UVA Drama To Present SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

Sense and Sensibility, directed by Marianne Kubik, opens on October 20 in the Ruth Caplin Theatre. 

By: Oct. 07, 2022
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UVA Drama To Present SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

The UVA Department of Drama will open its 2022-2023 season with renowned playwright Kate Hamill's boldly playful take on Jane Austen's first novel, Sense and Sensibility.

Sense and Sensibility, directed by Marianne Kubik, opens on October 20 in the Ruth Caplin Theatre.

A story beloved by generations of readers, Sense and Sensibility follows the Dashwood sisters after their father's sudden death leaves them financially destitute and socially vulnerable. In this comic debate between prudence and passion, Elinor and Marianne must publicly manage their love affairs amid a gossip-obsessed 19th-century England. When reputation is everything, how do you follow your heart?

In her preparation to take on this play, Kubik was fascinated both by the way the original story captured Austen's own experiences and by how those experiences translate to today. "Jane Austen, much like Chekhov, always wrote about what she knew," she said. "And in this story and in her every life action, every single choice this family makes is judged and devoured by a social network that is bent on spreading gossip."

Kubik said she particularly appreciates the perspective Hamill brings to the sisters' relationship. "We have Elinor, the older sister who acts with common sense and control. Then you have Marianne, who responds to her with sensitivity and passionate impulses. No two sisters could be more opposite in their approach to problems, which is the whole premise of the novel. What I love about what Hamill does is that she does not pit one against the other to determine whether sense or sensibility is going to win the day. Instead, I see her asking of the novel how do these sisters learn from each other and how can they live a richer life by combining sense WITH sensibility? To me it really is about taking these two halves and exploring how they become whole."

Another angle Hamill takes is to focus the story not on the sisters' traditional love stories with suitors Edward and Brandon, but instead focusing on the novel's feminine perspective, Kubik said. That feminine perspective is explored even deeper in this production thanks to Kubik being at the helm of an all-female creative team.

Hamill, who has also adapted Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and most recently, Emma, once again manages to put her own spin on the author's work, providing modern context and humor without changing a plot that is known and loved by so many. One way she accomplishes that, Kubik said, is through the addition of "The Gossips," characters played at different times by every member of the cast. "They are at the forefront of the play," she said. "Each actor goes in and out of their Austen character to spy and comment on various scenes, and to just eat it all up like gossip. It's almost like the characters themselves are saying if you can't beat them join them. Until they learn, as we all do, that gossip is fun until you are its target."

The parallel to the modern day is strong, Kubik said. "It all starts to feel very familiar, particularly to our cast members, in this social media-obsessed society, when our private lives become public with a single click." The director and her dramaturg Laura Esti Miller have used this as an advantage with their cast, which features eight graduate M.F.A. students and eight undergraduates "Austen was so brilliant in commenting about life and people and the way they acted in her time period. We decided to do a group activity where we asked our cast to create memes for each character. It was a great way to put these characters in a different context for them and to help them understand the world they came from and the decisions that were made then."

Kubik believes the show will have plenty to offer for her fellow "Austen-ites" as well as people unfamiliar with the author's work. "It is always interesting to come out and see a classic turned on its head. This is a fun and refreshing take on a beloved story, and one in which we can see how two of Austen's most popular characters, Elinor and Marianne, come through an emotionally complicated journey of finding love, and each other as well."

Tickets for Sense and Sensibility are sold through the UVA Arts Box Office and are available online at www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu, by phone at 434-924-3376, or in person at the UVA Arts Box office located in the lobby of the Drama Building. Hours of operation are noon to 5PM, Tuesday through Friday. Free parking for UVA Drama performances is available at the Culbreth Road Parking Garage, conveniently located alongside the theaters. Please note that the play contains potentially distressing topics. For detailed information, visit https://drama.virginia.edu/content-warnings.




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