Jane Eyre, National Theatre

https://static.standard.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_large/public/thumbnails/image/2017/09/28/08/nt-jane-eyre-tour-2017-ensemble.-photo-by-brinkhoffmgenburg-12.jpg

One of the unfortunate side effects from my time as a secondary school Drama teacher is that Brechtian staging has been ruined for me forever. Brecht is particularly beloved by Drama teachers what with his trademark styles that work particularly well with low production budgets and the diverse abilities of most Drama classes. He is also part of GCSE and A-level syllabuses, and as such, I’ve imparted his techniques to young people entirely too frequently over my short time at the chalkface. His work will long be associated with devised exam productions and low-budget school plays, so anything similar on a professional stage is burdened by those memories.

Continue reading