amdram.co.uk

• Mar 25th 2009 2:00 pm to Mar 28th 2009 2:00 pm

Performed by Guildburys Theatre Company at the Electric Theatre, Guildford.

The theatre has a bar and cafe serving delicious pre-show suppers !!

BOX OFFICE 01483-444789

March 25-28 @ 7.45pm.

Tickets £10.50. Concessions £9

After Mrs Rochester is a powerful and compelling play which tells the story of writer Jean Rhys (1889-1979) who was the author of the acclaimed Wide Sargasso Sea – which tells the back story to Bertha, the first Mrs Rochester, and is the accepted prequel to Jane Eyre. Echoes from Jean’s life intertwine with those from Wide Sargasso Sea and from Jane Eyre.

Jean Rhys looks back on her life, watching scenes as they appear and disappear. The empathy Jean felt with Bertha Rochester created a life long obsession which culminated in the publication of Wide Sargasso Sea. Key moments, both real and imagined are played out, showing Jean’s desperate attempts to ‘belong’ to somewhere – or to someone.

When the outside world and her relationships become too difficult to handle, Jean escapes into scenes from Jane Eyre, played out as the gripping story of her life unfolds. The madwoman in the attic becomes Jean’s constant companion and her tormentor – a shadow visible and audible only to her and to us. The character of the first Mrs Rochester is both her demon and her muse as Jean tries to exorcise her through her writing.