Playing Jane Austen: Parlour Plays for Drawing-Room Performance

The grasping social climber, the tiresome neighbour, the spirited heroine, the most unsuitable of suitors, and, of course, the perfect love match, are all some of Jane Austen’s timeless literary inventions. Mistress of a sharp wit, Austen’s observations on society and the roles and rights of women are familiar today not only through her novels but from countless screen and stage adaptations. However, the original dramatisation of Austen was first published in 1895, by Victorian feminist and actor Rosina Filippi, who skilfully adapted iconic scenes from Austen’s novels into one-act plays for performance. Playing Jane evokes the romance of Victorian drawing-room entertainment at its best, and with accompanying stage directions and advice on the correct silks and muslins to wear, you too can learn how to play Jane.