Humor, romance and scandals are at the heart of Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice,” the show that drama teacher and director Sarah Thermond has chosen to be this year’s fall play.

The story features the five children of the Bennet couple, who hope to marry off their oldest daughter to a rich man named Mr. Bingley. Unexpectedly, Mr. Bingley’s friend Mr. Darcy, a wealthy landowner, falls for the second eldest daughter, Elizabeth, and the story follows the duo’s relationship. 

The announcement of the play was met with enthusiasm from many students because of the popularity of the novel itself.

“When I first heard what the play was, I almost fell out of my seat,” said junior Lea Moustakas. “‘Pride and Prejudice’ is one of my favorite books, and I think that what I like most about the story is that all of the characters are so clearly flawed in some way. It makes them much more realistic and relatable.”

Thermond said she chose the play for a number of reasons, but mainly because she wanted to do a show that has made a lasting imprint in the culture.

“‘Pride and Prejudice; is an exemplary work of literature… that has adapted into numerous other media,” Thermond said. “It is a show I expect people to get excited about.”

Thermond said she wanted to do a show that was humorous, but uniquely so.

“The comedy [in ‘Pride and Prejudice’] is more language-based and satirical than it is slapstick, which will provide a different challenge to the students,” Thermond said. “On top of that, the dialogue is amazingly witty, and I can barely contain my enthusiasm with working through that language.” 

The wit of the story resonated with students as well. Junior Kavya Sadras, who will work as a stage manager for the first time, said “Pride and Prejudice” is different from the shows the drama department has done in past years because of its quirkiness and humor.

Freshman Joan McCarthy, who is new to the Saratoga drama department, is also looking forward to the show.

“One of the things I am really excited about is the costumes,” McCarthy said. “Every year they look really good, and [“Pride and Prejudice”] has a lot of potentially amazing costumes.”

Auditions for the show were on Sept. 10, and the show is set to perform Nov. 14-15 and Nov. 20-21.