From the lady-like world of Jane Austen to Cork's stage

A dedicated fan of Jane Austen, director, Mary Curtin is bringing her show, Ladies of Jane to the Cork Arts Theatre this week.

The novelist’s wittiest, most dramatic and poignant scenes will be brought to life by actors Vanessa Hyde, Judy Donovan and Kate McSwiney-O’Rourke. The show also draws from Austen’s letters, providing a biographical backdrop to one of the English language’s most popular and enduring writers. If she were alive today, Curtin reckons that Austen would be wealthier than JK Rowling.

The show received its first outing at Fota House last year when it was performed as a 70-minute piece for Culture Night. It started off as a small project that Vanessa Hyde was involved in for UCC’s English department’s celebration of the bicentennial anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice. But that show was cancelled. However, Curtin and Hyde decided to expand the show for Culture Night. It was a success, attracting a largely female audience that included a lot of young people.