Theatre TCU is staging an adaptation of the 19th-century novel “Sense and Sensibility” as their season opener. 

The cast and creative team hope current students and the community will resonate with the message this adaptation conveys. 

Written by Jane Austen in 1811, the story follows the two oldest Dashwood sisters as they adapt to new situations and experience a multitude of emotions, including love, heartache and grief. 

The show’s themes are “timeless” and “universal,” according to Lydia Mackay, director of the play and associate professor for the TCU’s Department of Theatre. 

Mackay said the staging follows the playwright Kate Hamill’s adaptation, which takes the original novel and “reshapes it into a new, more theatricalized structure.” 

Maggie Weckesser, first-year acting major, plays middle sister Marianne Dashwood. Weckesser said she is excited for other students to enjoy the relatable story and the high-quality production this department offers, including the costumes, actors and set design.

“No matter what you’re into, there’s going to be some aspects to the show that are really intriguing,” said Weckesser. She is one of the 15 actors and eight understudies who have been rehearsing since the second day of school.

Mackay said she is making some personal adjustments to the performance through an “anachronistic mashup.” 

Although the play is set in the late 1700s, Mackay has incorporated elements from the 1980s through transitional music, costumes and hairstyles.