Jane Austen Festival
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Webster University and the Jane Austen Society of North America’s St. Louis region are proud to present our Jane Austen Festival, running December 6-8 throughout Webster University’s campus.
Featuring a packed activity schedule that includes an incredible roster of Austen scholars, the event will celebrate and illuminate Austen’s writings, as well as the literary, cultural and historical world in which her stories took place.
All events below are free and don't require tickets, unless otherwise noted.
EVENT SCHEDULE:
Friday, December 6
8 PM: Pride and Prejudice
Browning Theatre, Loretto-Hilton Center
Opening night performance of Pride and Prejudice at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Join us for an opening-night party immediately following the performance. Tickets start at $28.
Saturday, December 7
11 AM – 12 PM: From Page to Stage
Browning Theatre, Loretto-Hilton Center
Learn about adapting a beloved classic and bringing the words to life on stage in a discussion with Rep Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif and Pride and Prejudice adaptor Christopher Baker.
Noon – 1 PM: Just in a Happy State for a Flounce: Jane Austen’s Economies of Alteration
Auditorium, Browning Hall
Austen enthusiasts are certainly familiar with her novels, but do they know about the author’s social and cultural life? Dr. Susan Allen Ford leads an exploration of both Austen and her era through Austen’s own interest in self-fashioning.
12:30 – 2 PM: Backstage Theatre Tours
Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts
Explore the Browning Mainstage, Emerson Studio, scenic construction shop, paint space, costume and props shops, dressing rooms, greenrooms and more to discover how the magic of professional theatre is created. Tours depart from the main lobby, with the last group departing at 1:20 p.m.
2 – 3 PM: Saint Louis Art Museum Tours
Visit the famed Saint Louis Art Museum in Forest Park for a special docent-led tour exploring portraits and other Regency-era works. Visit SLAM.org for more info.
2:30 – 3:30 PM: Tea Treats Baking Class
Kitchen Classroom, Browning Hall
Learn about the social and historical significance of tea in England and bake your own traditional English scones in a class led by one of the London Tea Room’s premier chefs, Ginger Roth. Limited seats. Tickets are $15 each.
2:30 – 3:30 PM: The Fashion Revolution in Jane Austen’s Time
Auditorium, Browning Hall
This discussion, led by St. Louis Community College Librarian and JASNA-StL member Cathy Reilly, explores all the details of Regency Era clothing. This illustrated talk will highlight the astonishing revolution in fashion during Jane Austen's lifetime—what Akiko Fukai, the director of the Kyoto Costume Institute, called "a radical change in clothing styles...unique in the history of fashion," and fueled by rapid changes in the political, social and economic events of the day. What these changes were and what prompted them will be the topic of discussion. In conclusion, audience members will be asked to ponder the present and future state of fashion.
4 – 6:30 PM: Pride and Prejudice
Browning Theatre, Loretto-Hilton Center
Matinee performance of Pride and Prejudice at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Tickets start at $28.
4 – 5 PM: Tea Treats Baking Class
Kitchen Classroom, Browning Hall
Learn about the social and historical significance of tea in England and bake your own traditional English scones in a class led by one of the London Tea Room’s premier chefs, Ginger Roth. Limited seats. Tickets are $15 each.
7 – 9 PM: Regency Ball
Loretto-Hilton Center Lobby
Regency dance lessons, music, and instructional calling by Childgrove Country Dancers as well as a card room featuring whist, taught by JASNA-StL members.
Sunday, December 8
Noon – 1 PM: Pride and Prejudice and Performance
Auditorium, Browning Hall
Dr. Linda Troost and Dr. Sayre Greenfield explore the history and challenges of adapting Austen’s best-loved novel for stage and screen.
1 – 4:30 PM: Scholar Series
Auditorium, Browning Hall
Join us for one or all of these short 30-minute talks on all things Austen:
- 1:15 PM: Dr. Toby Benis, "Laughing at our Neighbors in Pride and Prejudice"
- 2:00 PM: Dr. Amy Pawl, "Mysteries and Misperceptions in Pride and Prejudice: How We Know What They Know."
- 2:45 PM: Dr. Kit Kincade, "The Evolution of George Wickham, from Scoundrel to Predator"
- 3:30 PM: Dr. Jennifer Frangos, "Lizzie Bennet's Legacy: Pride and Prejudice in Popular Culture"
2 – 4:30 PM: Pride and Prejudice
Browning Theatre, Loretto-Hilton Center
Matinee performance of Pride and Prejudice at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Tickets start at $28.
2:30 – 3:30 PM: Tea Treats Baking Class
Kitchen Classroom, Browning Hall
Learn about the social and historical significance of tea in England and bake your own traditional English scones in a class led by one of the London Tea Room’s premier chefs, Ginger Roth. Limited seats. Tickets are $15 each.
4 – 5 PM: Tea Treats Baking Class
Kitchen Classroom, Browning Hall
Learn about the social and historical significance of tea in England and bake your own traditional English scones in a class led by one of the London Tea Room’s premier chefs, Ginger Roth. Limited seats. Tickets are $15 each.
4:30 – 6:30 PM: Afternoon Tea
Recital Hall, Thompson Music Building
Enjoy afternoon tea and treats while costume designer Dorothy Marshall Englis explains theatrical costuming and presents her stunning designs from The Rep’s production of Pride and Prejudice. Limited seating. Tickets are $25 each.
7 – 9:30 PM: Pride and Prejudice
Browning Theatre, Loretto-Hilton Center
Evening performance of Pride and Prejudice at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Tickets start at $24.
Presenting Organizations:
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The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
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The Rep is the St. Louis region’s most honored live professional theatre company. Founded in 1966, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis produces work in four series, from September through April, all sharing the same high production values and commitment to presenting exciting live, professional theatre.
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Webster University
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Webster University was founded in 1915 in St. Louis, Missouri. Webster’s mission is to ensure high quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence. Worldwide enrollment in Webster’s programs is approximately 18,000 students per year, with an enrollment about 2,400 undergraduates at the Webster Groves home campus.
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Jane Austen Society of North America
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The Jane Austen Society of North America is a non-profit organization staffed by volunteers and dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of Jane Austen and her writing. Since the organization was founded in 1979, JASNA’s ranks have grown to more than 5,000 members. Although most members live in the US and Canada, JASNA currently includes members from more than a dozen countries.
Speaker Bios:
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Sheila Hwang, Ph.D.
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Sheila Hwang, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of English, Webster UniversityDr. Hwang was a 2016 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Scholar and has received numerous grants to support her research on the literature and culture of 18th- and 19th-century Britain. In 2018, Dr. Hwang gave a plenary address for the Annual General Meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America and published an essay in Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal (Volume 40). Dr. Hwang is currently working on a book-length project entitled The Watering Place in Jane Austen's Novels: Space, Language, Consumerism. She is a patron and lifetime member of the JASNA.
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Toby Benis, Ph.D.
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Toby Benis, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of English, Saint Louis UniversityDr. Benis has written extensively on the literature and culture of Austen’s time, and is currently writing a scholarly book on Jane Austen’s Neighbourhood.
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Susan Allen Ford, Ph.D.
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Susan Allen Ford, Ph.D. (Plenary Speaker)
Professor Emerita of English, Delta State UniversityDr. Ford is currently editor of Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal. In recognition of both her scholarship and her talent at conveying knowledge to the public, she has been named the JASNA’s Traveling Lecturer for the Central Region.
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Jennifer Frangos, Ph.D.
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Jennifer Frangos, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of English, University of Missouri-Kansas CityDr. Frangos is an active member of the Jane Austen Society of North America—Metropolitan Kansas City Region (JASNA-KC), and editor of the academic journal The Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation. Dr. Frangos researches print culture, women and society in the “long” 18th century and has given numerous public humanities lectures at a variety of venues.
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Sayre Greenfield, Ph.D.
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Sayre Greenfield, Ph.D.
Professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh GreensburgDr. Greenfield regularly teaches courses in Jane Austen, Renaissance literature, and the history of the English language. His publications include The Ends of Allegory, Jane Austen in Hollywood (jointly with Linda) and articles on Austen’s sources, language, and reputation.
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Kit Kincade, Ph.D.
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Kit Kincade, Ph.D.
Professor of English, Indiana State UniversityIn recognition of her outstanding contributions to the study of literature, Dr. Kincade received the Theodore Dreiser Distinguished Research and Creativity Award at Indiana State University in 2016. She publishes on the 18th-century British novel and is currently writing a scholarly book about the male characters in Austen’s novels.
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Amy Pawl, Ph.D.
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Amy Pawl, Ph.D.
Teaching Professor of English, Washington University in St. LouisDr. Pawl has published and presented on Austen and other British women writers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries in both scholarly and public venues.
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Linda Troost, Ph.D.
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Linda Troost, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of the Department of English at Washington & Jefferson CollegeDr. Troost teaches course in Jane Austen, eighteenth-century literature, and professional writing. Her publications include Jane Austen in Hollywood (jointly with Sayre) and several articles on Austen adaptations. She also edited the six-volume series Eighteenth-Century Women for AMS Press.
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Cathy Reilly, MLS, M.A.
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Cathy Reilly, MLS, M.A.
Reilly is a Life Member of JASNA and a founding member of the St. Louis chapter. She is a librarian and professor at the St. Louis Community College and for several years taught a Capstone course called "The Body Beautiful: Perspectives on Physical Attractiveness." This class covered all aspects of human appearance and adornment including fashion and beauty practices from around the world.
Sponsors:
