A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Sense and Sensibility (Swale)

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  5w, 4m

Jane Austen's
Sense and Sensibility
adapted by Jessica Swale

When their wealthy half-brother cheats them of their fortune, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood are left penniless. They are forced to leave the comforts of Norland Park and relocate to chilly Barton Cottage in Devonshire, but when John Willoughby, a handsome stranger, arrives one day with a rain-drenched Marianne in his arms, the sisters are convinced that their fortunes are changed forever.

Sense and Sensibility (Swale)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w, 4m
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adaptations (Literature)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences

Details

Summary

Eminently sensible Elinor pines for quiet, kind-hearted Edward Ferrars, but the impulsive Marianne loses herself in the idea of her hero on horseback, and for a girl who feasts on poetry and music, what else is there to do in Devon but dream of rescue? 

In Jessica Swale’s delightful adaptation of Austen’s dearly-loved classic, we follow the fortunes of Elinor and Marianne as they chase their dreams from Devonshire to London and back.

History

The play was first presented at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in April 2014.

ELINOR DASHWOOD
MARIANNE DASHWOOD
MARGARET DASHWOOD/LUCY STEELE
FANNY DASHWOOD/MRS. JENNINGS
MRS. DASHWOOD/MRS. PALMER/MISS GREY
EDWARD FERRARS/ROBERT FERRARS/MR. PALMER
COLONEL BRANDON
WILLOUGHBY
SIR JOHN/MR. DASHWOOD/THOMAS/MR. PERKS/DOCTOR

Other servants, gossips, and ball attendees can be played by members of the company

The play was originally performed by 9 actors but could easily suit a larger company.

  • Time Period 19th Century
  • Setting The play is set at the beginning of the 1800s.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

Scripts

Available Formats:

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Authors

Jessica Swale

Jessica Swale is a writer and director. She is Artistic Director of Red Handed Theatre Company and a returning playwright at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Plays include Nell Gwynn (winner of the Egerton Foundation New Play Award 2015), All's Will that Ends Will (Bremen Shak ...
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