ATLANTA — If you're a sister, you should probably see this show.
At a local Atlanta theater, Black women are taking center stage in an adaptation of one of the most famous works in English literature - Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility."
The play, which offers a fresh perspective on Austen's timeless story, is written and directed by Claire Martin, who owns Belle Esprit, a theater company focused on uplifting those of marginalized genders.
At the heart of the production are actresses Shakoria Davis, Tyra Watkins and Cameryn Richardson, who play the spirited and reimagined characters and sisters Margot, Marianne and Elinor.
"To be on the stage now is like just a full circle moment," Davis, a local talent who returned to Atlanta to pursue her passion for theater, said. "I'm just really grateful for the opportunity."
Link | Get tickets to the show
Their performances bring depth and authenticity to the stage, captivating audiences with their portrayals of sisterhood, resilience and empowerment. The innovative adaptation brings Austen's beloved characters to life in speech and movement, with many moments where actors and actresses are in the crowd dashing between tables in heels.
The show not only portrays the difficult but exciting and full life of a woman in the late 1700s but indirectly highlights the battles women in the early 2020s face with the rarity of an all-women-led cast for a women-written, directed play.
"What has been really exciting about this play is inviting audiences to step backward in time with us all the way back to Jane Austen and even before to the time of Fanny Burney," Martin said, "while also very much looking forward and saying, what can these stories do for us now?"
According to the Asian American Performers Action Coalition 2018-2019 Visibility Report, 75% of all playwrights included in the survey were male, and 24.6% were female.
"This is only the second time in my professional experience that I've worked with a woman director," Watkins, who plays Marianne and is an associate company member at the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, said. "So, I would love to always see more women in those roles."
Richardson, who plays Elinor, also spoke about the comfort of being around such an inclusive cast and crew.
Link | Get tickets to the show
"I am always incredibly happy when I get to be in spaces like this, on projects like this, where there is that representation of queer female leadership or Black female leaders," Richardson said. "There's these intersections wherein we can have conversations about the art, that are deeper, because we're not having to stay sold out at this conversation about, well, what does it look like for us to be professional in this room together."
Behind the scenes, Martin shows that's exactly her vision for this show and her entire company.
"I am deeply in awe of this entire cast, and so grateful to everyone, everyone has really bought into the story we're trying to tell and the reason why we are telling it, which is that women are all things," Martin said. "We are strong, and we are vulnerable, and we are messy, and we are shy and gawky and confident and cool, and we can be romantic, and we can want to be taken care of. And we can hold that alongside being incredibly resilient and outspoken, and to deny women any facet of humanity is to deny, to deny us our humanity itself."
And with that, the production's commitment to inclusivity extends beyond the stage, focusing on diverse representation in all aspects of theater.
"Written by women for women," Martin said, "this play is a celebration of the variegated majesty of womanhood."
As the curtains rise on "Sense and Sensibility," audiences at the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse, attendees can be sure to find something that brings them a giggle and even tears as the cast and crew continue to transcend boundaries and celebrate the power of diversity in storytelling.
For the month of April, catch the show every Thursday to Saturday beginning at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday starting at 2:30 p.m. Information and ticket sales are available on the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse website. Attendees are welcome to dress as if they are coming to a Jane Austen tea party.
