A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  8w, 6m

A vivid new adaptation of Jane Austen’s first published novel as adapted by Book-It Rep.

Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    8w, 6m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adaptation (Literature)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences, Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)

Details

Summary

In this vivid new adaptation of Jane Austen’s first published novel, we meet the Dashwood sisters, whose happy lives are dramatically changed in the wake of their father’s death. Their home is taken by their half-brother and his overbearing wife and they must learn to live on much less far away from all they’re accustomed to. Amid their misfortune, love alights: the very sensible Elinor falls for the equally cautious Edward Ferrars, while the flighty sensibilities of Marianne flutter ill-advisedly to their handsome, reckless neighbor John Willoughby. Both hard lessons and gentle guidance help them learn that happiness in love is an unpredictable struggle against the most important social values: family, honor, and wealth. Luckily, with Jane Austen love wins.

History

Sense and Sensibility was first commissioned, developed and produced in the Book-It Style® by Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle, Wa in June 2011 under the direction of Makaela Pollock.

HENRY DASHWOOD - 50s
MRS. DASHWOOD - 40s
ELINOR DASHWOOD - late teens/early 20s
MARIANNE DASHWOOD - late teens
MARGARET DASHWOOD - early teens
JOHN DASHWOOD - mid to late 20s
FANNY DASHWOOD - mid 20s
EDWARD FERRARS - mid 20s
SIR JOHN MIDDLETON - 40s
MRS. JENNINGS - 50s
COLONEL BRANDON - late 30s
JOHN WILLOUGHBY - mid 20s
CHARLOTTE PALMER - 20s
MR. PALMER - late 20s
LUCY STEELE - early 20s
ROBERT FERRARS - early 20s
THOMAS
SERVANTS
MISS GREY
APOTHECARY

In the original production the following roles were doubled.

MARGARET DASHWOOD/ MISS GREY
HENRY DASHWOOD/ SIR JOHN MIDDLETON/ APOTHECARY
JOHN DASHWOOD/ MR. PALMER
FANNY DASHWOOD/ CHARLOTTE PALMER
EDWARD FERRARS/ ROBERT FERRARS

  • Time Period Victorian (British and American)
  • Setting England 1811
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

Videos

  • Sense and Sensibility preview youtube thumbnail

    Sense and Sensibility preview

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:

Authors

Jen Taylor

Jen Taylor first read Pride and Prejudice when she was eight years old, and she couldn’t fathom why Elizabeth Bennet would choose the haughty Darcy over the kind, charming Wickham. In any case, she was an immediate Austen fan and, thankfully, her discernment developed with ag ...
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Jane Austen

Jane Austen (1775–1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique and comment upon the British landed gentry of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Her novels include the anonymously published Sense and Sensibility (1 ...
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