Southern Utah University’s Department of Theatre, Dance and Arts Administration will hold the first public performance of Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” on Friday, Oct. 2, at the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre.
The show follows sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood after their father’s death leaves their family struggling financially. While Elinor approaches life and romance with restraint and practicality, Marianne is more driven by her emotions.
Set in 18th-century England, “Sense and Sensibility” explores love, reputation and societal pressures that the sisters face. Hamill’s adaptation brings humor to Austen’s original story while focusing on the different ways Elinor and Marianne approach the expectations placed on them.
Director Kathryn Tkel said Austen’s work can sometimes feel inaccessible to modern audiences because of its setting, but Hamill’s adaptation offers a more contemporary approach to the story.
“I think this adaptation makes it really accessible, and it’s like an entry point for everyone into the wild, witty world of Jane Austen,” Tkel said.
One way the adaptation does this is through the Gossips, a group of high-society characters who follow the lives of the other characters and spread gossip.
“There’s no social media, but there is gossip,” Tkel said. “So it feels very familiar to us.”
While the show has plenty of humor, it also approaches the more serious effects of gossip and social pressure.
“It can be wild and big and also turn on a dime and get very serious,” Tkel said. “Gossip is both very fun, and then before you know it, you’re actually hurting people.”
The differences between the two sisters are also reflected in the way they express their emotions. Katri Redd, who plays Marianne Dashwood, described her character as someone who openly embraces what she’s feeling.
“She is just a ball of energy, joy, and she just sees the world in Technicolor towards the beginning,” Redd said.
As Marianne faces heartbreak throughout the story, Redd said her character continues to experience her emotions openly rather than hiding them.
“She’s very layered and complex, and she’s not a child,” Redd said. “I hate to think that people would perceive her as just naive and stupid. She’s very smart and very driven. She just approaches life differently.”
Harrison Buchanan, who plays Edward Ferrars, described his character as a reserved person who shares many similarities with Elinor, his love interest. He hopes audiences can see themselves and the people around them in the different personalities represented in the show.
“We are all just people doing our best with the information that we’re given, and sometimes that makes us the villains in people’s stories and sometimes it makes us the heroes of our own,” Buchanan said.
Performances are scheduled for Oct. 2, 3, 5, 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for alumni and $6 for youth and non-SUU students. SUU students, faculty and staff can attend for free with a valid ID.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the Utah Shakespeare Festival ticket office up to 30 minutes before each performance.
Author: Charlee Steed
Photo: Courtesy of SUU TDAA
Editor: Payson Davis
arts@suunews.net
