The Guildford Shakespeare Company is inviting audiences to follow in the footsteps of Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet at a special Christmas Regency Ball.

This event is being staged to mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth and will be held on December 12 from 7pm to 9pm.

Hosted by the mayor and mayoress of Guildford, and following in the wake of the Guildford Shakespeare Company’s internationally successful production of Pride and Prejudice, the evening will include a range of dances, called by Pride and Prejudice’s movement director Amy Lawrence.

Guildford Shakespeare Company co-founder Matt Pinches said: “This promises to be a real treat to round 2025 off with.

“Given there are some small ties between Jane and Guildford - she mentions travelling through and staying overnight in the town in a couple of her letters - and the popularity of our recent adaptation, we felt this would be a wonderful opportunity for audiences to experience first-hand the excitement of a Regency Ball.”

Absolutely no dance experience is necessary, and though not mandatory, Regency dress is heartily recommended. The ball is being held in Surrey’s largest Georgian church, Holy Trinity Church in Guildford High Street, with a licensed bar on site.

There will also be a retiring collection in aid of the mayor of Guildford’s charities, the Cheryl King Trust, the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice and the Guildford Shakespeare Company.

The Guildford Shakespeare Company was founded by Sarah Gobran and Matt Pinches in 2006, and they still lead the award-winning company, which seeks to create exceptional theatre in extraordinary places.

Their site-responsive approach immerses audiences in the world of the play, encouraging them to engage with their shared space and heritage, and experience a new way of theatre-going.

For tickets to the Christmas Regency Ball, priced £35, visit guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk/regency-ball