April 11 - June 9
Reserve can sometimes be as dangerous as enthusiasm.
After their father dies, the Dashwood women must learn to embrace a new life, for better or for worse. Sisters Marianne (a hopeless romantic) and Elinor (a stoic realist) experience the pitfalls of society, the generosity of new friends, and the passion of unexpected love in this world-premiere adaptation of Jane Austen’s exquisite early work. By battling through vicious gossip, relative poverty, and silly characters (not to mention countless set-ups by the “helpful” Mrs. Jennings), these sisters learn the importance of both sense and sensibility.
The cast of SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Photo by Tommy Thompson.
Josh Clark and Hilary Caldwell in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Photo by Tommy Thompson.
Ronald Roman-Melendez and Ally Farzetta in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Photo by Tommy Thompson.
Topher Embrey, Ally Farzetta, Constance Swain, and Calder Shilling in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Photo by Tommy Thompson.
Constance Swain in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Photo by Tommy Thompson.
The Cast of Sense and Sensibility 2017 Production at the American Shakespeare Center. Photo by Tommy Thompson.
Calder Shilling in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Photo by Tommy Thompson.
Calder Shilling in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Photo by Tommy Thompson.
Constance Swain and Ally Farzetta in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Photo by Tommy Thompson.
Topher Embrey in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Photo by Tommy Thompson.
Cast
PREVIOUSLY WITH ASC: Mr. Dashwood, Music Director in Sense and Sensibility; Macduff, Bloody Captain in Macbeth; Christopher Sly, Hortensio in The Taming of the Shrew; Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, …
THIS SEASON: Caska in Julius Caesar, Mary Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Actor and Assistant Director of MFA Theatre at Randolph College, bringing depth to each role with experience in classic and contemporary theatre.
Constance Swain is an innovative director whose bold vision and creative energy inspire captivating storytelling at ASC and beyond.
John Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility; Banquo, Loon, Old Siward in Macbeth; Lucentio, Huntsman in The Taming of the Shrew; Nate, Banquo, Ensemble in Equivocation.
THIS SEASON: Ghost of Christmas Past, Charwoman in A Christmas Carol (3rd season)
Ronald Román-Meléndez is an accomplished actor with over 30 previous roles at the American Shakespeare Center.
Sir John in Sense and Sensibility; Ross, Hecate in Macbeth; Baptista, Haberdasher, Hunter 1, Servant 2 in The Taming of the Shrew; Cecil in Equivocation.
Topher Embrey is an actor at the American Shakespeare Center. Explore his theater experience, education, and background.
THIS SEASON: Bardolph, Doctor Caius in The Merry Wives of Windsor; Northumberland, Bardolph, Glendower, Sir Michael in Henry IV, Part 1…
K.P. Powell is an actor and director with the American Shakespeare Center, known for his dynamic performances and bold storytelling on stage and off.
THIS SEASON: Ghost of Christmas Past, Charwoman in A Christmas Carol (3rd season)
Artistic Team
Dr. Emma Whipday is a playwright and academic. She is Lecturer in Renaissance Literature at Newcastle University, UK.
Stephanie Holladay Earl is an accomplished actor, director, choreographer, & educator with over 15 years of experience, known for her impactful work.
Thomas J. Coppola was part of the American Shakespeare Center from 2015 to 2025.
PREVIOUSLY WITH ASC: Mr. Dashwood, Music Director in Sense and Sensibility; Macduff, Bloody Captain in Macbeth; Christopher Sly, Hortensio in The Taming of the Shrew; Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, …
THIS SEASON: Ghost of Christmas Past, Charwoman in A Christmas Carol (3rd season)
Jenny McNee joined the ASC in 2002 after studying in Richmond, Charlottesville, and Edinburgh, Scotland. She has designed and built nearly 100 shows (60 resident and touring shows, 35 holiday …
Assistant Costume Designer
Sabrina is a 2017 graduate of the New York University’s Visual Culture: Costume Studies Master’s program. She previously attended Savannah College of Art and Design where she received her BFA in Fashion Design and Art History.
Stephanie Holladay Earl is an accomplished actor, director, choreographer, & educator with over 15 years of experience, known for her impactful work.
Mercutio and Montague in Romeo and Juliet and Dromio of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors; Fight Captain
Properties Master
Chris has been designing and building props for the ASC since 2012. In that time, he’s provided props for over 60 productions, including (from Shakespeare): The Merchant of Venice; The Two Gentlemen of Verona; Cymbeline; King John; Love’s Labour’s Lost; Twelfth Night; Julius Caesar; Henry VIII; The Two Noble Kinsmen; Romeo and Juliet; All’s Well That Ends Well; Troilus and Cressida; Othello; The Merry Wives of Windsor; Henry IV, Part 1; As You Like It; Timon of Athens; Macbeth; The Comedy of Errors; Pericles; Hamlet; Much Ado about Nothing; The Taming of the Shrew; Antony and Cleopatra; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Winter’s Tale; Henry VI, Parts 1, 2, and 3; Henry V; The Tempest; Measure for Measure; and King Lear.
“Know Your Own Happiness.” – Jane Austen, Sense And Sensibility
At the American Shakespeare Center, we are accustomed to producing the plays of a 400-year-old playwright whose tales stretch into modernity and pull at what makes us human. When we decided to put Jane Austen on stage, my excitement was not just in telling a story of another author I love, but in her continued relevance and relatability today, something she shares with William Shakespeare.
From the brilliant blend between sisterly spats and unconditional love to the all-too-familiar tale of a family fallen on hard times, Austen’s tale is packed with both people and circumstances that remind us of our own lives. We all know the gossipy Mrs. Jennings, the passionate Marianne, and the stalwart Elinor.
Though today we are not subject to the same early nineteenth century decorum and social mores, Sense and Sensibility tells a story of people finding their own moral code, striving to fulfill their unique ambitions, and above all, simply figuring out how to be happy. The aftermath of the battle between the head and heart, logic and impulse, and foresight and willful ignorance is something we all know well. We’ve been betrayed. We’ve remained silent when we should have spoken. We’ve fallen helplessly in love. We’ve looked when we should have leaped.
Through the patriarchal reality of 1800s’ inheritance laws and strict social hierarchy, Sense and Sensibility shows women down on their luck, fighting to make sense of a world that refuses to be sensible to them — finding their own way to live, thrive, love, and, in spite of their world, be happy.
Today, we needn’t look further than advertising, social media, and entertainment to find our own set of implied, and impossible, social standards. We are bombarded by the latest trends and products, and we assume everyone else must be happier and more fulfilled than we based on their glowing social feeds. To pile on top of this heap of pressure, the shrinking middle class, political division, and economic uncertainty make it seemingly impossible at times to find any contentment in spite of the world.
But, that is what Sense and Sensibility does. It challenges us to make the best of things. Two hundred years later, Ms. Austen encourages us to find happiness and peace in our very own Barton Cottage.
Stephanie Holladay Earl
Guest Director
- Mr. Dashwood, on his deathbed, makes his son, John, promise to take care of John’s stepmother and half-sisters, the reserved Elinor and the passionate Marianne, after Mr. Dashwood dies.
- John’s wife Fanny whittles down John’s planned gifts to his sisters and stepmother to a meager 500 pounds a year. John and Fanny move into the Dashwood family home, Norland Park, displacing the Dashwood ladies.
- Fanny Dashwood’s brother, the sweet and mild Edward Ferrars, comes to visit, forming a strong attachment to the eldest Dashwood sister, Elinor. Fanny’s rude remarks about the impossibility of their marriage lead Mrs. Dashwood to look for a new home.
- The Dashwood ladies move to Devonshire and take up residence in Barton Cottage within Barton Park, the estate of John Middleton, a gentleman and Mrs. Dashwood’s relation.
- The boisterous John Middleton and his well-meaning (though incurably nosy) mother-in-law Mrs. Jennings greet the Dashwoods and invite them to Barton Park for dinner, where they meet the dignified gentleman Colonel Brandon.
- Colonel Brandon, though much older than Marianne, falls for her instantly upon hearing her sing.
- On a walk, Marianne hurts her ankle. The gallant, handsome, and young John Willoughby comes to her rescue, stealing her heart in the process.
- Marianne and Willoughby publicly display their affection for one another, overstepping the bounds of decorum.
- During a picnic at Colonel Brandon’s house, the Colonel receives a letter that spurs him to London immediately, with no explanation.
- Willoughby asks to speak to Marianne alone, leading Elinor and her mother to believe he is proposing. When they return, however, Marianne is heartbroken and Willoughby is leaving for London.
- Mrs. Jennings introduces Miss Lucy Steele to the Dashwood sisters. Lucy, jealous and manipulative, secretly informs Elinor that she has been engaged to Edward Ferrars for several years.
- The Dashwood sisters, both confused and feeling the sting of lost love, go to London with Mrs. Jennings.
- Heartbreak, complete and utter despair, and happy endings ensue.