By Mary Alderson
The experience of being in a play together performing as sisters has turned two young women into the closest of friends. Jessica B. Hill and Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane have the roles of Elinor Dashwood and Marianne Dashwood respectively. They obviously love each other like sisters and love the show that brought them together.
The play by Kate Hamill came out in 2016. It is based on the novel by Jane Austin, published in 1811. Both actors were fans of Austin’s novel. The play stays true to the story of the Dashwood family that Austin created over 200 years ago. When the father dies suddenly, their mother is left destitute. The two older daughters, sensible Elinor and passionate Marianne have various suitors, as they search for someone who might provide for the family. “Hamill has stayed faithful to the text,” Hill says, “but making it very cheeky, very whimsical.”
Hill says that her character Elinor is very grounded. “She had to grow up fast when her father died and she’s seen her mother struggle,” she says. Elinor suppresses her feelings in order to find a sensible way forward. Sinclair-Brisbane points out that her character, Marianne is naïve, and takes everyone at their word. “She’s ruled by her heart, while Elinor uses her brain,” Sinclair-Brisbane points out. “The two sisters’ stories mirror each other,” adds Hill.
“There is a cost to not speaking out,” explains Hill. “Elinor may be on the way to having an ulcer,” she says, “because she holds back and doesn’t speak up. On the other hand, there’s a cost to speaking out too much. When Marianne lets her emotions out, it comes back to hurt her.”
Hill is a fan of the 1994 Sense and Sensibility movie, beautifully set in the English countryside with a star-studded cast including Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman. A big fan of Emma Thompson, Hill is excited to have the same role. While the stage play doesn’t afford the expansive scenery that the film offers, both actors praise director Daryl Cloran. “He loves what theatre can do with the suspension of belief,” says Hill, not willing to explain further in order to avoid any spoilers. “He takes us on a ride and it’s a joyful time,” she adds.
Hill took part in Stratford’s Birmingham Conservatory, mentored by Martha Henry. She is in her eighth season at Stratford. As well, she is a playwright, having written four plays with one published. While she is on stage in Stratford this summer, her play, The Dark Lady, will be opening in Georgia and Vancouver.
Sinclair-Brisbane is also a Birmingham alumna and is in her third season at the Festival. She grew up in London, Ontario attending H. B. Beale Secondary School in the musical theatre program and performing in the Grand Theatre’s High School Projects.
The two actors were thrilled when they found out last August that they had these roles. “To be cast in these roles is amazing. We wouldn’t have been considered for these parts 15 years ago,” says Hill. Both Hill and Sinclair-Brisbane are people of colour, and in the past, wouldn’t have been accepted as young women living in England in the late 18th century. “But I’m more excited for the people in the audience,” Hill explains, “It’s representation that’s so important. If a girl in the audience sees us on stage and she looks like us, she realizes that some day she can be on stage, too.”
“The story is universal; conflicts and family issues are the same for everyone,” says Sinclair-Brisbane. “If the audience can relate, even if they are a different race or from a different walk of life, than we’ve done our job,” adds Hill.
Sense and Sensibility is in previews starting May 28, with the opening night June 19. It continues in repertory at the Festival Theatre until October 25.
Photo: Jessica B. Hill as Elinor Dashwood (left) and Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane as Marianne Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility. Stratford Festival 2025. Photo: Ted Belton.