We are giddy to be preparing as if Jane herself were to visit our garden and join us for tea, and we’d surprise her with a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday.”
Directed by Paul Rogan, Jane Austen Unscripted: Tea at Pemberley welcomes guests into an outdoor, English garden setting with all the whimsy of a Regency afternoon with tea and treats curated by local shops and purveyors of wonderful things.
Jane Austen is without a doubt one of the most enduring authors of her day. Her wit, societal examination, and ability to create some of literature’s most charismatic and poignant heroines sets the stage (literally) for a delightfully paced comedy that erupts minute by minute.
With Austen’s work spanning six novels that are far-reaching to this day, Impro Theatre’s Jane Austen Unscripted: Tea at Pemberley gives audiences the chance to not only imagine the other books she might have written, but create one on the spot. The company starts with audience suggestions and deftly creates a world of headstrong young women, brooding noblemen, eccentric relatives and charming cads, spinning fresh, mesmerizing courtships, sticky situations, and manners that come undone.
No performance is the same and the improvisation skills of Impro Theatre will have audiences laughing and cheering, gasping and gossiping. There are sure to be dilemmas and broken hearts, but true love is certain to triumph in this delightfully entertaining immersive experience!
ABOUT IMPRO THEATRE
Based in Los Angeles, Impro Theatre and its Main Company performance ensemble have garnered national attention with their unique, acclaimed brand of improvised theatre. Impro Theatre creates completely improvised, full-length plays in the styles of the world’s greatest writers and literary genres. Every Impro Theatre show starts with audience suggestions, and every performance is entirely unique. In Southern California, Impro has performed sold-out shows at The Broad Stage, The Pasadena Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, North Coast Repertory, Garry Marshall Theatre, and many more. Venues around the world include the John Anson Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Athenaeum Theatre in Chicago, Evans Auditorium at Texas State University, The Melbourne Fringe in Australia and Theatre Adyar in Paris. Impro has received multiple Ovation Recommended honors in Los Angeles and Critics’ Picks everywhere they perform.
Impro Theatre also manages the Impro Theatre School and the Impro Studio, both headquartered in Los Angeles. Impro Theatre has presented free, live performances through their live streaming YouTube channel and continues to offer online improvisation classes to students of all levels. These online performances and classes are designed to be accessible and affordable experiences that bring people together. They also help support Impro Theatre’s mission to change the world through joyful artistic engagement involving unscripted theatre.
ABOUT GARRY MARSHALL THEATRE
Garry Marshall Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing innovative performances, educational opportunities, and storytelling activities for all ages, year-round. Located in the heart of Burbank and Toluca Lake’s media district, the acclaimed theatre was founded in 1997 as the Falcon Theatre by Hollywood legend Garry Marshall. Reestablished as the nonprofit Garry Marshall Theatre in 2017 after Marshall’s passing, the theatre strives to cultivate new artists and experiences that spark ideas and build community.
Mission Statement: Garry Marshall Theatre is a nonprofit organization at the crossroads of Burbank and Toluca Lake, actively working to enrich the greater Los Angeles community by producing live arts experiences, cultivating artists, and introducing the next generation to the power of live storytelling and entertainment.
****
To see what shows are playing, check out our theatre guide>>