The Hope College Department of Theatre will present Kate Hamill’s “Sense and Sensibility” on Friday-Saturday, April 4-5, and Thursday-Saturday, April 10-12, at 7:30 p.m., along with a free 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 6. All performances will be in the DeWitt Center main theatre.
Directed by Rhett Luedkte, associate professor of theatre at Hope, “Sense and Sensibility” is based on Jane Austen’s cherished novel of the same name. With a delightfully tongue-in-cheek script, this production brings the Dashwood sisters to life. Faced with 18th-century England’s rigid social conventions, the sensible Elinor and the sensitive Marianne cope with the pressures of class, wealth and reputation. When they are plunged into financial uncertainty following their father’s demise, they embark on a whirlwind of romantic entanglements, colorful neighbors and the tantalizing prospect of a future brimming with hope.
Saturday, April 12, will be an Accessibility Saturday performance. It will feature optional live captioning, live audio description services, sensory-friendly light and sound design, and the main theatre’s FM-assisted listening system.
In addition to Luedtke, the college’s production team consists of Em Allen as guest scenic designer; Amanda VanderByl as guest costume designer and interim costume shop manager; Eric Van Tassell, assistant professor of lighting and sound design, as lighting co-designer; Erik Alberg, director of design and production for the performing arts, as sound designer; Kevin MacLeod as guest props designer; Linda Graham, the Dorothy Wiley DeLong Professor Emerita of Dance, as guest choreographer; Stephen Krebs, technical director for theatre and Hope Repertory Theatre, as technical director; and Anna Hill, theatre department costume manager and dance department costume designer, as costume shop manager.
Also serving on the production team are freshman Rilla Carpenter of Holland as assistant to the costume designer; freshmen Hallie Machalka of Marshall and Sophie Mazur-Batistoni of Lapeer, and seniors Naomi Gunneson of Rockford and Canyon Mannikko of Missouri City, Texas, as assistant stage managers; junior Ellie Theune of Spring Lake as hair and makeup designer; junior Ava Bell of Farmington Hills as lighting co-designer; and junior Audrey Kunce of Carmel, Indiana, as stage manager.
The cast includes freshmen Rilla Carpenter of Holland and Victor Powell of Norton Shores; sophomores Nadia Cuthrell of Haslett, Kaylee Siddens of Corunna, Kyle Spiegel of Wheaton, Illinois, and Naomi Whitfield of Haverhill, Massachusetts; juniors Jaden Johnson of Frankfort, Christopher Laubach of Macomb, Adeline Thalhammer of Swartz Creek and Sofia Wake of Washington, Illinois; and seniors Ruby Hlathein of Waunakee, Washington, Gabriel LaForce of Paw Paw and Ashley Lauraine of Holland.
Tickets are $15 for regular admission; $10 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff; and free for Hope College students and other students ages 18 and under. Tickets are available at the Events and Conferences Office located in downtown Holland in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The ticket office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at 616-395-7890. Tickets may be purchased by calling or visiting the ticket office, online at hope.edu/tickets, or in person at the performance. Reserved tickets must be claimed 10 minutes prior to performances in order to guarantee seating.
To reserve seats for the free Sunday matinee, please email theatre@hope.edu with your name and the number of seats you wish to reserve.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available at hope.edu/calendar in the individual listings.
The DeWitt Student and Cultural Center is located at 141 E. 12th St., facing Columbia Avenue between 10th and 13th Streets.