Contributing Writer If you’re at all like me, you’re probably starting to break down a little by now. Permanent caffeine twitch, bags under the eyes, muttering French verb forms to yourself as you wander the stacks of Olin, looking for a spare desk or a forgotten bag of Doritos. You’re a mess. Why not take a step back for the night and enjoy a little romantic escapism at the hands of Jane Austen? Jelisa Adair ’13 and Amara Davila ’13, along with a cast and crew of devoted Austenites, have brought Sense and Sensibility to the Wesleyan stage. The Argus recently sat down with the co-directors to discuss Austen, directing, and the state of modern romance.
Argus: What made you want to do this particular show?
Amara Davila: Austen is an inspiration to many classical love stories. I’m a romantic at heart, and when Jelisa approached me with the script I couldn’t turn away. There are so many adaptations, all of which take on the art of telling a love story in their own way. I guess I just wanted the opportunity to do the same.
A: Tell us about how you got the script.
AD: Jelisa actually came up to me at the end of last semester and asked if I wanted to direct the show. I was eager to try something besides acting, so I said yes.
Jelisa Adair: I was actually supposed to do this show my senior year of high school. I had been cast as Marianne and was really excited to do it when it unexpectedly got cancelled. My theater teacher Jim Fay, who wrote the play, told me when I graduated that if I ever had the opportunity to put on the play he would be happy to give me the script.
A: Were there any particular challenges to bringing this story to the stage?
JA: The fact that it is Austen was challenge enough!
AD: I definitely underestimated the difficulties of both understanding and portraying the Austen culture. Before Jelisa and I could even begin the production, we first had to understand what the cultural context of the piece was. That, coupled with the decision of whether or not we actually wanted to stick to the time or modernize it made it just a bit more challenging.
A: What do Austen and Sense and Sensibility mean to you?
JA: Austen represents such an escape from the world we live in right now. When you are on a college campus and drunken hook-ups at parties are the norm, the idea of a guy who will fall in love with you for your charms and only kiss you after you become engaged can seem sort of nice for a change…or at least different!
AD: In general, I’m not quite sure. But I know in doing this play, Sense and Sensibility has been about the small details in life. That first glance. Or that moment of happiness which passes so quickly. We’ve tried to pay a great deal of attention to the little things. If we’re going off of the theme of love, that’s what it’s all about.
A: If you were an Austen heroine, who would you be?
JA: This is a hard question…I am going to be clichéd and say Lizzie from Pride and Prejudice. But for all of the unglamorous reasons!
AD: Well, I once took a Jane Austen heroine quiz actually… I got Anne Elliot from Austen’s Persuasion. Not really sure what that means!
A: What would you like to tell audience members about the production?
AD: The cast was so amazing. It has been a great experience to work with people who take their position in the play seriously. It was anything but easy, but they did it. I have no doubt that the show will prove itself.
Sense and Sensibility premiered Thursday night and continues through Saturday, Dec. 11 at the ’92 Theater.
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