2022-2023 Season

Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility

Adapted by Jessica Swale

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.

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
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
Mike Tutaj
Projections Designer
Mike Tutaj
Projections Designer
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 34th season with the IRT, and his 26th 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, The Cay, Bridge & Tunnel, The Night Watcher, Neat, Pretty Fire, The Giver, The Power of One, and Twelfth Night. Other directing credits include Actors Theatre of Indiana, the Phoenix, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and the Edyvean. Richard studied music at DePauw and theatre at IU 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 28th 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 now an Indianapolis local and is a proud member of Actor's Equity Association. This is their seventh 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.”