Jane Eyre in Novato

A new high school production of Jane Eyre opens today, May 6, in Novato, CA:

Jane Eyre
May 6, 7, 9, 13, 14 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. at San Marin High School
Emily Gates Student Center (west side of campus).

Novato Patch has more information:

San Marin High drama instructor Linda Kislingbury says most high schools don't teach "Jane Eyre" anymore in English classes, but she believes the book has important sociological content. And that's part of the reason why her advanced drama students are debuting a production of the play on May 6 for a two-weekend run.
"Women didn't have many rights in the 1840s, and I think this play shows students just how far women rights have come," Kisingbury says. "The play shows the plight of what a poor but well-educated woman had to put up with. Social class was such an issue. I think the reason the book was a huge success was that it did show a strong woman who wasn't afraid to speak her mind and become independent." (...)
But what does it offer to high school theater audiences in 2011? A lot, Kislingbury says. She read the book for the first time as a freshman in high school.
"I couldn't put it down," she says. "(It) started my lifelong interest in reading."
Kislingbury tested the idea of doing the play, a suggestion by a friend of hers, with her advanced acting class at San Marin. "I showed the movie and got an immediate buy-in," she says.
And so San Marin drama has taken on the task of mounting the stage adaptation of "Jane Eyre," a process that requires study of the period and also provides a good excuse to rent some ornate Victorian numbers from ACT's costume shop in San Francisco.
"We borrowed exquisite costumes," Kislingbury says. "The materials used in costuming are the weight of the dresses actually used in the 1840s. The girls are practicing under the weight."
Rachel Smith, who is double cast in the role of Jane, says she loves the costumes. "I am all about history, and when I do a historical play I want to be as accurate as possible and the clothes we have are just spot on," Smith says.
But the lesson doesn't stop there. Add to the list "an English accent coach, French coach and a dramaturg who did her thesis on 'Jane Eyre,'" according to Kislingbury. There's also a teamwork lesson: The cast includes local middle school students and five San Marin teachers.
Lauren DeBiasio, who is also co-cast as Jane with Smith, says the commitment by the actors to perform in a period piece serves as a history lesson for the cast.
"A lot more work goes into doing an older play because you have to put yourself in another time period and really learn what life was like during that time," she says.
DeBiasio describes Jane Eyre as "a simple woman but she is very smart and realistic. She may only be a governess, but she stands up for what she wants and doesn't let herself be pushed around. I have loved being Jane Eyre."   (Karen Kizer)

More pictures on their Facebook page.

Categories: Jane Eyre, Theatre