Press Release: Northern Ballet announces World Première of Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre

[Jan McNulty]

Northern Ballet announces World Première of Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre 
 
Northern Ballet has announced its next new creation will be an adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s iconic masterpiece, Jane Eyre. Choreographed by acclaimed international dance maker Cathy Marston, the new full-length ballet will première during the 200^thanniversary year of Charlotte Brontë’s birth. The World Première for Jane Eyre will be held at Cast in Doncaster on 19 May 2016 before touring to five further venues in Richmond, Aylesbury, Wolverhampton, Stoke and Leicester between May and June 2016.
 
Orphaned at a young age and cruelly treated by her Aunt, Jane Eyre is a plain but intelligent child who grows up knowing little kindness. Sent away to a charitable school, Jane later accepts a position as a Governess at Thornfield, a gentleman’s manor whose master is the dark and impassioned Mr Rochester. In spite of their social differences, an unlikely bond grows between the pair but as their romance develops, it becomes clear that Mr Rochester has a hidden past that threatens to ruin them both. The ultimate dramatic tale of romance, jealousy and dark secrets, Jane Eyre is the story of one woman’s indomitable spirit overcoming all boundaries. 
 
Jane Eyre will be Cathy Marston’s second full-length production for Northern Ballet following her creation of the Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities for the Company in 2008. She was educated in Cambridge and at the Royal Ballet School and was Associate Artist at the Royal Opera House from 2002 – 2006 and Director of the Bern Ballett in Switzerland from 2007 – 2013. 
 
For this new production, Cathy has brought onboard composer Philip Feeney to compile and arrange a score for Jane Eyre made up of original compositions and existing work. Philip’s connection with Northern Ballet stretches back over 25 years and his credits include Cinderella (Gable), Dracula (Gable), Hunchback of Notre Dame (Pink), A Streetcar Named Desire (Veldman), Hamlet (Nixon), Cinderella(Nixon) and Elves & the Shoemaker (Andrade).  
 
Patrick Kinmonth, who has worked closely with photographer Mario Testino designing numerous campaigns, books, and exhibitions for Gucci, Valentino, Versace and Dior, and has designed over 20 theatrical productions, will design the sets and costumes. Completing the creative team, Alastair West, whose Northern Ballet credits include Giselle, I Got Rhythm, A Christmas Carol and The Architect, will design the lighting.
 
Cathy Marston said: ‘Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre was a novel far ahead of its time and when I think of Jane Eyre I feel inspired by images of her passionate but 'impossible' relationship with Mr Rochester, the fire and emotional destruction symbolised by Bertha Mason - the infamous 'woman in the attic', the contrasting icy moorland through which she seems to run from one chapter of her life to another, and of course her final reunion with Rochester. But these images only touch the surface of a character and a book that continue to provoke and move - generation after generation, re-read after re-read.

After creating ballets inspired by Emily Brontë’s Cathy, Ibsen’s Mrs Alving and Narbokov’s Lolita, it seems both exciting and inevitable that Charlotte’s Jane is drawing me towards her.
 
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.’
 
Northern Ballet’s Artistic Director David Nixon OBE said: ‘Cathy is a huge talent and one of the leading choreographers of the moment so I am delighted that she will be returning to work with Northern Ballet once more.
 
Having already adapted Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights it seems appropriate that Northern Ballet should also immortalise her sister’s Jane Eyre through dance and doing so in the bicentennial anniversary of Charlotte Brontë’s birth makes it all the more special.’ 
 
The tour of Jane Eyre will see Northern Ballet return to six venues first introduced to the Company’s portfolio in 2015 as part of its continuing commitment to develop new and existing audiences for dance.

For on sale dates and updates see northernballet.com/whatson.
 
-ENDS-
 

Notes to Editors
For more details of Northern Ballet's tour, on sale dates and booking information, please visit northernballet.com/whatson.
 
Voted Best Company at the 2014 Taglioni European Ballet Awards, Northern Ballet is one of the UK’s five large ballet companies. Based in Leeds it performs throughout the UK as well as overseas. Northern Ballet’s productions mix classical dance and theatre, embracing popular culture and taking inspiration from literature, opera, or giving a unique interpretation of popular classical ballets.
 
Northern Ballet is the busiest touring ballet company in the UK and is typically on the road for around 32 weeks of the year. The Company of 47 dancers tours a combination of full-length new work and established repertoire to cities throughout the UK. Northern Ballet introduced a new strand of touring in 2015, widening the Company’s already extensive reach to include nine new venues. 
 
Northern Ballet tours widely with its ballets for children, the first three of which were adapted for TV by CBeebies, and also performs a mixed programme showcasing the versatility of its dancers.
 
Visit northernballet.com for more information on the Company and tour. Production images and information are available via the online media centre.
 
Production Credits
Choreography & Direction Cathy Marston
Music Philip Feeney
Set & Costume Design Patrick Kinmonth
Lighting Design Alastair West
 
Jane Eyre – Tour Dates

Doncaster, Cast (World Première)     
19 – 21 May 2016                                                                   
Box Office 01302 303 959
castindoncaster.com
On sale soon
 
Richmond Theatre
31 May – 1 Jun 2016                                                              
Box Office 0844 871 7651*
atgtickets.com/richmond
On sale soon
 
Aylesbury, Waterside Theatre
3 – 4 Jun 2016                                                                        
Box Office 0844 871 7607*
atgtickets.com/aylesbury 
On sale soon
 
Wolverhampton, Grand Theatre
10 – 11 Jun 2016                                                                    
Box Office 01902 429 212
grandtheatre.co.uk
On sale soon
 
Stoke, Regent Theatre
14 – 15 Jun 2016
Box Office 0844 871 7649*
atgtickets.com/regent-theatre 
On sale soon  
 
Leicester, Curve Theatre
17 – 18 Jun 2016
Box Office 0116 242 3595
curveonline.co.uk       
On sale soon                          
 
See northernballet.com/whatson for updates. Subject to change. 
 
*Calls to 0844 numbers are charged at up to 7p per minute plus your phone Company’s access charge.
 

[alison]

This sounds very promising

[Ian Macmillan]

I am, needless to say, delighted by this news, as I'd begun to despair of seeing something new by Cathy again on this side of the Channel.  (Interestingly, missing from the production team credits is any mention of a Dramaturg - Cathy has teamed with Edward Kemp, now Director at RADA, on many of her ballets, including Tale of Two Cities for Northern back in 2008.)