World Premiere Adaptation of JANE EYRE Comes to Philadelphia Artists' Collective

Philadelphia Artists' Collective presents a World Premiere Adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece Jane Eyre, adapted by Jessica Bedford, Kathryn MacMillan,
Charlotte Northeast and Meghan Winch, and directed by Kathryn MacMillan. The production will run from May 11 to May 28, 2023, at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American Street, in Old City Philadelphia.

Brought to you by the team behind Tiny Dynamite's acclaimed The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged, this thrilling version of the beloved novel features a large ensemble and utilizes a chorus of "Janes" to theatricalize the heroine's rich inner life. Jane Eyre runs for 2 hours and 30 minutes, and is recommended for ages 10 and up. This production was made possible by a generous grant from The Roy Cockrum Foundation, with additional support from The Philadelphia Cultural Fund. Honorary Producers for Jane Eyre are Angela Muller and Lisa Yanak. Tickets are on sale now for $10 for students, $20 for subscribers, $25 for seniors and $30 general admission. For show information and tickets, please visit https://www.philartistscollective.org/jane-eyre.html

Jane Eyre is a sweeping, heart-rending story of romance, independence, and the conquering spirit of a brave young woman. For the World Premiere Adaptation, PAC looked to Jessica Bedford, Kathryn MacMillan, Charlotte Northeast and Meghan Winch - all who worked together on Tiny Dynamite's acclaimed The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged. It is a classic tale given a new modern sensibility and updated perspective.

"Jane Eyre has been a project four years in the making," said PAC Co-Founder/ Producing Artistic Director Damon Bonetti. "We were originally asked by a university to produce a Jane Eyre. We read a number of adaptations but were dissatisfied with them all. The Creative Team just had a hit with The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged. Charlotte being with that cohort and also being tapped to play Jane, it made sense to create our own. The pandemic made us rethink how we wanted to present this play in terms of location and making it an all professional cast. So we decided to make it part of our first full season back."

He added, "PAC produces theatre that is epic, but with a visceral intensity and a focus on the humanity in these stories. This is a new play, but the story is almost 200 years old, and, in my recollection of working in the area since the mid 90's, there has never been a production of Jane Eyre. PAC produces rare classics and this is a story rarely told on stage."

To bring an epic story like this to stage PAC turned to longtime fan and friend Kathryn MacMillan, who is also the New Artistic Director of Inis Nua Theatre and the Producing Artistic Director of Tiny Dynamite. MacMillan had directed a PAC reading of A Month in the Country some years ago. Additionally, MacMillan's only professional acting credit was in the ensemble of The Fair Maid of the West, directed by Charlotte Northeast. For Jane Eyre, she would reunite with PAC and swap roles with Northeast - with Northeast acting and MacMillan directing.

"Of course Jane Eyre begins with Charlotte Northeast," said MacMillan. "The writing team wrote with her voice (and her considerable skills!) in our minds. And this novel means so much to her--she brings so much passion and knowledge to her work. I'm excited to work with J. Paul Nicholas for the first time. He's got incredible classical acting chops, which means he knows how to use language to drive action, without being precious about it. He is dashing and brooding, like Rochester, and he also has Rochester's sly, ironic sense of humor, so he's a great fit. There are lots of folks in the cast I'm working with for the first time, actually, which I always love to do, to learn a new actor's ways and develop a rapport with them: Kimie Muroya, LaNeshe Miller-White (who it's rare to get onstage!), Erin Read, Lexi Thammavong. And there are also actors I've worked with before, like Anna Lieberman, Cassie Alexander, and David Pica--we have a short hand together and share a lot of trust."

"My name is Charlotte for a reason," said Northeast. "My mother is a Bronte fan and I am named after the writer. When I was little, I was plunked in front of all the great adaptations of the novel and my fifth grade book report was on Jane Eyre. So you could say, I've been building up to this for a while. Jane resonates with me because she is described as 'plain and little' and yet she carves out such a life for herself that, at the time of publication, it was thought scandalous. Not because she does outrageous things but simply because she asks to be treated as she is - a woman of intelligence and curiosity in a world that didn't always embrace that. I've always been little. I don't generally wear makeup. It's not part of who I am. But I take up space. I probably cross more lines than I should and sometimes people don't expect that. I'm hoping to meld my affinity with Jane with the life that Brontë gives her in the novel and come up with something vital and new."

In addition to Northeast as Jane Eyre, MacMillan directs a who's who of theatre talent from around the region including J. Paul Nicholas (Rochester), Erin DeBlois Read (Aunt Reed, Jane 1), Kimie Muroya (Bessie, Jane 2), Lex Thammavong (Helen, Jane 3), Cassandra Alexander (Child Jane), David Pica (Brocklehurst, Dr. Carter, Priest, St. John), LaNeshe Miller-White (Miss Scatched, Mrs. Fairfax), Anna Faye Lieberman (John, Lydia, Grace Poole, Briggs), Madeline Garcia (Miss Temple, Blanche, Diana), and Anthony Diaz (Mason, Robert).

For the production team, Jane Eyre features the talents of (Stage Manager), Eilis Skamarakas (Assistant Stage Manager), Alyssandra Docherty (Lighting Designer), Janus Stefanowicz (Costume Designer), Meghan Jones (Set Designer), James Mobley (Technical Director), Damien Figueras (Sound/Projection Designer), Saria Rosenhaj (Props Designer), K. O'Rourke (Choreographer), Eli Lynn (Fight & Intimacy Director), Autumn Storm Blalock (Dramaturg), Len Kelly (Dialect Coach) and Damon Bonetti (Production Manager).

For the location and set, PAC specializes in performing site specific work and utilizing unique settings oftentimes with historic context. For Jane Eyre, PAC sought out Christmas Church Neighborhood House because of the rich historic character - with exposed brick walls, worn warm wood floors and of course the neighborhood it's in with unique energy.

MacMillan said, " What I have always loved about PAC shows is the way they make use of the surroundings to reinforce the setting. We do that here--it's not fussy in a way that people might think of Victorian-- there's a sense of history, but it's a bit industrial, open, epic."

Bonetti added, "We are known for the intimacy of our work - usually defined by the intentional spaces where we produce. For this show, the Creative Team envisioned height being very important to the production. Space is a premium in Philly, and there aren't many spaces with the height that Neighborhood House has. It seemed like a logical fit, also being right in the heart of Olde City, we wanted to be a part of and add to the excitement of that area for a month."

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