More Brontë alerts

Intense days with a lot of Brontë-related events. Today, October 25, we have another three alerts:

In Tampa, Florida:

JANE EYRE by Polly Teale
Gorilla Theatre

You'll fall in love with this wonderful Jane Eyre adaptation that originated with Shared Experience in London and enjoyed critical acclaim in New York. While it is true to Charlotte Bronte's story, it's also a highly psychological, deconstructed theatrical experience in which Jane's suppressed feelings are embodied in the ultimate madwoman-in-the-attic, Bertha Rochester. Jane Eyre is a true ensemble performance and gothic enough for Halloween.

WHO'S WHO

Director: Nancy Cole (Professor Emerita of Theatre at the USF, Director at the Gorilla Theatre of Orson's Shadow, Shirley Valentine, Copenhagen, Talking Heads and more)
Movement Director: Robin Gordon (As a USF theatre professor directed Vinegar Tom, Cabaret, Bat Boy and more)
Designers: Keith Arsenault (Scenic and Lighting); Mike Buck & Jennifer Cunningham (Costume); Lynne Locher (Sound)

CAST

Jane: Katherine Tanner (Countless acting credits in the Tampa Bay Area, including Suddenly Last Summer, Proof, Creative Loafing's Best Actress Tampa Bay 2005)
Bertha: Shana Perkins (A leading member of Moving Current Dance Collective, Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre, and more)
Rochester: Ned Averill-Snell (A favorite Tampa Bay actor. Gorilla credits include: Snakebit, Sideshow, American Road, A Thurber Carnival.)
Cellist: Betsy Goode (National productions of My Fair Lady, The Lion King, Light in the Piazza, Bombay Dreams and more; the Gorilla Theatre¹s production of The Last Five Years)
Mrs Fairfax: Ami Sallee Corley (Director, Rag & Bone; Best Actress Tampa Bay 2007, Woman in Mind, and much more)
Mr Mason: Slake Counts (BapBomb, The Rose Tattoo, Hair, Corpus Cristi, and much more)
Helen Burns: Gretchen Porro (Blind Love, The Crucible, The Boys Next Door, and much more)
Blanche: Emilia Sargent (Orson's Shadow, Metamorphoses, Much Ado About Nothing, and much more)
St. John: Harlan B Work (Romeo and Juliet, Vincent in Brixton, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, and much more)

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
October 25-November 11, 2007.
Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm
Gorilla Theatre, 4419 N. Hubert Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33614

From Adrian, Michigan, a college performance of Gordon & Caird's musical setting of Jane Eyre (the mention to Yorkshire in the following news published in the Adrian College website is priceless)

The theatre department at Adrian College presents Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” Oct. 25 through Oct. 27 and has a unique individual working behind the scenes.
This year’s cast has had the opportunity to work with the extremely talented costume designer, Susan Eversden, who is originally from Yorkshire, England, the same town Charlotte Brontë was born.
Eversden brings both her love for designing time period costumes and her knowledge of the musical’s setting. She is the sole costume designer on set, sewing and customizing each outfit from scratch, and she acts as a consultant and dialogue coach for the cast members.
“I help the cast with near correct pronunciation of the English dialect,” said Eversden. “Because I am from northern England, which is the setting of the play, I can steer them in the right direction and act as a consultant.” (...)
Professor Michael Allen, Adrian College’s theatre department chair, asked Eversden to join the crew over 12 months ago and she has been working on “Jane Eyre” ever since.
“It takes a lot of time and work to put together costumes for a piece like this,” said Eversden. “I’ve been doing my research which includes re-reading the book, looking over the script numerous times, and shopping for the appropriate fabric. It’s a long process but in the end it makes the play extra appealing by really capturing the time period in the costumes.”
Eversden really enjoys working with the students and hopes to contribute more to the musical besides her designing talents.
“I hope the students can also learn about the culture and style associated with this as well as what I can offer for the theatrical performance. If I can help in some way, that’s important to me.”
“Jane Eyre” is a haunting retelling of the Charlotte Brontë classic about an orphan girl who grows up to become the governess of Thornfield Manor. There she meets and falls in love with the enigmatic Edward Rochester, an earl with a dark secret. Filled with soaring melodies and a romantic lyricism uncommon in the modern Broadway musical, “Jane Eyre” is a sweeping love story, breath-taking in its scope and beauty. With music and lyrics by Paul Gordon and additional lyrics from John Caird, this performance is set for success.

“Jane Eyre” will play in Dawson Auditorium with all three performances at 8 p.m.
ADRIAN COLLEGE | 110 S. Madison St. | Adrian, MI 49221

And finally, a musical alert from the Augusta State University, Augusta, Georgia:

ASU Opera presents The Literary Scene: An Evening of Scenes and Arias from Opera.
Start Date: 10/25/2007 Start Time: 8:00 PM
Event Description
ASU Opera students present an evening of pieces taken from opera literature. This concert is a great introduction to opera for concert goers who may not feel ready for a full length opera performance.
Location Information
Main Campus - Grover C. Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre

The Augusta Chronicle confirms that a Wuthering Heights opera is included in the selection. But we don't know if it's Bernard Herrmann's or Carlisle Floyd's.

"Most people know Wuthering Heights. They've heard of the book, but not the opera," said Patti Myers, music professor and director of the event, which will be at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, at the Grover C. Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre at Augusta State. (Charmain Z. Brackett)

Categories: Jane Eyre, Music, Opera, Theatre, Wuthering Heights