THE COMPLETE WORKS OF JANE AUSTEN, ABRIDGED is Coming to Ensemble Theatre Company
This is a fresh and hilarious take on Austen’s most beloved heroines, proving that great love stories—and great comedy - are timeless.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Nov. 10, 2025
Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara will continue its 47th season "Truth and Illusion" with the West Coast premiere of THE COMPLETE WORKS OF Jane Austen, ABRIDGED, written by Jessica Bedford, Kathryn MacMillan, Charlotte Northeast, and Meghan Winch and directed by Robert Kelley.
What happens when you take the wit, romance, and wisdom of Jane Austen’s greatest works and distill them into a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud experience? A fresh and hilarious take on Austen’s most beloved heroines, proving that great love stories—and great comedy - are timeless.
"Whether you're a die-hard Austen devotee who can quote Pride and Prejudice by heart, or you've never picked up one of her novels, The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged is going to win you over. This production captures everything that makes Austen timeless—the razor-sharp wit, the swoon-worthy romance, the incredible heroines—but delivers it at lightning speed with laugh-out-loud comedy that feels completely fresh and modern, said Scott DeVine, ETC's executive artistic director. “It's the perfect gateway for younger audiences discovering Austen for the first time, while longtime fans will love seeing their favorite moments cleverly reimagined. And I couldn't be more excited to have Robert Kelley directing. Kelley and I collaborated for twelve seasons at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, and I've been trying to bring him to Santa Barbara ever since I joined ETC. His comic sensibility and love for Jane Austen’s work are exactly what this show needs—he knows how to honor the source material while making it accessible, hilarious, and utterly entertaining for everyone in the room."
ETC is committed to ensuring that transformative theatrical experiences remain accessible to all Santa Barbara community members through its “Community Pay What You Can Program.” The Pay What You Can performance for THE COMPLETE WORKS OF Jane Austen, ABRIDGED will be Wednesday, December 3. This initiative continues throughout ETC's season, with Community Pay What You Can performances on Wednesday, February 4th for The Shark is Broken; Wednesday, April 1st for A Night With Janis Joplin; and Wednesday, June 3rd for Every Brilliant Thing.
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Best Musical - Top 3
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JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Hollywood Bowl)
6.8% of votes
2.
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5.6% of votes
3.
HAIR (Conundrum Theatre)
5.4% of votes
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