Jane Eyre at Northern Ballet

Posted on October 1, 2015

Cathy Marston (pictured) will create a new danced adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre for Northern Ballet. The new production will have its world premiere at Cast, Doncaster, on May 19, 2016 – the 200th anniversary year of Brontë’s birth.

The novel tells the story of the orphaned Jane, who spends her childhood at a brutal charitable school and then becomes a governess in the household of Mr Rochester, who has a dark secret. It’s Marston’s second full-length production for Northern Ballet, following A Tale of Two Cities, based on the novel by Charles Dickens, in 2008.

Philip Feeney will create a score for the production, using original compositions and existing work. The production will be designed by Patrick Kinmouth, with lighting by Alastair West. Marston said: “Creating for Northern Ballet is a joy because everyone in the organisation shares my passion for telling and digging deep into stories through dance. Though the company has excellent technique and production values, it is their unparalleled ability as dance actors that I love most, so I am thrilled to return to Northern Ballet in 2016 to create Jane Eyre.”

The tour of Jane Eyre will see Northern Ballet return to six towns added to the company’s itinerary in 2015 as part of its continuing commitment to developing audiences: Doncaster, Richmond, Aylesbury, Wolverhampton, Stoke and Leicester. Visit www.northernballet.com for more information.

Photograph: Isak Hoffmeyer

Zoe Anderson

Zoë was born in Edinburgh, and saw her first dance performances at the Festival there. She is the dance critic of The Independent, and has also written for The Independent on Sunday, The Scotsman and Dancing Times. In 2002, she received her doctorate from the University of York for a thesis on “Nationhood and epic romance: Ariosto, Sidney, Spenser”. She is the author of The Royal Ballet: 75 Years and The Ballet Lover’s Companion.