Forte Musical Theatre Presents AUSTENTATIOUS

Forte Musical Theatre's Austentatious gets remounted at home in Calgary to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, with this retelling of Pride and Prejudice from April 8 - 19, 2025 at Beddington Theatre Arts Centre. 

“Twenty years ago, four of my classmates and I thought we'd write a fun little musical about a theatre troupe doing their own, highly comic version of Pride and Prejudice. We didn't know that Austentatious would take us on a crazy ride over the next six years from London, to Philadelphia, to New York and Calgary before getting published and done in theatres all over! It was also the second show Forte Musical Theatre ever did and was so popular with audiences that they've asked us to mount it again ever since,” said Joe Slabe, Forte Musical Theatre Guild's Artistic Director.

When the Cochrane Ranche Amateur Players announce a new adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, stage manager Sam has her hands full with a colourful array of community theatre misfits: a clueless director, an egotistical writer/choreographer/leading lady, a scorned diva, an overlooked veteran, and the town's local druggie. But when Sam begins to fall for the leading man, things really start to get complicated.  

“With this year being the twentieth anniversary of the original production in London, the fifteenth since Forte first did it here in Calgary, and the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, this seemed like the perfect time to bring it back. Plus, with everything that's going on in the world, I think all of us could use a good laugh right now,” added Slabe. 

The musical follows the group's journey as they unwittingly butcher Jane Austen's beloved classic. With a jazzy score and anachronisms galore, Austentatious is terrible theatre at its absolute comedic best.

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