ENCORES: 'Sense & Sensibility' performed by Folger Theatre (2016)

Folger Public Programs is pleased to present ENCORES, a weekly online series highlighting past performances and recalling the rich history of programming on the historic Folger stage. As many arts and cultural institutions remain closed during this time, these ENCORES provide a way to connect and revisit the breadth of Folger offerings with a wider audience.

ENCORES presents

Folger Theatre
Sense & Sensibility by Kate Hamill, from the novel by Jane Austen
Directed by Eric Tucker***, Folger Theatre, 2016
Read the director’s notes for the production

Performed by

• Lisa Birnbaum*, Mrs. Dashwood/Anne Steele
• Caroline Stefanie Clay*, Mrs. Jennings
• Jacob Fishel*, John Dashwood/John Willoughby
• Michael Glenn*, Sir John Middleton
• Nicole Kang*, Margaret Dashwood
• Maggie McDowell*, Elinor Dashwood
• James Patrick Nelson*, Colonel Brandon
• Jamie Smithson*, Edward Ferrars
• Kathryn Tkel*, Fanny Dashwood/Lucy Steele
• Erin Weaver*, Marianne Dashwood

With

• Scenic Design by John McDermott**
• Costume Design by Mariah Anzaldo Hale**
• Lighting Design by Jesse Belsky
• Original Music and Sound Design by James Bigbee Garver
• Choreographer, Alexandra Beller
• Production Stage Manager, Diane Healy*

*Actors’ Equity Association
**United Scenic Artists
***Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

For more, read an interview with playwright Kate Hamill or dramaturg Michele Osherow’s production notes. You can also explore the costumes, set, production photos, and more through related posts on The Folger Spotlight.

Read the introduction by cast member Erin Weaver:

Hello and welcome to Folger ENCORES. I’m Erin Weaver and I’m excited to be able to speak with you today. The Folger has been sharing selections from their plays, music, talks, and readings with you in this ENCORES series.

This week we were visiting the Folger Theatre production of Sense & Sensibility, based on Jane Austen’s novel, adapted by Kate Hamill and directed by Eric Tucker, with choreography by Alexandra Beller.

In this production I played Marianne Dashwood. Sense & Sensibility was an amazing collaboration between Folger Theatre and Folger exhibitions. While we were doing Sense & Sensibility onstage, there was a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition called Will and Jane: Shakespeare, Austen, and the Cult of Celebrity on display in the Great Hall. For any lover of Jane Austen, this rare moment in “Austenland” was a wonderful time that brought her words delightfully from the page to the stage all in one place.

To catch you up on where we are and what you are about to see: dire financial straits have forced the Dashwood family—my mother, two other sisters, Elinor and Margaret, and me, Marianne, to move to a distant cottage. While in the country, I meet and fall in love with John Willoughby. The scene you are about to see is where our once-clandestine romance is revealed to all.

Sense & Sensibility at the Folger was an extraordinary event, and we are so very pleased to be able to share it with you again. Please be sure to join us for these weekly episodes of ENCORES, highlighting all that the Folger has to offer. Thank you.

Check back each Friday for a new “from the archives” performance, introduced by some of our favorite artists, showcasing the best of Folger Theatre, Folger Consort, O.B. Hardison Poetry, and lectures.