Jane Eyre: Read, Watch, Experience

A very nice initiative begins today, February 16, at the Hay Library at Western Wyoming Community College:

Western Wyoming Community College and the Hay Library are partnering with the Sweetwater County Libraries and the Sweetwater County Library Foundation this spring to promote a multi-format exploration of author Charlotte Bronte’s 1847 classic Jane Eyre, in a series of programs and events entitled “Jane Eyre: Read, Watch, Experience.” Readers, film buffs, and patrons of the performing arts all will find something to enjoy in this series, which invites participants to immerse themselves in Brontë’s tale of mystery and woe.

The event officially kicks off Monday, Feb. 16, when “pass-it-on” books will be made available at several library locations. Participants are encouraged to read the books and then attend several film and discussion programs, including:
Saturday, March 14, at 2 p.m. at the White Mountain Library
Wide Sargasso Sea 2006
Saturday, March 28, at 2 p.m. at Sweetwater County Library’s Green River
Jane Eyre 2011
Saturday, April 4, at 2 p.m. at the Rock Springs Library
I Walked With a Zombie 1944

And, the WWCC Performing Arts Department’s stage production “Jane Eyre,” which runs April 17, 18, 23, 24, and 25. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. each evening, with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 25. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for students and seniors. No children under 5 admitted.

WWCC Hay Library Director Janice Grover-Roosa credited Associate Professor of Musical Theatre and Voice Eric DeLora, MFA, with the idea of encouraging the community to read Jane Eyre prior to the Performing Arts Department’s spring stage production, which DeLora is directing. That idea eventually morphed into the series of multimedia presentations scheduled for March and April.

“Eric came to the Hay Library full of energy and excitement about the upcoming production of ‘Jane Eyre’ and suggested the local libraries host a county-wide book club to create interest in the work,” Grover-Roosa said. “We agreed with him completely! We’ve been working to coordinate funding and schedule programs from the moment Prof. DeLora spoke to us. We can’t wait to see the event series begin!”

In order to facilitate lively discussions about the novel and its film and theater adaptations, one hundred pass-it-on books will be made available at the Hay Library and throughout the Sweetwater County Library System in the next month, allowing for plenty of time to read the novel before the screening and discussion programs begin. Community members are invited to pick up a copy at their local library branch or at the College, read it, and then pass the book on to neighbors, co-workers and friends.

The purchase of pass-it-on books was made possible by generous contributions from Western Wyoming Community College’s Cultural Affairs Committee and the Sweetwater County Library Foundation.