Dr. Amanda Jacobs is an accomplished composer, pianist, and gardener
specializing in art song and musical theater.. Her art song projects include award-winning musical settings of Shakespeare’s sonnets, Emily Dickinson’s poems, Charlotte Smith’s Beachy Head, and Jane Austen’s prayers.
Amanda is the co-writer and orchestrator of Austen’s Pride, a longstanding musical adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that she and Lindsay Warren Baker have developed, 
produced, and celebrated over the past twenty years.In 2014, she was selected as the International Visitor to Chawton, spending six weeks in Jane Austen’s House, composing and performing music.
You can view production highlights of Austen’s Pride here. Jacobs and Warren Baker are planning a final tour of Austen’s Pride in 2025. You can find out information about upcoming shows here.
In the excerpts below, Dr. Jacobs discusses Austen’s affinity for the stage, the role of unconditional love in Austen’s stories, and the evolution of Austen’s Pride.
Dr. Amanda Jacobs Introduction
Dr. Amanda Jacobs on Her First Memories of Jane Austen
On the Origin Story of Austen’s Pride
Dr. Amanda Jacobs Discusses How She and Her Collaborator Have Become True Scholars of Pride and Prejudice While Working on Austen’s Pride
Dr. Amanda Jacobs Reflects on Her Work on Austen’s Prayers and Her Appreciation of Austen’s Spiritual Life
Dr. Amanda Jacobs Notes How Austen Embraces Humanity With All Its Flaws and Perfections
Dr. Amanda Jacobs Considers How and Why Austen Remains Popular and Effective on Stage
On Pride and Prejudice and Unconditional Love
On the Love and Actions of Mr. Darcy
Dr. Amanda Jacobs Explains how Jane Austen Reviews an Early Draft of First Impressions as Part of Austen’s Pride
Dr. Amanda Jacobs Reflects on Darcy’s Ability to Admit that He’s Wrong
Dr. Amanda Jacobs Discusses the Creative Decision to Include Jane Austen as a Character in Austen’s Pride
On Concluding the Work and Creative Processes of Austen’s Pride
Dr. Amanda Jacobs Reflects on the Legacy of Austen’s Pride as a Life’s Work
Dr. Amanda Jacobs Expresses Hope that She and Her Collaborators Have Left Behind Something Beautiful
On Change in Pride and Prejudice