Jane Austen made a point of it: \u2018sense\u2019 and \u2018sensibility\u2019 ought to be complimentary \u2013 not warring \u2013 forces in human life.<\/p>\n
In fact, as her 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility argues, it\u2019s necessary that qualities of rationality and emotionalism operate in balance with one another.<\/p>\n
That argument is encapsulated in the story of the Dashwoods \u2013 a widowed mother and her three daughters, left impoverished and dependent on the charity of others due to the fact that, in the patriarchal society of Regency England, inheritances passed only to surviving male heirs.<\/p>\n
In eldest sister Elinor, ever-rational, prudent and controlled; and middle sister Marianne, consistently buffeted by her emotions, Austen painted compelling portraits of both extremes, then subjected her characters to a seesaw of romantic hopes and anguished disappointments.<\/p>\n
Sense and Sensibility is a tale that encompasses both humour and heartbreak \u2013 and, as freshly energized for the stage by American actor\/playwright Kate Hamill, and presented by producers Charles Buettner and Peter Godman for White Rock Players Club \u2013 it\u2019s coming to Oceana PARC Playhouse (1532 Johnston Rd.) from April 23 to May 10.<\/p>\n
Hamill, who also took on Austen\u2019s Pride and Prejudice, a hit for WRPC in 2024, is noted for creating free-flowing adaptations of the author\u2019s lengthy novels, using comedy and movement, doubling and tripling of roles \u2013 and minimalist set elements \u2013 to cover multiple scenes and characters.<\/p>\n
But her work \u2013 while presented with a distinctly modern flair and resonance \u2013 still manages to honour Austen\u2019s sharp observations about the deeply entrenched class system and the inequities and hypocrisy of late-18th, early-19th-century society.<\/p>\n
Wisely, WRPC has brought back the director of Pride and Prejudice, respected and audacious community theatre artist Alaina Holland (WRPC\u2019s Casablanca, Peninsula Productions\u2019 Who\u2019s Afraid of Virginia Woolf) to helm the current production.<\/p>\n
A 20-year veteran of community theatre, Holland can never be accused of not doing her homework on the shows she directs, nor of not having a vision for each of the productions (that\u2019s being helped immeasurably in Sense and Sensibility, she said, by the inspired scenic painting of set elements by Sophia Angelopolis, who also worked on Casablanca).<\/p>\n
Prior to a recent rehearsal, she shared some of her process with the Peace Arch News.<\/p>\n
Typically, she said, she will spend some four to six months, well before casting the show, familiarizing herself with every page, line and stage direction in the script.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tend to do initial blocking (plotting character movement) with detailed maps \u2013 at least I know where everybody should and shouldn\u2019t be,\u201d she laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a big believer in blocking on the fly \u2013 it wastes a lot of rehearsal time,\u201d she added, while noting that if changes do take place, she has a \u201creally fantastic stage manager\u201d (Katie Campbell) to take careful notes and keep everything on track.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to pick a script apart. It helps me, being an actor as well \u2013 I look at it from both an actor\u2019s and a director\u2019s perspective. I see what the \u2018spine\u2019 of a particular character is, plus I also see what I, as a director, would like that character to be on stage \u2013 that\u2019s a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
Good casting is crucial, she agreed \u2013 and that often hinges on finding a certain chemistry between actors, which can be just as important as evaluating the individual qualities of those auditioning.<\/p>\n
She also prefers actors who are willing to grow in a role, she said, rather than turning in a polished performance at the audition \u2013 but one that never develops from then until opening night.<\/p>\n
Bringing a willingness to \u2018play\u2019 to rehearsal is very important for her, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I really enjoy is when an actor brings in something that\u2019s surprising to me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love it when an actor comes up with an idea for delivering a line or a different bit of business. I say \u2018don\u2019t even ask me if you want to try something \u2013 just do it!\u2019 I can always say no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holland is very happy with her current cast, she said, which includes such local talents as Ally Rafter as Elinor, Mallorey Hema as Marianne, Miri Grad as youngest sister Margaret Dashwood, and Eileen Rothe as Mrs. Dashwood.<\/p>\n
\u201cMallorey is great \u2013 she was our Lizzie in Pride and Prejudice,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Ally is wonderful as Elinor. These are the two that don\u2019t do any doubling in the show because they have that much to do \u2013 in fact there\u2019s hardly any time when Ally isn\u2019t on stage. The two of them will make you laugh \u2013 and they\u2019ll also break your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not as comedic a show as Pride and Prejudice (\u201cthere are times when it is quite devastating,\u201d Holland said), but it does have its fair share of humour.<\/p>\n
Some of this comes by way of one of Hamill\u2019s clever devices \u2013 the creation of a five-member group within the ensemble known as \u2018The Gossips,\u201d who are outspoken in their comments on the characters and events between scenes, providing not only some comedy relief, but also a context of the real social attitudes of Regency England.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re sort of a cross between a social media of the time and a Greek chorus,\u201d Holland said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the \u2018maelstrom\u2019 of the Gossips \u2013 that\u2019s the way I explained it when we were auditioning. I wanted people to understand what they were in for. They actually do a lot of the heavy lifting for the show.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other members of the versatile ensemble include Fred Partridge (John Dashwood, Thomas, Servant); Alejandro Montoto (Edward Ferrars, Robert Ferrars); Amanda Wong (Fanny Dashwood, Lucy Steele, Mrs. Ferrars); Duncan Minett (Colonel Brandon, Ballroom Guest); Deste Amisi (John Willoughby, Gossip); Key Knighting (Sir John Middleton, Gossip, Doctor); Bree Lemkert (Mrs. Jennings); Rabiah Dhaliwal (Lady Middleton, Gossip); and Charlize Matheson (Anne Steele, Gossip).<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no divas \u2013 everybody gets along. Everybody is professional and working hard,\u201d Holland said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the secret \u2013 getting the right kind of people, with the right kind of storytelling skills, and letting them play.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the audience is going to be delighted. If I\u2019m delighted \u2013 I\u2019m sure the audience will be. That\u2019s my theory, anyway!\u201d<\/p>\n
Performances begin with a 7:30 p.m. preview on Thursday, April 23, followed by 7:30 p.m. shows April 24 and 25, and on May 1,2,7,8 and 9; with 2:30 pm matinees April 26, May 3 and May 10.<\/p>\n
For show times, ticket information, and more details, visit whiterockplayers.ca or contact the box office at (604) 536-7535.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jane Austen made a point of it: \u2018sense\u2019 and \u2018sensibility\u2019 ought to be complimentary \u2013 not warring \u2013…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":611768,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194299],"tags":[49,48,87674],"class_list":["post-611767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-surrey","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-surrey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=611767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611767\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/611768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}