Our very own Clarence Brown Theatre will open the 2025-26 season with an adaptation of Jane Austen’s well-known “Sense and Sensibility”.

Austen tells a story of two sisters, Elinor “Sensibility” and Marianne “Sense” Dashwood, who find themselves left with nothing after their father’s death. When they find themselves broke and unaware of the future, the two girls face pressure from society to fit in.

The original story is set in the 18th century, while Kate Hill’s adaptation portrays a more modern way of thinking. Hill uses humor to help lighten the mood as the girls face what seems to be the worst time of their lives. The younger sister, Marianne, is a symbol for sense, and the eldest sister, Elinor, symbolizes sensibility.

Develyn Jayan, playing Marianne Dashwood, talks about how the story being portrayed in the production is relatable and worth telling.

“We are all trying to do this rat race with our lives,” Jayan said. “We are all trying to please someone, or something.”

Jayan, an immigrant from India, relates to Marianne, a character who questions rules and stands out in her community.

“In this crowd, in Knoxville, I stand out and my dreams stand out,” Jayan said. “I am letting a lot out through her in this way.”

To honor Jayan’s Indian background, some of Marianne’s wardrobe contains cultural accessories, including traditional Indian jewelry throughout the show and a ballroom scene where Marianne is wearing a saree draped over her dress. Jayan explains how she was very touched by these personal details.

“Now Knoxville gets to see an Indian Marianne, not even just a brown girl playing Marianne, but someone whose Indian roots are being showcased intentionally,” Jayan said. “Adding pride, groundedness and recognition to that person is just so touching to me and hopefully for all of the people of color who come to watch the show.”

Jayan was never a fan of Jane Austen, but she explains that she was fascinated by her work and the people she wrote about. What sparks Jayan’s interest in the adaptation of the play is that they are not only bad people who are colonizing other countries, but they are also humans who make mistakes.

“There’s so many problems with the time it was written … When it comes to plays like these, I think there needs to be more storytelling as to why a brown person is there because it is a complicated era for a brown person to be in Britain.”

Gabriela Bulka, who stars as Mrs. Jennings, explains that she understands Austen’s love for work, but like Jayan, she was never a fan of her work. Bulka, an immigrant from Poland, began reading Austen’s work when she came to the U.S.

Bulka’s character, Mrs. Jennings, tries to play the matchmaker between the girls. Bulka explains that people dislike her character. She worsens the situation and causes more confusion when she believes she is helping.

“I believe that it comes from her big, big heart,” Bulka said. “I think that Jennings’ biggest hope is to love and take care of everybody.”

Bulka is similar to her character in wanting to help everybody and anybody she can.

“I feel that all her actions towards Elinor and Marianne, even if she’s getting everything wrong, she really is trying to make them comfortable, to make them feel better and to take care of them,” Bulka said.

One of Bulka’s favorite aspects of the production is the gossip. Shadows on stage are used to imitate the never-ending cycle of gossip.

“In that era, gossip was a tool,” Bulka said. “Mrs. Jennings falls into that tool and she knows it very well — what to say in what moment and to kind of ignite gossip.”

In the set time of the story, women used gossip as a sense of power. With little to no freedom, they found adrenaline in spreading secrets with each other, true or not.

This story has almost everything to make a good production — tragedy, gossip, humor and societal regulations. Showing Sept. 17 to Oct. 5, students are able to purchase tickets at a discounted price to attend this must-see emotional show.

“You need to balance out, especially when it comes to being human in a society where the society has made rules for you,” Jayan said. “Being too focused on one thing or being too emotional on one thing is not a balanced way to live.”