Kentucky Shakespeare returns to the Kentucky Center Bombard Theater January 6-14, 2024 with Kate Hamill’s playful adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved classic novel.  The production is directed by Kentucky Shakespeare Associate Artistic Director Amy Attaway. She describes the production, “Following the success of our 2023 sold-out run of Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice, we are eager to share another of her joyful Austen adaptations. This timeless story of love and betrayal takes on a breathless new life in this production. The sensible Elinor, played by Mollie Murk, and passionate Marianne, played by BeeBee Patillo, will make their way in a swirling world of gossip, heartbreak, and the pressure to be perfect, keeping each other afloat with their true sisterly devotion.”

Kentucky Shakespeare’s Sense and Sensibility features a ten-member cast: Brittany “BeeBee” Patillo as Marianne Dashwood and Mollie Murk as Elinor Dashwood, with Zachary Burrell as John Dashwood/Willoughby, Brandi Hill as Lucy Steele/Lady Middleton/Thomas, Justin Jackson as Edward Ferrars/Robert Ferras, Abigail Bailey Maupin as Mrs. Dashwood/Anne Steele/Miss Grey, Gregory Maupin as Colonel Brandon, Jennifer Pennington as Mrs. Jennings/Mrs. Ferras, Neill Robertson as Sir John Middleton/Fanny, and introducing Leilani Bracey as Margaret Dashwood. Jesse AlFord is the Lighting Designer, Eric Allgeier is the Scenic Designer, Laura Ellis is the Sound Designer, and Donna Lawrence-Downs is the Costume Designer, with dialect coaching by Joy Lanceta Coronel and choreography by Ari Calvano. Emily Burns is the Stage Manager.

Event Details:

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

by Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Jane Austen

PERFORMANCE DATES AND TIMES

Saturday, January 6 – 8:00PM

Sunday, January 7 – 1:00PM and 7:30PM

Wednesday, January 10 – 7:30PM

Thursday, January 11 – 7:30PM

Friday, January 12 – 7:30PM

Saturday, January 13 – 2:00PM and 8:00PM

Sunday, January 14 – 1:00PM

Tickets: $29 per ticket (includes all fees – $22.04 ticket plus $6.96 Kentucky Center ticketing fees)

Location: The Kentucky Center – Bomhard Theater, 501 West Main Street, Louisville, KY

Visit kyshakespeare.com for tickets and information.

About the Playwright:

Kate Hamill is an actor/playwright. Wall Street Journal’s Playwright of the Year, 2017. Her work includes her play SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (in which she originated the role of Marianne)—Winner, Off-Broadway Alliance Award 2016; Nominee, Drama League Award; 265+ performances off-Broadway. Other plays include VANITY FAIR at the Pearl Theatre (in which she originated the role of Becky Sharp; Nominee, Off-Broadway Alliance Award 2017), PRIDE AND PREJUDICE at Primary Stages and Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (originated the role of Lizzy Bennet; Nominee, Off-Broadway Alliance Award). Her plays have been produced off-Broadway, at A.R.T., Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Guthrie, Seattle Rep, Dallas Theater Center, PlayMaker’s Rep, Folger Theatre (8 Helen Hayes Award nominations; Winner, best production—S&S), Arvada Center and others; upcoming productions at Shakespeare Theatre of DC, A.C.T., Trinity Rep, Portland Center Stage, Syracuse Stage, Pittsburgh Public, Kansas City Rep, Dorset Theatre Festival and more. Upcoming world premieres: LITTLE WOMEN at the Jungle Theater and Primary Stages; MANSFIELD PARK at Northlight Theatre. She is currently working on new adaptations of “The Odyssey” and “The Scarlet Letter,” as well as several new original plays (PROSTITUTE PLAY, IN THE MINES, LOVE POEM). Kate was one of the top 20 most-produced playwrights in the country this season. http://www.kate-hamill.com

The New York times called Hamill’s SENSE AND SENSIBILITY “…an unconditional delight…invigorating…a bouncy, jaunty take on Austen…remains remarkably true to the values and priorities of its source. The classic Austen preoccupations with real estate, income, class, reputation and equilibrium in life are all rendered brightly and legibly here” and the Wall Street Journal wrote “…so full of galloping comic vitality as to suggest a bunch of stupendously clever kids playing dress-up in the nursery. It’s by far the smartest Jane Austen adaptation to come along since Amy Heckerling’s Clueless, and at least as much fun.” The Huffington Post called the play “Perhaps the greatest stage adaptation of this novel in history.” Time Out New York called the play “…rowdy, exuberant…thoroughly modern yet not at all contemporized. Kate Hamill’s felicitous adaptation gives us ageless emotions, couched in the mores and locutions of the past, yet timeless in their arduously suppressed intensity.” —Time Out NY