Jane Eyre
The feminist classic Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë directed by Eline Arbo. Get ready for an aesthetic explosion and powerful drama, full of intense emotions, thunderclaps and sinister secrets.
Festival Brandhaarden
Run time 165 minutes, including break
Genre Theatre
Language Norwegian
Subtitles Dutch and English
Jane Eyre
The story of orphan Jane, who against all odds becomes a governess in a mansion and falls in love with the tall, dark and inscrutable landowner, could have come straight out of a newsstand novel. It is youthful romance, a rebellious spirit and an estate where the repressed ghosts of the past return.
The 1847 novel Jane Eyre is considered a feminist classic - perhaps mainly because of the way the story is told. Author Charlotte Brontë gives the floor to Jane herself, letting her tell the story of her life. And words, as we know, are power. Award-winning director Eline Arbo brings Brontë's bestseller to the stage. Arbo previously directed Hærmennen på Helgeland (The Vikings of Helgeland by Henrik Ibsen) at the National Theatret - a play acclaimed for its irreverent and expressive playfulness, not without a feminist slant.
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Again, Arbo embarks on a theatrical and aesthetic explosion full of references to popular culture. And once again, Kjersti Tveterås plays the lead, giving us a Jane who wants to decide for herself how she appears on stage. What will she bring out, and what is she hiding from us? And what is the soundtrack to her life?
Jane Eyre is a magnificent play that plays with the traditional theatrical narrative and the romantic costume drama. Jane is an unusual feminist heroine. Her struggle is about being allowed to be a human being in the world, fallible, strange, playful and wondering. It is about something very basic: conquering the freedom to be exactly who you are.
Eline Arbo about Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is a book in which humans can also take the lead role, without reducing them to a gender. I have a strong connection with Charlotte Brontë's classic novel after discovering it in my teens. I was immediately drawn into it and enjoyed the wonderful romance. I thought I could hear Jane's voice and I remember underlining quotes. As a young woman, I really identified with Jane's desire to choose her own path.
25 FEB - Artist Talk
A look behind the scenes and conversations with the people behind the scenes make the performance visit even more interesting. That is why ITA Academy organises a series of Artist Talks during Brandhaarden: in-depth discussions with inspiring makers about their work and working methods, motives, sources of inspiration and fascinations. Artist Talks take place after a performance by the relevant maker and offer depth to look at the work in a broader context.
On February 25, moderator Thomas Lamers will engage in a conversation with Eline Arbo.
Registration is free (and required) via the link below
24 FEB - In Gesprek
After the performance, come and think, listen and chat at In Gesprek. After Jane Eyre, we will further explore and exchange experiences with the makers and/or actors. If you have any questions, this is the perfect time to ask them. In Gesprek is free of charge and starts shortly after the performance in one of our foyers, is conducted in English and lasts about half an hour.
Guests: Kjersti Tveterås and Thorbjørn Harr.
Credits
with Kjersti Tveterås, Thorbjørn Harr, Heidi Goldmann, Jan Gunnar Røise, Andreas Tønnesland, Helene Bergsholm, Hanne Skille Reitan
director Eline Arbo
scenography Olav Myrtvedt
costume designer Alva Walderhaug Brosten
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composer and sounddesigner Thijs Van Vuure
lighting design Øyvind Wangensteen
choreography Ida Wigdel
mask Nina Koenig
stagewriter Njål Helge Mjøs
Female Voices
Brandhaarden
How does the female voice sound when concentrated in time and place at a festival? During the 11th edition of international theatre festival Brandhaarden, six female directors confront plays and themes from the classical repertoire, in which female characters play leading roles. Brandhaarden: Female Voices takes place from Wednesday 22 February to Saturday 4 March and features performances by Elsa-Sophie Jach, Eline Arbo, Satoko Ichihara, Carme Portaceli, Hanane Hajj Ali and Ewelina Marciniak.
Previous editions have spotlighted directors such as Katie Mitchell, Milo Rau and Rimini Protokoll, writer Édouard Louis, the Southern European region (Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece) and city theatres such as Münchner Kammerspiele, Volksbühne Berlin and Peter Brooks Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord.