| Kentucky Shakespeare returns to the Actors Theatre of Louisville Pamela Brown Auditorium January 9-18, 2026 with Jane Austen’s delightful comedy Emma by Kate Hamill, presented in partnership with Actors Theatre of Louisville.
The production is directed by Kentucky Shakespeare Associate Artistic Director Amy Attaway. She says, “Emma is a classic Jane Austen heroine – smart, single, energetic, lovable, and flawed. She’s kind of a mess in the way we’re all kind of a mess sometimes, and this production will feel imminently relatable and extra funny because of it! I couldn’t be happier to tell this story with these brilliant actors and designers. It’s going to be quite a ride!”
Kentucky Shakespeare’s Emma features an eight-member cast of Kentucky Shakespeare actors: Zachary Burrell as Mr. Elton/Mr. Weston/Robert Martin, Sasha Cifuentes as Harriet/Mrs. Bates, Kate Drury as Jane Fairfax/Servant, Justin Jackson as Frank Churchill/Mr. Woodhouse/Robert Martin, Mollie Murk as Mrs. Weston/Mrs. Elton/Mrs. Bates, Brittany “BeeBee” Patillo as Emma, Jennifer Pennington as Miss Bates/Mrs. Elton, and Crystian Wiltshire as Mr. Knightley.
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 projection design by Philip Allgeier, properties by Sam Powers, dialect coaching by Joy Lanceta Coronel, choreography by Ari Calvano, and intimacy direction by Hannah Pruitt. Emily Burns is the Production Stage Manager.
Emma Woodhouse is clever, educated, and energetic… and in imminent danger of going mad with idleness. In a time when respectable ladies are expected to sit quietly at home, she desperately needs projects—and prides herself on matchmaking, much to the chagrin of her friend Mr. Knightley. But where Emma’s considerable energies focus, screwball comedy follows… A sparkling new take on a treasured classic, this Emma will sashay right into audience’s hearts with vibrant comic flair, as she asks “isn’t it fun to watch me try?”
“Inventively and deliriously fun. Austen positioned Emma’s meddling as the product of a keen mind marooned in a society with little use for it, but Hamill goes one better, showing how wealth and class feed Emma’s dilettantism… Prepare to be charmed.” — Star Tribune
“Hamill’s adaptation is an absolute marvel, a breathtaking work of comedic and feminist genius that we believe Jane Austen would be fiercely proud of.” — Aisle Say |
