Getting to know Patrick Dodd,
Starring as Edward Ferrars in
Sense and Sensibility
“[It’s] a story of people who are
prevented from having what they want
in their heart of hearts by society,
social conventions and expectations.”
-Patrick Dodd
Patrick Dodd
Citadel Theatre: You’re playing Edward Ferrars in Sense and Sensibility. How would you
describe your character?
Patrick Dodd: Edward is a man who grew up in a family that he doesn’t feel like he is a part of.
He feels like a stranger in his whole family; they come from a totally different world than he
does and, as a result, he is pretty lonely, introverted, afraid of being vulnerable and sharing
things with people because he feels so alone. He gets an opportunity in the play to really
connect with someone.
CT: What’s been your favourite scene to work on?
PD: My favourite scene to work on is early in the play, when Edward and Elinor really start to fall
in love. It’s really only a few scenes into the play but it’s a nice, long scene, with just the two of
them really opening up to each other.
CT: How did your time in the Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program help prepare
you for this production?
PD: One of the things it allowed us to do is really explore and allowed us to fail without
consequences — the freedom to try things out, to be creative, to be experimental, to push
ourselves, without having to worry about a finish product, which really allows you to push your
limits and see where you can go without any disastrous consequences.
CT: What’s it like rehearsing with the cast?
“I hope people will
PD: The cast is amazing. That’s one of the really great things about
identify with the
spending a month together in Banff, too, is that we’re already so tight.
characters, their
Everybody feels very supported by the cast members, everybody likes
struggles, and their
working with one another and everybody is just lovely, both onstage
joys.” –Patrick Dodd
and off.
CT: Is this your first time working with the director, Bob Baker?
PD: Yes. It’s been good. We all got a chance to work with Bob in Banff, as well, because we all
did scene study with him there, so it was good to spend a few weeks with him understanding his
process, his expectations, his means of communicating. I think everybody - or at least I - knew
what to expect going into this. And he’s been even more demanding now that we’re actually
working on a show. He’s intense, and he pushes. But that forces us to do things that maybe we
didn’t know we could do.
CT: How would you describe the show to someone who’s not familiar with the story?
PD: I would describe it as a story of people who are prevented from having what they want in
their heart of hearts by society, social conventions and expectations.
CT: Were you familiar with the novel before starting rehearsal for the adaptation?
PD: Yes. I had never read Jane Austen before I auditioned for this [play] and then I read all of
her books. I’m very familiar with the story now.
CT: Do you think diehard fans of the novel will react well to the adaptation?
PD: Yeah, I do. I think it’s really amazing. I think it’s an enormous challenge that Tom undertook
to turn a novel into a play and put a novel on stage. I think Tom’s done a wonderful job, and I
think it’s going to be really exciting for diehard fans to see those characters come to life.
CT: What do you hope patrons will take away from seeing the show?
PD: I hope they’ll take away an understanding of and a connection to the characters and their
struggles. And, I hope it will be clear that these are very human things that we’re struggling
with in the show that are still so relevant now. I hope people will identify with the characters,
their struggles, and their joys.
CT: It’s been 200 years since Jane Austen died. But she’s more popular than ever. What do you
think it is about her work that remains relevant today?
PD: I think it relates to the previous question, in that she writes about things that are
fundamentally part of our being, about the things that people really want, and struggling to find
happiness. These are almost philosophical considerations that we know … if you ask someone
how to be happy, and they answer today, they’ll have as little idea of what they’re talking
about as they did 200 years ago. These are eternal questions that people are struggling with,
and that’s why great works of art, great works of literature, can last thousands of years.
Sense and Sensibility runs April 22 to May 14, 2017, at Citadel Theatre. For more information or to purchase
tickets, call 780.425.1820 or visit www.citadeltheatre.com.