2022-2023 Season

Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility

Adapted by Jessica Swale

September 14 - October 9

OneAmerican Mainstage

Three sisters and their widowed mother lose their family home and must create new lives for themselves in a tiny seaside cottage. Along the way, they face kindness and cruelty, duty and deception, as they try to navigate the complex social rules for proper young ladies. What will lead to lasting happiness and true love: practical good sense or following the sensibility of your heart? Sit back and indulge in the wit and wisdom, the beauty and charm of Jane Austen.

Show Resources

Digital program

Student Study Guide

Know Before You Go

Approximate run time is 2 hours and 45 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission.
Contains adult situations and themes present in the classic novel by Jane Austen. Recommended for patrons 8th grade and older.

Special Programming

Pre-Show Chats

Before every Signature Six performance, patrons can enjoy a Pre-Show Chat hosted by IRT staff and artists. Pre-Show Chats begin 45 minutes prior to the scheduled performance and last 20 minutes.

Opening Night | Friday, September 16, 2022

Performance at 7:30 PM

Raise a glass and cheers to the cast and crew at IRT’s Opening Night! After the show, delight in a champagne toast and a one-time-only chance to explore the set with IRT Artisans (masks required onstage).

ASL/AD Performance with Talk Back | Sunday, September 22, 2022

Talk Back following the 2 PM performance

The IRT offers ASL/AD services to our patrons with vision and hearing needs. Patrons with hearing needs are encouraged to sit in the interpretation zone and meet with the interpreter before the show. We also offer Assisted Listening Devices free of charge at each performance. To learn more visit irtlive.com/accessibility.

Join IRT staff and cast immediately after the performance for a post-show discussion that covers a variety of interesting topics related to the show. Post-show discussions typically last for 20 minutes.

Talk Back | Thursday, October 6, 2022

Following the 2 PM performance

Ticket Info & Discounts

The IRT offers a variety of price points and discounts to fit every theatre-goer’s budget! The Ticket Office team can assist you with the best ticketing option.

Find Dramatic Savings

Accessibility Matters

IRT is an inclusive theatre and offers many accessibility options, including audio enhancement, large print programs, and sensory supports.

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FAQs

FAQs will be evolving as we have more information to share! Check for everything from parking and attire to ticketing needs and accommodations.

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Cast Members

La Shawn Banks

Colonel Brandon

La Shawn Banks

Colonel Brandon

Cereyna Jade Bougouneau

Marianne Dashwood

Cereyna Jade Bougouneau

Marianne Dashwood

Caroline Chu

Lucy Steele, Servant, Gossip

Caroline Chu

Lucy Steele, Servant, Gossip

Casey Hoekstra

Edward Ferrars, Robert Ferrars, Thomas Palmer

Casey Hoekstra

Edward Ferrars, Robert Ferrars, Thomas Palmer

Claire Kashman

Margaret Dashwood

Claire Kashman

Margaret Dashwood

Elizabeth Laidlaw

Mrs. Dashwood

Elizabeth Laidlaw

Mrs. Dashwood

Helen Joo Lee

Elinor Dashwood

Helen Joo Lee

Elinor Dashwood

Priscilla Lindsay

Mrs. Jennings

Priscilla Lindsay

Mrs. Jennings

Priscilla has appeared in more than 60 productions at the IRT, including Sense and Sensibility, The Game’s Afoot, Shirley Valentine, Doubt, Death of a Salesman, Driving Miss Daisy, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Glass Menagerie. She directed IRT productions of To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet, The Miracle Worker, and many editions of A Christmas Carol. From 2010 to 2021, Priscilla was Chair of the Department of Theatre and Drama at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (her alma mater). In 2018 at Michigan she appeared as Linda Loman with Alec Baldwin in Death of a Salesman.

Devan Mathias

Fanny Dashwood, Charlotte Palmer, Sophia Grey, Gossip

Devan Mathias

Fanny Dashwood, Charlotte Palmer, Sophia Grey, Gossip

Devan has appeared at the IRT in Clue, Sense and Sensibility, Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!,” and The Little Choo Choo That Thinks She Can. She is grateful to be part of the thriving arts community in Indianapolis as both an actor and a teaching artist. Credits include productions with the Phoenix Theatre Indianapolis, Actors Theatre of Indiana, Beef & Boards, American Lives Theatre, Summit Performance Indianapolis, and the Indianapolis Shakespeare Company, where she is a company member. Devan received her B.A. in Musical Theatre from Ball State University.

Ron E. Rains

John Dashwood, Thomas, Sir John Middleton, Mr. Perks, Doctor

Ron E. Rains

John Dashwood, Thomas, Sir John Middleton, Mr. Perks, Doctor

Nate Santana

John Willoughby

Nate Santana

John Willoughby

Nate made his IRT debut in Sense and Sensibility. He has worked with various theatres throughout Chicago including Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Northlight Theatre, Steppenwolf, TimeLine Theatre Company, First Folio, Griffin Theatre, and BoHo Theatre. He is an ensemble member with Teatro Vista and Shattered Globe Theatre. He has also worked at the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. On screen, he’s worked on Chicago Med, Chicago PD, The Exorcist, and Suits. His favorite role, though, happened this year when he became a father to sweet baby Vincent

Creative Team

Jessica Swale

Playwright

Jessica Swale

Playwright

Peter Amster

Director

Peter Amster

Director

Ann Sheffield

Scenic Designer

Ann Sheffield

Scenic Designer

Tracy Dorman

Costume Designer

Tracy Dorman

Costume Designer

Dawn Chiang

Lighting Designer

Dawn Chiang

Lighting Designer

Dawn has designed Little Shop of Horrors and Shakespeare’s Will and Sense and Sensibility at the IRT. Broadway: Zoot Suit and co-designer for Tango Pasión. Off Broadway: Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theatre; Encores! Concert Musicals, co-designer. Opera: resident lighting designer, New York City Opera. Regional: Guthrie Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, Syracuse Stage, Denver Center Theatre Company, Trinity Repertory Company, and many more. Awards: One Broadway World award, two Syracuse Area Live Theatre Awards, two Drama-Logue Awards, and USITT Distinguished Achievement Award. Mentor for Theater Development Fund’s “Wendy Wasserstein Project” outreach program for New York City high school students.

Mike Tutaj

Projections Designer

Mike Tutaj

Projections Designer

At the IRT, Mike has designed projections for Sense and Sensibility, The Book Club Play, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Mountaintop. Based in Chicago, his credits include the Goodman, Steppenwolf, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Second City, Victory Gardens, Lookingglass, Writers' Theatre, the Court Theatre, and many more. Off-Broadway credits include MCC Theater, p73, EnGarde Arts, and the York Theatre. Regional credits include the Alliance Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, South Coast Rep, Center Stage, Syracuse Stage, and more. Mike is an artistic associate with TimeLine Theatre and a member of United Scenic Artists local 829.

Michael Keck

Composer

Michael Keck

Composer

At the IRT, Michael has composed for Sense and Sensibility; Cyrano; Murder on the Orient Express; Looking Over the President’s Shoulder; April 4, 1968 (in which he also acted); and many others. His music has accompanied productions at Syracuse Stage, Guthrie Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Rep, The Alliance, Rep St. Louis, Mark Taper Forum, and many others. His international credits include the Market Theatre Johannesburg South Africa, the Barbican Theatre Center, and Bristol Old Vic. He is a member of AEA, SAG–AFTRA, and ASCAP.

Richard J Roberts

Dramaturg & Assistant Director

Richard J Roberts

Dramaturg & Assistant Director

This is Richard’s 35th season with the IRT, and his 27th as resident dramaturg. He has also been a dramaturg for the New Harmony Project, Write Now, and the Hotchner Playwriting Festival. He has directed IRT productions of A Christmas Carol, Bridge & Tunnel, The Night Watcher, Neat, Pretty Fire, The Cay, The Giver, The Power of One, and Twelfth Night. This season at Actors Theatre of Indiana he directed She Loves Me. Richard studied music at DePauw University and theatre at Indiana University and was awarded a Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis.

Nathan Garrison

Stage Manager

Nathan Garrison

Stage Manager

This is Nathan’s 29th season at the IRT. He has also worked with Center Stage in Baltimore, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Brown County Playhouse; and he is a company member with the Indianapolis Shakespeare Company.

Becky Roeber

Assistant Stage Manager

Becky Roeber

Assistant Stage Manager

Becky is an Indianapolis local and is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association. This is their sixth season working at Indiana Repertory Theatre. They also serve as production manager for Summer Stock Stage and as production stage manager for Summer Stock Stage’s young professionals branch, Eclipse. “I am proud to be a part of the Indianapolis theatre community and grateful to continue to produce theatre with the team at IRT.”