Manydown

A live online performance of Manydown by Sarah Rose Kearns, co-directed by the playwright and Prerna Ramachandra, and starring Gloria Bangiola and Kelly Gabrielle Murphy as Jane and Cassandra Austen.

It is the night of 2 December 1802 and Jane Austen is two weeks from her 27th birthday — the threshold of spinsterhood — facing a lifetime of social invisibility and dependence on the charity of her brothers. Suddenly she receives a windfall: a proposal of marriage from a rich family friend with a fabulous estate, Manydown. She accepts him, of course. But as soon as she is alone with Cassandra, Jane’s certainty unravels. Can you be an authoress if you are the mistress of Manydown?

A poignant and funny celebration of sisterhood and the artist’s calling, Manydown has been performed at libraries, schools, festivals, conferences and theatres in six US states, as well as in the UK and New Zealand.

This one-night-only performance fell on the actual 223rd anniversary of the incident in question, and reunited the stars of the film adaptation. It was followed by a talk-back with the artists.