Sense & Sensibility Program

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

Written by Kate Hamill

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

Copyright © 2016, Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Jane Austen

All Rights Reserved.

DIRectoR’s Note

Welcome to the theatre!

We are delightfully eager to share this evening’s (or afternoon’s) fare with you all!

The first encounter I had with any of Jane Austen’s books was a film adaptation, smartly written by Emma Thompsom, directed by Ang Lee, featuring many actors that I adore and admire: Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, dear Alan Rickman, Imelda Staunton, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson to name a few. Gorgeous film photography by Michael Coulter and a sumptuous score by Patrick Doyle were all the ingredients for creating what I still hold highly as a nigh-perfect film. I directed a production of Pride and Prejudice not far after and waited on an opportunity to direct a unique adaptation of Sense and Sensibility.

What we are attempting in these few hours traffic on our stage is a wonderful adaptation by Kate Hamill, who, like Emma, also performed one of the sisters Dashwood with the Bedlam Theatre Company in 2015. It was a major hit. Unique storytelling and, like Jane Austen was wont to say, “The felicities of rapid motion.” This adaptation is always in motion, never ceasing until its big reveal in the end. Full of theatrical storytelling, physicality, dance, and magic.

Our production team of students, faculty, and parents have been hard at work, bringing this delightful and touching (and funny) play to fruition and I couldn’t be prouder of them, particularly our terrific team of tech students, who, every Tuesday came out to make things and make things happen for the show.

I’d also like to extend a big bowl of gratitude to my dear colleague, Academy Theatre ensemble member, amazing artist, theatre and cinema nerd, Kathleen Mc Manus for sharing her deep skill set with our company. What a joy to work togeth er with her again!

Very well, with that said, I wish you all an enjoyable, delightful and entertaining romp with us! Enjoy the felicities of rapid motion, you lucky people.

Take wing!

Clark Taylor

Elinor Dashwood

Marianne Dashwood Edward Ferrars/ Robert Ferrars/ Lady Middleton/Gossip Colonel Brandon/ Lady Middleton/Gossip

Mrs. Jennings

Mrs. Dashwood/ Anne Steele/ Gossip Fanny Dashwood/ Lucy Steele/ Gossip John Middleton/ Gossip John Willoughby/ Gossip Margaret Dashwood/ Gossip Thomas/ Gossip/ Swing Servant/ Gossip Servant/ Gossip

Addison Vogt Miller Woodall William Nix Jesse Sherril Kathleen McManus

Natalie Fiacco

Kat Petty

Piper Hendryx Caleb Cambell Sonoma Peterson

Alyssa Gershon-Palma Fiza Sewani Daisy Whittington

ProDuCTioN TEAm AND CrEw

Director Stage Manager Assistant Stage Managers

Lighting Design

Clark Taylor Shea Griffith Colin Walker Chloe Bastien Jewel Mayfield Caroline Putam Henry Houghton

Addison Vogt Ernest Gephardt Avery Cole Rachel Adams Miles Woodruff Herris Fentress

Siena Ferrara Holly Vogt Retta Ducket Audrey Brown Trey Rutecky Carter Alewine Katie Day Shwartz Claire Shwartz

Alastair Roche Sydney Smith Lily Tuck

Addie is a Senior at Mount Vernon and is thrilled to be playing the role of Elinor in this production of Sense and Sensibility! Some of her previous productions include The SpongeBob Musical, A Hipsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, and The Arrival. She is also the Publicity Officer of Troupe 7702! Addie would like to thank her amazing directors, stage managers, her family, and the cast and crew of Sense and Sensibility! Enjoy the show!

miLLEr wooDALL

Miller Woodall is a Se nior at Mount Vernon and incredibly excited to be in this production of Sense and Sensibility! She has most recently been seen as SpongeBob in “The SpongeBob Musical’’, Puck in “A Hipsum mer Night’s Dream” and Cookie in “Return to the Forbidden Planet”. She is also the President of Thespian Troupe 7702! Mill er would like to thank her entire Troupe for their devotion to this production, her directors for their work, her stage manag ers for their tireless work and her family for their support with her long afternoons! She hopes you enjoy the show!

The SpongeBob Musical (Squidward), and A HipSummer Night’s Dream (Deme trius). William Nix enjoys playing music with his band, The Lucky 7s, writing, and collecting cassettes. He would like to thank his directors, castmates, family, and friends for all of their love and sup port throughout this process. He hopes you enjoy this production of Sense and Sensibility!

JESSE ShErriL

Jesse is a Senior who is excited to be a part of this production of Sense and Sensibility. This is his second time being part of a production at Mount Vernon. His first was The Arrival during his freshman year. Jesse would like to thank his director, his stage managers, his cast, and everyone who helped with the production. He hopes you enjoy the show and wants to thank you for coming.

KAThLEEN mCmANuS

William Nix is a Senior at Mount Vernon and is very excited to per form as Edward/Lady Middleton/Gossip in Sense and Sensibil ity. His past shows include The One Act Play That Goes Wrong (Jonathan/Charles Haversham), Little Women (Mr. Brooke),

Kathleen McManus is an actor, director, educator and producer who has spent the past forty years contributing to theater arts in the state of Georgia. She cut her teeth as a resident company member, along with Mr. Taylor, at the renowned Academy Theatre. She spent ten years as Education Director for Georgia Shakespeare Festival and another fifteen teaching theater at Woodward Academy. A three time recipient of the Suzi Bass awards, Kathleen is a co-founder of Aris Theatre, Atlanta’s stage for Celtic culture, where she recently adapted and directed a Steampunk version of “The Impor tance of Being Earnest.” This is her third

wiLLiAm Nix

Jane Austen project, having played Lady Russell in “Persuasion” at Theater Emory (adapted and directed by her husband, John Ammerman) and directing “Pride and Prejudice” a decade ago.

NATALiE FiACCo

Natalie is a Senior who is super excited to be playing Mrs. Dash wood and Anne Steele in Sense and Sensibility! This is her third production with Mount Vernon, her first being Little Women (Marmee) and her second being The SpongeBob Musical (Pearl). She has done several other productions in the past with Orbit Arts Academy; some of her favorites include All Shook Up, and Seussical (Mayzie). Natalie would love to thank the cast and crew for all of the support and laughs along the way. She hopes you enjoy the show!

KAT PETTY

Kat Petty is a Junior at Mount Vernon, an officer for Thespian Troupe 7702, and very excited to be Fanny/Lucy Steele in Sense and Sensibility! Recent theatre produc tions include The SpongeBob Musical (Sandy/Swing), Little Women (Beth), The One-Act Play that Goes Wrong (Sandra/ Florence Colleymoore), Return to the For bidden Planet (Navigational Officer), and Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Miranda). When she isn’t acting, Kat enjoys creative writing, drawing, and making chainmaille. She would like to thank her family and her rabbit, Melui, for their support.

PiPEr hENDrYx

Piper Hendryx, a Junior, is an officer of Thespian Society Troupe 7702 and Head of Short Films for Film Crew. Sense and Sensibility will be her twentieth show at Mount Vernon. You might have seen her in productions such as A Hipsummer Night’s Dream, The One Act Play That Goes Wrong, or The SpongeBob Musical. She would like to thank the directors, cast and crew, and her friends and family. Enjoy the show!

CAmBELL

Caleb is super excited to be performing in Sense and Sensibility. Caleb has also per formed in Puffs, The SpongeBob Musical, The Odyssey, as well as many others. He would like to thank his parents and his directors for helping him along the way for this amazing acting experience, and you, for coming to see the show!

SoNomA PETErSoN

Sonoma Peterson is in 9th grade and this is their fourth year at Mount Vernon. They are originally from Minnesota. Last year, they were in Drama Boot Camp, Three Day Play, Puffs, Little Women, The Middle School Sketch Show, and The SpongeBob Musical. They also went to Scotland and performed as Peter Quince in A Hipsum mer Night’s Dream. They are the former Historian for Mount Vernon’s Junior Thes pian Troupe as well as one of Georgia’s four Junior State Thespian Officers.

CAST

They would like to thank their parents for supporting them and their theater friends who helped them along the way. They hope you enjoy the show!

Thespian Society, and some of her past productions include The Spongebob Musical, As You Like It, Big Fish, and Newsies. Daisy would like to thank her di rector and her stage manager for helping support the production!

Alyssa is a Junior at Mount Vernon and Sense and Sensibility

is her third production here. She really en joys theatre and is the Sunshine Officer of Troupe 7702. Her previous Mount Vernon productions include Little Women, The SpongeBob Musical, and A Hipsummer Night’s Dream. She is very excited for you to see the show and hopes you enjoy it. She wants to thank her castmates and her director for putting together such an amazing show and putting so much effort into making it all come together!!

Fiza is a Sophomore and is very excited to be in the role of a Gossip and Servant. This show is Fiza’s second production with Mount Vernon, the first one being A Hipsummer Night’s Dream. Fiza has done some productions in the past, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew. Fiza is glad that you are here and hope you enjoy the show!

Daisy is a Freshman who is super excited for her first produc tion at Mount Vernon.

Daisy is a member of the International

ALYSSA gErShoN-PALmA

DAiSY whiTTiNgToN

FizA SEwANi

Shea is a Junior at Mount Vernon, and is thrilled to be the stage manager for this show!

She has been stage managing for five years now and has received a superior for her stage management at ThesCon two years in a row. She is a member of the Thespian Society and currently serves as the Troupe’s Vice President. In her free time, Shea enjoys reading, playing the cello, and running her Etsy store. Enjoy the show!

Jewel is a Freshman who is excited to have the opportunity to help with this production of Sense and Sensibility. Sense and Sensi bility will be the fifth MV production Jewel has participated in. Some of her favorite past productions at MV are The Sponge Bob Musical, Little Women, and the MS Winter Sketch Show. Jewel really loves music and animals. She would like to thank the director and cast for presenting such an amazing show! She hopes you like the show!

Colin is a Freshman who’s excited to be behind the scenes of this year’s production of Sense and Sensibility! He’s brand new to theatre and is happy to be a part of it. He wants to thank everyone that has helped him figure out what he’s doing and he hopes you enjoy the show as much as he enjoyed working on it!

Caroline Putnam is a Sophomore at Mount Vernon and was very excited to help out with this show! She has been doing tech nical theater since the eighth grade. Her previous shows include Law and Order: A Fairytale Unit, The One Act Play That Goes Wrong, The SpongeBob Musical, A Christmas Carol, An Iliad, and A Hipsum mer Night’s Dream. She hopes you enjoy Sense and Sensibility!

Chloe is a Freshman and is new to Mount Vernon. She’s an assistant manager for Sense and Sensibility and is very excited since she didn’t have any art programs in her last school. Chloe would like to thank her new friends for introducing tech to her and being so welcoming. She also wants to thank her parents for bringing her into this world to be in this amazing production. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Henry is a Junior who is excited to be working with the lights for this Sense and Sensibility production. He has worked the spotlight on Newsies before and is excited to show his new skills in lighting. Henry would like to thank his family, directors, stage manager, cast, and you for coming to see the show.

CrEw

ErNEST

Ernest is a Freshman who is thrilled to be doing tech for Sense and Sensibility! This is his first year at Mount Vernon, but not his first tech experience. He is so excited to be back in the theater space, and working with such amazing people! He would like to thank his incredible director, his stage manager, his assistant stage managers, and Troupe 7702’s Publicity Officer. He wants to thank you for coming to see the show!

Miles is a Freshman who enjoys helping out in the tech depart ment. He is a newbie to the theater department of Mount Ver non and is happy to learn new skills and make new friends. Miles enjoys eating Persian food, messing with Caleb, and getting C’s in Latin. Miles is happy to have helped out with the production of Sense and Sensibility.

Avery is a 9th grader at Mount Vernon and is really excited to be a part of the production of Sense and Sensibility. Avery is a part of the Tech Team. She’s also a part of the Mount Vernon Junior Thespian Troupe and has been in multiple productions; her favorites are Box and Labeled and Puffs. She would like to thank her Director and everyone else involved with this process for making this a wonderful experience.

This is Herris Fentress’ first year of working in the crew, and to say the least, he’s ecstat ic. Every Tech Tuesday, he would show up with unparalleled energy, cheering, “it’s Tech Tuesday!!” at every possible moment. When not at school or having a blast during Tech Tuesday, Herris spends his free time thinking about Tech Tuesday. He would like to thank his fellow crew members for making Tech Tuesday a delightful experience.

Rachel is a Freshman at Mount Vernon who is thrilled to be a part of tech in Sense and Sensibility. She enjoyed painting chairs white, making the usher hats, and prepar ing the pictures for projection. Outside of school she enjoys riding motorcycles, listening to music, and reading books. She wants to thank her directors and crew mates for all of the wonderful work they put into making this play possible.

Siena is a Freshman at Mount Vernon who is so excited to be a part of the crew for Sense and Sensibility! Previously, Siena was a part of the cast for Hipsummer Night’s Dream, and had the opportunity to travel to Scotland to perform in the Fringe Festival. When not doing tech, dreaming about tech, or innovating in the field of tech, Siena enjoys splunking and performing with The Atlanta Kazoo Choir. Enjoy the show!

Holly Vogt is a Sophomore at Mount Vernon and cannot wait to help with tech in Sense and Sensibility. She has been an active participant in theatre for the past five years. She has been a part of thirteen mainstage productions including A Hipsummer Night’s Dream, Little Woman, and many more. Holly would like to thank her friends and family, her amazing stage managers, and most importantly, her dearly beloved friend: Caroline Putnam. Enjoy the show!

Trey is a Freshman who is very enthused to have gotten the opportunity to partake in this production of Sense and Sensibil ity. Trey has never been part of a larger production such as this, but he already has plans for his theater career, with a goal to do tech for every show this year. Trey enjoys drawing and occasionally de signs characters, you can even catch him sketching them sometimes. Trey would like to thank his parents for making the ater possible, and his friends for convinc ing him to do theater in the first place.

Retta is a freshman who is glad to get this opportunity to build and paint things as a part of Sense and Sensibility! She has met some really nice people and learned a few new skills. She also can’t wait to see all the props on the set. She hopes you enjoy it as much as she will!

Carter is so excited to be a part of the crew for the production of Sense and Sensibility. He has done no previous productions, so this is his first show. He would like to thank everyone involved in the production and is hoping you really like the show. He hopes you enjoy it!

Audrey Brown is a Ju nior at Mount Vernon and is very excited to be part of tech. She is a part of thespian Troupe 7702. Her previous shows include, The Forbidden Planet, Lion King, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Seussical the Musical, The Tempest, Hamilton, and The SpongeBob Musical. She would like to thank the cast and crew for working very hard through this production. Audrey hopes you enjoy the show!!

Katie Day is a Fresh man who is excited to help with this pro duction of Sense and Sensibility. Her favorite past productions include The SpongeBob Musical and the 2022 Middle School Sketch Show. She is grateful to her director, stage managers, everyone in the production process, and you for coming to see the show! She hopes you have a great time and enjoy the show!

CLAirE ShwArTz

Claire is part of the tech crew, working on primarily costumes and props. She worked on last year’s production of The Sponge Bob Musical as well. She would like to thank her family, friends, and everybody who helped with the show! She’s very ex cited for this production, and hopes you all enjoy everyone’s hard work!

ALASTAir roChE

Alastair is a Junior who is super excited to be a part of this production of Sense and Sensibility. This is his first year doing tech, but he has two years of acting experience; he has previously been in productions of Into the Woods and Beauty and the Beast. Alastair would like to thank his director, his stage manager, and everyone involved with the production process. He hopes you enjoy the show!

SYDNEY SmiTh

Sydney is a Sopho more at Mount Ver non. She was involved as an actor at her past school, Pace Academy, in productions such as Spamalot, Help Desk, Descen dants, Hallmarks of Horror, and Rock of Ages. Sense and Sensibility is her first production with Mount Vernon theatre, as a part of the Tech Crew. Sydney hopes you enjoy the show, and she would like to thank her actors and director for putting this all together.

LiLY TuCK

Lily Tuck is a 9th grad er at Mount Vernon. She is very excited to be a part of the front house crew for Sense & Sensibility. Previous shows she has participated in are Spongebob Squarepants the Musical, Boxed and Labeled, The Sketch Show, and Fairytale Law & Order. She would like to thank the cast and crew for all their hard work and dedication.

CLArK TAYLor

Clark’s performanc es, compositions, production, and scenic designs have appeared in several local theatre and university venues throughout the United States, in cluding the Globe Theatre, London. As an actor, Clark has performed on the world stage at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. His compositions and sound design have graced theatre productions from Oregon to Atlanta to New York to London. Committed to teaching, Clark is the director of drama for Mount Vernon School, celebrating his eleventh year at this amazingly amazing communi ty. Clark loves the never-stop-learning adventure of being married to Leigh Campbell-Taylor and father to two fine adult sons, Malcolm and Ethan. Thanks for seeing live theatre live!

Mount Vernon