Her books mixed drama, romance, humor, and even examples about how unfairly women were being treated in society at the time.
You might think you know Jane Austen’s works. But a play opening in Santa Barbara Saturday (December 6) takes on the challenge of looking at some of her best-known stories from a classic to a modern-day perspective.
The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged is making its West Coast premiere.
"We deal with nine different books. All of them are presented in a different style, although there are a few you will recognize as BBC/Masterpiece Theater style, and others that are more off the wall," said Robert Kelly, director of the Ensemble Theater Company production.
"Ultimately, it's a love letter to Jane Austen."
The play takes the audience back and forth in time, from period scenes from the books to modern-day takes on Austen’s stories.
"It hits on some of the inherent comedy in Jane Austen's work, the satirical comedy of her period, but we are also looking at it through contemporary eyes," said Kelly.
Cast members say it’s definitely not a traditional adaptation of Jane Austen's work, which might be a stage production of her books Sense and Sensibility or Emma.
"It's not like a tried and true production of every one of her books," said Kirsten Høj, who stars in the Santa Barbara production with Alyssa Anne Austin and Kyle Hester. "So many of her books have been adapted into plays and books. Everyone's very accustomed to those. I think this play is really a celebration of the people who love Jane Austen."
Høj said it’s exciting to be doing the show in Santa Barbara during an important anniversary in Jane Austen’s history.
"Her 250th birthday will be happening while we run our show," said Høj. "It's on December 16th. It really has been so fun to see how the language and the voice she had even then retain so much complexity and purpose, even in our day and age. I think the characters really are timeless, and the stories are timeless."
The Complete Works of Jane Austen Abridged has a preview on Friday night (December 5) and premieres on Saturday night (December 6). The Ensemble Theater Company production runs through December 21 at the New Vic Theater.
