Flatlands Theatre Company (FTC) brings Jane Austen’s beloved novel Emma to life at the P.W. Enns Centennial Concert Hall this weekend.
It’s a play that’s five years in the making, shares director Jeanette Hoeppner.
“This was our COVID play,” she says, explaining pre-production was well underway on the show when it had to be cancelled in the spring of 2020 thanks to the pandemic.
They’ve spent the last several years with the script on the back burner, waiting for the right time to tackle it once again.
“When we cancelled we immediately promised the cast we would remount it, and now here we are,” says Hoeppner.
This version of Emma, which has a script by playwright Jon Jory, has been on FTC’s radar for some time, well before the aborted 2020 production.
“Probably at least 10 years, because of its uniqueness,” Hoeppner says, sharing that it includes a trio of double-sided screens that help transform the stage into different locations. “It has these beautiful screen attendants written into the show, so the stage movement is part of the script, it’s not just our creation.”
It’s a unique way to tell the familiar story of matchmaker Emma Woodhouse (played by Hannah Franz), who has set out to find an impressive paramour for the sweet but modest Harriet Smith (played by Megan Fehr), despite her lack of social standing.
Other cast members, some of whom were part of the original production but are now in different roles, include actors Quentin Stoesz, Eric Buhr, Patsy Penner, Kelly Klages, Alex Klages, Ezra Reimer, Holly Gilson, Jeff Franz, Emilie Fehr, and screen attendants Abigail Driedger, Serena Peters, and Cody Plett.
Emma is a lighthearted story of gossip, matrimony, and miscommunications, Hoeppner says.
“Borrowing a little bit from Shakespeare, it’s very much a comedy of errors. There’s mismatched misunderstandings going on, all with a lovely Regency background that includes some beautiful music and even a ball scene, so we get to see some awesome Regency dancing.
“There are so many modern-day movies based off this story,” Hoeppner notes. “It’s a classic story that we’re taking back to its origins with Jane Austen.”
For Hannah Franz, the opportunity to play the namesake character has been an amazing experience.
“Emma’s involved in every aspect of this—she’s causing all the problems and she’s trying to fix them,” she says. “Sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t— but she learns and grows.
“Jane Austen famously said she was writing a heroine that nobody would like, and that’s so rare to find in a lot of media and it’s really a lot of fun to do.”
The script, owing to the book it’s based on, is packed full of wit, Franz shares.
“People often think [Austen’s books] are rom-coms and they’re just kind of fluffy little nothings. But she was so smart and so witty,” she says. “It’s British people insulting each other so intelligently that you almost can’t tell. It’s so quick and it’s so funny.”
There are 7:30 p.m. shows this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (May 1-3) and a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday (May 4).
Tickets are available online at winklerconcerthall.ca or in person the Meridian Exhibition Centre box office during office hours
