Pride & Prejudice

About the performance

With her tongue firmly in her cheek, Jane Austen tells us “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Mrs Bennet certainly thinks so. So when Mr Bingley – single, young, handsome, and with £5000 a year – moves into nearby Netherfield Park, she devotes all her energy to contriving for Jane, the eldest of her five daughters, to meet him during rural Hertfordshire’s whirlwind of social balls. But even Mrs Bennet draws the line at Mr Bingley’s disdainful friend Mr Darcy despite his whopping £10,000 a year. Thank heavens Lizzy, her second daughter, finds him detestable too! Or does she…? Can she see beyond his pride – and could he overcome her prejudice – to consider a possible future together?

Following seven sell-out seasons of this sparkling adaptation, award winning Illyria returns to celebrate Jane Austen’s 250th birthday in style. Bring a picnic and enjoy her at her vibrant, forthright, bitchy best!

Running time: 140-minutes (approximately), including a 20-minute interval.
Suitable for all ages.

Tickets and important information

Tickets are pre-book only for our Open Air Theatre, and will not be available on the door on the day of the performance. Please note: Theatre performances are not included in the Museum annual membership as the performances are outside the Museum standard opening hours.

£20.00 Adults

£14.00 Children aged 5 – 17 yrs

£4.50 Children aged 2 – 4 yrs

£62.00 2 Adult Family (2+2)

£42.00 1 Adult Family (1+2)

Under 2’s Free

All these events are outdoors so please do dress for the weather and bring a rug or camping chair with you.

There will be refreshments available to purchase and we welcome you to bring your own picnic to enjoy.

Grazing Boxes

New for 2025 – you can pre-book a Grazing Box for two to collect and enjoy at our Museum. (Only available on pre-order – booking window closes 7 days before performance date).

Choose from:

• Grazing Box for two: A selection of finger sandwiches (Ham, Chicken, Ham/cheese salad) on artisan bread, crisps and snacking items (Serves 2 people)
• Grazing Box for two (Gluten Free) : A selection of finger sandwiches (Ham, Chicken, Ham/cheese salad) on gluten free bread, crisps and snacking items (Serves 2 people)
• Vegan Grazing Box for two: A selection of Vegan finger sandwiches (vegan cheese, vegan ham, roasted vegetables with tomato pesto) on artisan bread, crisps and snacking items (Serves 2 people)
• Vegan Grazing Box for two (Gluten Free): A selection of Vegan finger sandwiches (vegan cheese, vegan ham, roasted vegetables with tomato pesto) on gluten free bread, crisps and snacking items (Serves 2 people)

You can add your grazing box choice to your ticket order, just follow the instructions once you have chosen your theatre performance tickets. The grazing box options will pop up for you to add the quantity to your basket, make sure you select the date that matches the theatre performance you are visiting – you can double check this in your basket.

Grazing boxes can be collected from the Museum café from 5pm, doors open from 5.15pm with the performances start from approximately 6pm onwards. Your ticket with have confirmation information for the individual performance.

Just a polite note that dogs are NOT permitted to attend the theatre evenings, unless they are an assistance dog. Please note that the Café & Shop/Admissions will be operating on a CASHLESS basis only during this evening, therefore we will be accepting card payments ONLY.