This year’s 9/10 play took on a classical tone with an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility.The play, which follows two young sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, is set in regency England and follows the young women just after the death of their father. Left with little financial means, the family has no choice but to move to a small estate in Devonshire, where Marianne becomes infatuated with the charming John Willoughby. However, their whirlwind romance ultimately ends in devastation when Willoughby later denies feelings for Marianne, leaving her completely heartbroken. In contrast, prior to their families’ departure to Devonshire, Elinor had fallen in love with the modest Edward Ferrars. However, despite showing an interest in Elinor, Edward neglected to pursue her.
Regardless of these conflicts, (among many others,) both sisters find love, Elinor with Edward, and Marainne with Colonel Brandon, a retired military officer (whom she meets at the start of the novel but only comes to appreciate during her recovery from a life-threatening illness). This novel, although of the romance genre, explores more than just romantic love. Through the personal development of both women, it teaches that true fulfillment comes only by living a life of both sense, and sensibility.
Although the 9/10 play branches off from being a direct adaption of the novel, the lessons, emotions, relationships, love, and heartbreak created by Austen’s writing transcend the confines of the page and spill onto the stage. Exclamation points are replaced by the raw emotion in the performances of our student actors, and descriptions of the sprawling English countryside take form in the rows of the Little Theater. Regardless of the differences in presentation between the art forms, the audience is invited to immerse themselves in the story, connect with the young hearts of both sisters, and feel joy as they watch the two sisters find true love.
Production kicked off in the beginning of March when the cast and crew met roughly three to four days a week, from after school until five o’clock or even later. About two to three weeks before opening night, rehearsals were every day until 6 PM. However, for this year’s leads, Mila Victorino, who plays Elinor, and Jocelyn Willis, Marianne’s actress, rehearsal doesn’t end when they go home. Both girls practiced a few hours a week in their own time in order to memorize the upwards of two hundred lines for which they each were responsible.
In addition to memorization, both Mila and Jocelyn delved into the emotional aspects of their characters in order to give such astonishing and convincing performances. Although the traits and emotions of each character are developed through their actions and dialogue, simply repeating the lines is not enough to truly portray the characters. Mila explains that “For the acting part, I chose to do what I thought Eleanor would do. I read what was written but my tone and emotion was based on the moment.” Moreover, although it is one individual who takes on the role of each character, they are developed through insights from both the student and teacher directors, as well as the dynamics that form between the cast members. As Mila notes, “Elinor was molded”.
However, these student actors and actresses are responsible for not only understanding their own characters, but every character they interact with. Jocelyn explains that, “If something happened, I needed to understand how my character would react to it. There are a lot of invisible strings because something will be said by one character that leads you to find out about another character.”
Furthermore, in a small production with a fixed budget, determining the physical staging and costumes of the play required immense attention to detail in order for all aspects of the story to shine through on stage. Ms. Copestake, the producer and director of the play, explained that the music, consisting of instrumental versions of modern songs, was specifically chosen based on which songs met the themes of each scene. This allowed audiences to fully tap into the underlying emotions of each event.
Although the play is riddled with complex emotions and relationships, comedy also takes a forefront on stage in the form of barking dog puppets, human horses, and actresses chasing one another. Ms. Copestake explained that some scenes required large set pieces (such as a dining room table or a carriage) that were not available to them, forcing both the cast and crew to get creative. As a result, the carriage scene consisted of two actors with horse heads pretending to pull a carriage curated by the bodies of other actors, including two boys who played the role of wheels as they rolled across the stage, through the English countryside. Although seemingly ridiculous, the scene was a brilliant choice as it not only provided comedic relief, but it also fit seamlessly into the play, one of many silly elements that kept the audience engaged.
Evidently, Sense and Sensibility is a complex production created through distinctly different characters and many intense, comedic, and joyful scenes. However, in all this variety, there is one constant–the community among the cast and crew. Mila, Jocelyn, and Ms. Copestake all noted the dedication, creativity, and hard work every individual who made the play possible poured into the production. Mila stated, “I appreciate the show because of the hard work everyone puts into it and felt honored to be a part of it.”
Additionally, over the nearly three months of preparation for the four shows put on this May, the cast and crew became extremely tight-knit, which greatly elevated the play itself. Jocelyn explained that even when they encountered issues, “Knowing the characters and each other, we were able to kind of with a glance know I’ve got your back, you’ve got mine, we are going to figure it out.”
Every line of dialogue, facial expression, costume, set piece, and use of lighting was an intentional choice made after thoughtful consideration as to what would best allow the two short hours allotted for the performance to convey every theme and emotion that makes this story a classic. Evidently, this play was the ultimate culmination of both sense, and sensibility.
