April Theatre

Three local newspapers announce upcoming performances of Brontë-related plays:
The Huntingdon Town Crier talks about Jane Eyre - A Musical Drama which we assume is the Gordon & Caird's version):

This month the ever-popular St Ives Musical Amateur Dramatic Society (SIMADS) will stage a musical adaptation of the much-loved classical novel by Charlotte Bronte - 'Jane Eyre'.

The production, which will take place at the St Ivo Recreation Centre in the Burgess Hall, St Ives, from April 23 to April 28, is a dramatic first in East Anglia and has been adapted in a style not wholly dissimilar to 'Les Miserables'.
A spokesperson for SIMADS said the production is the most challenging undertaken by the society with a completely new approach to staging, lighting and sound.
However, everyone involved is proud, excited and looking forward to the opening night.
There will be a nightly performance, starting at 7.30pm, with a 2pm matinee on the Saturday.
Tickets are available from Metamorphosis box office or by calling 01480 300409 or online at www.simads.co.uk
Prices are from £10 (£8 concessions).

The Weston & Somerset Mercury has information on Reader, I Married Him, a monologue by Angela Barlow:

A SOMERSET actress will be performing in two solo shows she wrote herself.
Angela Barlow, who lives near Cheddar, will star in 'Reader, I Married Him' and 'After Chekov' at Bristol's Alma Tavern Theatre from April 14-19.
In Reader, I Married Him, Charlotte Bronte wonders whether or not to go through with her marriage to the local curate the next morning. (...)
To book tickets for the Alma Tavern Theatre call 0117 9467899.

And The Salisbury Journal gives details on a Jane Eyre performance in Dowton, Wiltshire:

WHILE descending the stairs behind them, I overhear Miriam O'Connor telling Bella Penny she won't be washing her hair for a week before the show.
Both girls are appearing in the great romantic drama Jane Eyre, which is being staged by Downton Drama Company and Downton Academy of Dramatic Art (DADA) at the Trafalgar School's drama studio from April 17 to April 19.
Miriam is playing Bertha, the mad wife of Edward Rochester, and is keen to get the right unkempt look for the part.
Meeting me to talk about the play, both she and Bella - who plays Jane - are looking well-groomed and modern.
But the two 16-year-olds have been immersing themselves in the 19th century world of Charlotte Brontë.
Not only have they been learning the manners and dances of the day, they have been researching music for the production and composing atmospheric motifs to accompany the action.
Adept at piano and violin (among several instruments they can both play) Miriam and Bella share the musical accompaniment of the show, switching in and out of the characters they play.
"I'd done Jane Eyre at school and really liked the book," says Miriam. "There are lots of good parts for girls and I thought it would be a really good play to do, so I gave Jane (Seden) the audio tapes."
Jane agreed that it should be DADA's next production with the DADA youngsters taking on the roles of young Jane, the Reed children, the pupils at Lowood and later Adele at Thornfield, as well as the younger female roles such as Blanche Ingram.
Members of Downton Drama Company play the older roles, including Rochester, played by Edward Vandyck.
According to Miriam, there was only ever one choice for Jane Eyre herself.
"You were always going to be Jane," she tells Bella.
"You can do the plain governess, but you can also do vibrant and exciting, which is what she is on the inside."
Performances start at 7.30pm with a Saturday matinee at 3pm. Tickets are available from The Cottage Loaf or on the door, and any profits from the show will go towards the fund to support Chinese acrobat, Xu Yan. (Lesley Bates)

Categories: Jane Eyre, Music, Theatre