By Luke Voogt
Christine Davey brings Jane Eyre to life with two chairs in her “minimalist” and “fast-paced” onstage adaptation of the classic novel.
“Theatre should be about the performance, not about fancy hats or sets,” the show’s director told the Indy this week.
“Sometimes people leave a play thinking, ‘What an amazing set!’ But when you ask them about the performance they don’t remember anything.
“You should be able to do it in jeans and a T-shirt if the performance is good enough.“
“Having said that, our costumes are amazing,” Davey added with a laugh, lauding local designer Emma Watson for creating the play’s outfits.
Davey has worked in theatre for 47 years after starting as an actress at age 10, and is studying a PhD of screenwriting at RMIT.
She began her Geelong-based theatre company Skin Of Our Teeth Productions to work with creative people and mentor young actors and actresses.
“It’s amazing to be able to give people like that an opportunity,” she said.
Charlotte Bronte was “ridiculously” ahead of her time when she created heroine Jane Eyre, who overcame her abusive childhood and poverty through education and a lucky inheritance.
Davey struggled to decide what to cut when she adapted the novel into a play as its themes still resonated today.
“It’s not about love at all – it’s a story of freedom and independence,” she said.
“The only way (Jane Eyre) can escape (her circumstances) is by becoming wealthy and independent – to say that in 1847 is quite remarkable.”
Jane Eyre is at Shenton Theatre from 11 to 26 May.
