May 1, 2025 – August 2, 2025

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American Shakespeare Center's Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Adapted by Emma Whipday with Brian Mcmamon for the Summer 2025 Repertory Season.

“Know your own happiness. You want nothing but patience – or give it a more fascinating name, call it hope.”

–Elinor Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

 

Step into the world of Jane Austen’s beloved characters as the American Shakespeare Center brings Sense and Sensibility to life on stage.

With humor, wit, and timeless insights, this adaptation by Emma Whipday with Brian McMahon captures the elegance and complexity of the Dashwood Sisters’ world, where sensibility meets resilience and duty confronts desire.

Whether you’re an Austen devotee or new to her work, Sense and Sensibility will charm and resonate with you, offering a captivating journey through love and loyalty.

Explore the World of Sense & Sensibility

Official Trailer for Sense & Sensibility at the Blackfriars Playhouse
See What Audiences Are Saying

From gasps and laughter to teary-eyed smiles, real audience members are raving about Sense & Sensibility at the Blackfriars Playhouse.

Live theatre. Shared light. Honest responses. Come experience it for yourself.

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STUFF THAT HAPPENS...
  • On his deathbed, Mr. Dashwood asks his son, John, to care for his stepmother and half-sisters, Elinor and Marianne.
  • John’s wife, Fanny, persuades him to severely reduce his sisters’ inheritance and move into Norland Park, the family home.
  • Fanny’s brother, Edward Ferrars, visits and forms a close bond with Elinor. Fanny’s disapproval prompts Mrs. Dashwood to seek a new home despite their very limited income.
  • The Dashwood women relocate to Barton Cottage in Devonshire on the estate of another relation, Sir John Middleton.
  • Sir John and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Jennings, warmly welcome the Dashwoods and introduce them to Colonel Brandon.
  • Colonel Brandon quickly becomes enamored with Marianne after hearing her sing.
    While walking near her home, Marianne injures her ankle and is aided by the charming John Willoughby, who soon wins her affection.
  • Marianne and Willoughby openly display their feelings, exceeding social norms.
    During a picnic at Colonel Brandon’s home, he abruptly departs for London after receiving a letter.
  • Willoughby privately speaks with Marianne, leading her family to expect a proposal. Instead, he leaves for London, leaving Marianne inconsolable.
  • Mrs. Jennings introduces Miss Lucy Steele, who confides in Elinor that she has been secretly engaged to Edward for years.
  • As secrets surface and futures hang in the balance, the sisters travel to London with Mrs. Jennings, hoping for answers—and fearing more disappointment.
    Heartbreak, complete and utter despair, and happy endings ensue . . .
Director Notes from Jemma Alix Levy

 

Director-Jemma-Levy-at-the-Sense-and-Sensibility-table-Read-2025.-Photo-By-Madison-Patterson-scaled

(Director Jemma Levy and Assistant Director Alaina Shefelton at the Sense & Sensibility Table Read 2025.
Photo By Madison Patterson.)

What is the lasting appeal of Jane Austen’s stories? Like Shakespeare, Austen seems to have found a way of speaking to the human condition that pierces through the passing of time.

Despite differences in social, cultural, and political norms, Austen’s characters still feel recognizable and familiar. I can see my teenage daughter in the impetuous and strong-willed Marianne. I can see myself in Elinor’s self-martyrdom. Some of my closest friends and neighbors have the joy and enthusiasm (and insatiable appetite for gossip) of Sir John and Mrs. Jennings. And we certainly still see romantic entanglements reminiscent of those that plague the Dashwood sisters.

I hope that Emma Whipday’s beautiful and wonderfully theatrical adaptation speaks to you today, with whatever experiences you bring, sitting in this theatre at this moment. I hope these characters and their struggles and triumphs feel like they are part of your world, and not some long-ago, once-upon-a-time in a land far far away.

And I hope that you find in this story something that connects you to others, for it is in these connections that we find the confidence to believe in the future.

– Jemma Alix Levy