Alicia Bonestroo—Staff Writer

Photo by Ally Visser

The Dordt Theatre Department performed Northanger Abbey last week, directed by Dordt professor Laura Andersen. There were evening performances at 7:30 pm Wednesday, February 27, until Saturday, March 2. There was also an afternoon performance on Saturday at 2:00 pm.

Northanger Abbey is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel by the same name. The main character, Catherine Morland, is the daughter of a clergyman. She’s also a bookworm with an overactive imagination. At the beginning of the show, she travels to a larger city and her adventure truly begins, albeit with blurred lines between her fantasies and reality.

But that doesn’t mean that Catherine doesn’t learn from her fantasies.

This show has a little something for everyone. It’s eye-catching, with a rolling set, period costumes, dances and a hint of mystery and romance.

The story also shows the differences between social classes a couple hundred years ago. Nowadays, we might roll our eyes and laugh at the very real problems that people were facing back then when it came to climbing the social ladder.

The costumes have been in the works since the end of the last theatre production, Walk Two Moons. All were made to be historically accurate and now have alterations to make it easier for the actors and actresses to change in and out of them. However, there is no rest for the weary, and these alterations continue throughout the rehearsal process, probably until the first performance.