Theatre and Jane Eyre meeting Thomas, the tank Engine

A couple of rendez-vous with theatre adaptations of Brontë novels.

The Peter McMaster's all-male Wuthering Heights will be performed today, October 24 at the Folkenstone Fringe:

Wuthering Heights
Directed by Peter McMaster

Four performers explode their own experiences of being men in this bold theatrical debut from 'one of Scotland's most interesting young theatre makers' (The Scotsman)'. As the men recall the dark expanses of the Yorkshire moors, sing together full-throated and bold, recall poignant memorials of being a boy and dance optimistically to the howling tones of Kate Bush, the energy of this brave new performance is not to be missed.

McMaster's all male, award-winning interpretation of Emily Brontë's seminal text, re-visits the iconic landscapes and characters from Wuthering heights and places them alongside the stories of the male performers. This re-imagined classic considers how almost 200 years after the book was published, the lives and aspirations of men are now different. From the perspective of this all male company, this timely new production questions what should be left behind in history and what should be held onto as we move forward into the 21st century.

Fri 24 Oct | 19.30 - 20.40
£10, £8 concessions
Quarterhouse, 49 Tontine Street, CT20 1BN

In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a student performance of Robert Johanson's Jane Eyre adaptation:

BRADLY J. BONER / NEWS&GUIDE

Jackson Hole High School Drama is ready for the curtain to go up on its fall performance of “Jane Eyre,” the stage adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s opus. (...)
For six nights — Thursday through Saturday and Oct. 30 through Nov. 1 — the drama students will bring “Jayne Eyre” (sic) to life in the high school auditorium.
There are many theater adaptations for the classic story, but the Robert Johanson script that drama teacher Evie Lewis found is the most true to the novel. Most members of the cast had not read it. After becoming familiar with the relationships they embraced it.
“The kids don’t read this that often anymore,” Lewis said of the book. “They’ve really enjoyed discovering this whole story and this period.”
The teens command the lines and movements of Victorian classicism, all as young professionals.
Senior Cheyenne Garnick was raised around the theater and personifies the independent and outspoken governess Jane Eyre. Her lines come naturally, and even when she struggles to remember the exact phrase her passion for the theater is obvious.
Senior Douglas DuPont, who has performed in the fall drama productions since his freshman year, takes on the role 38-year-old Mr. Rochester with acumen. In preparing for the part he observed older men’s mannerisms so that he could fix his “lazy, high school posture” when he was onstage.
“It’s art,” he said of the performance.
However, these are students, and as they learn in English or math classes they broaden their vocabulary, their understanding of history and their public speaking skills, taking on new words with each day. They might struggle with the pronunciation of “solace” or “artifice,” but they learn, correct and move on. (Jason Suder in Jackson Hole News & Guide)

And finally, the NEPCA’s 2014 fall conference  (Northeast Popular / American Culture Association) (Providence, Rhode Island) schedule contains a talk that is quite.... well... bizarre?

Session II: Friday, October 24, 2:45–4:15 pm
PANEL EIGHT | HARKINS 313 | MARKETING: TARGETING CONSUMERS AND NEW MARKETS
“Jane Eyre on the Island of Sodor”
Andrew Hazucha, Ottawa University