Preview: Jane Eyre at Newcastle Theatre Royal

EPIC NEW PRODUCTION OF JANE EYRE ARRIVES IN NEWCASTLE

Jane Eyre

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Monday 3^rd – Saturday 8^th July 2017

Following a critically acclaimed season in London, an inventive new production of Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece Jane Eyre is coming to Newcastle Theatre Royal this summer.  Get ready to see an old classic in a  whole new light.

Jane Eyre is an exciting new collaboration between the National Theatre and Bristol Old Vic where it recently played to sold out houses. It will be visiting Newcastle Theatre Royal in the novel’s 170^th anniversary year, proving that Brontë’s iconic story of the trailblazing Jane is as inspiring as ever. This bold and dynamic production tells of one woman’s fight for freedom and fulfilment.  From her beginnings as a destitute orphan, Jane Eyre’s spirited heroine faces life’s obstacles head-on, surviving poverty, injustice and the discovery of bitter betrayal before taking the ultimate decision to follow her heart.

Director Sally Cookson is an Associate Artist of Bristol Old Vic, where her productions include Treasure Island and Peter Pan; and elsewhere, Boing! (Sadler’s Wells), Cinderella (St James Theatre), an adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson’s Hetty Feather (West End and UK tour), and Romeo and Juliet  (Rose Theatre, Kingston).

Cookson said about her production of Jane Eyre:  ‘Adapting a novel for the stage is a challenging prospect – especially when that novel is cited as many people’s favourite of all time. It is always daunting when you’re working on a story which everyone knows so well, because you want to surprise and maybe challenge people’s expectations, without losing any of the things which make them like the story in the first place.’

‘I didn’t actually read the novel until I was in my early twenties and I remember thinking while I read it: ‘this is a clarion cry for equal opportunities for women, not a story about a passive female who will do anything for her hunky boss’. I was struck by how modern Jane seemed – her spirit and strong will, her peculiar and brilliant mind striving for personal freedom to be who she is, lashing out against any constraint that prevents her from being herself. She was exactly the sort of person I wanted to be.’

Nadia Clifford (Pomona) plays the central role of Jane, with Tim Delap as Rochester.  They are joined by Hannah Bristow (Helen Burns/Adele/St John/Grace Poole/Abbot), Matthew Churcher (Musician), Alex Heane (Musician), Melanie Marshall (Bertha Mason), Paul Mundell (Mr Brocklehurst/Pilot/Mason), David Ridley (musician), Evelyn Miller (Bessie/Blanche Ingram/Diana) and Lynda Rook (Mrs Reed/Mrs Fairfax).  The cast is completed by Ben Cutler, Jenny Johns, Dami Olukoya, Francesca Tomlinson and Phoebe Vigor.

Tickets:

Jane Eyre is at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Monday 3^rd until Saturday 8^th July  2017, playing evenings 7pm, matinees on Thursday and Saturday 2pm. Tickets from £14.50.  Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge) or book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk