All of Austen in one bite at Manor Mill Playhouse
Wildly popular with audiences from its very first, immediately sold-out run in Philadelphia in 2019, The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged has gone on to become a favorite staple of regional theaters of all sizes and shapes across America, delighting audiences everywhere. Now that wave of enjoyment washes up at Manor Mill Playhouse for a two-week run, directed by Matthew Sean Mitchell. He took a few moments out of being both stage director and scenic designer to talk to WBJC about managing the exuberant desperation entailed in carrying off the show.
The work was initially conceived, adapted, produced, and performed for Tiny Dynamite by an inventive coterie of Philadelphia theater-makers–Jessica Bedford, Kathryn MacMillan, Charlotte Northeast, and Meghan Winch–who somehow managed to wrangle into a mere 80 minutes most of Austen’s oeuvre, even including juvenilia and unpublished work. In it, three nimble actors must take on all of Austen’s beloved heroines, friends, and love interests—along with her incisive social satire and distinctively wry perspective. And then layer that with their personas as actors trying to put all that on stage in front of an audience.
Part spoof, part fanfiction, but entirely celebration, The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged at Manor Mill Playhouse is also (fittingly), part of this year’s Maryland Jane Austen Fest, as noted here: This production is a feature of the 2026 Maryland Jane Austen Fest. (Please note that Saturday, May 2 is reserved for Jane Austen Fest ticket holders.)
