As an NSTA Representative, I had the enormous privilege of attending the Walthamstow Hall production of Jane Eyre on Friday 28 November 2025 in the amazing Ship Theatre. Astonishingly, almost all of this production (fire pits excepted) was in the hands of the students themselves. What remarkable talent these pupils from Walthamstow Hall possess. They are clearly free human beings exerting their independent will to display some outstanding creativity!
Where do you start when a piece of theatre is this brilliant? Perhaps with the story that was so powerfully retold by this wonderful company. Charlotte Bronte’s 1847 work Jane Eyre – written when Walthamstow Hall School itself was just nine years old – tells the story of Yorkshire girl Jane, starting during her emotionally abusive childhood experiences with her aunt and cousins, through her tough education at Lowood School, to her romance with the mysterious and brooding Mr Rochester.
Everything about this performance was stylish and slick. The setting, centring around walkways either side of a wooden bridge, provided rich potential for drama, not least in the fire pits that were built into the wood and injected such danger into the later scenes. The sound was clean and the lighting sharp, with live music capturing the emotions of each stage of the action most effectively. Costumes were truly beautiful, the attention to detail most impressive. In every respect, the production values were as polished as anything you’d see on a professional stage.
The onstage company was just as extraordinary. It is remarkable to see an ensemble of forty pupils where every single performance, however small, shows fine character development, truthfulness in its enactment, and dedication to balancing the individual performance with the needs of the wider scene. Nobody pulled focus or overplayed a part, (although the maids’ facial expressions were a riot!), and this team-spiritedness created an environment where the story could be told clearly and powerfully, and in which lead actors could thrive. Bravo!
Movement was a particular strength of this performance and the coach scenes – in which at least half the cast were involved – were mesmerising, capturing the thundering flow of a stagecoach in full gallop. Equally powerful was the depiction of dimly lit passages, where one actor with a torch accompanied an actor in character to conjure up the required image. This seemed to summarise the whole performance – lead characters and their supporting cast working effectively together to convey the story. It was blissful to watch. It was good to listen to as well – my Yorkshire ear can testify that the accents would not have sounded out of place in Hawes or Ripon.
Cast entirely from within one of England’s oldest all-girls schools, the ensemble brought a striking depth to their male roles, delivering performances that were character-led, thoughtful, and highly sophisticated. Emma (Mr Rochester) led the field, giving her literary hero a greater reflectiveness and vulnerability than might normally be seen, while fully capturing the brooding power of the man. Every aspect of this was truthful and credible, and the portrayal said much that was new about this familiar literary figure. Isabel channelled Mr Brocklehurst quite magnificently in a stovepipe hat that seemed at least two foot high – she took every Dickensian schoolmaster and rolled them together into a wickedly wonderful performance.
The female portrayals were no less captivating. The central character of Jane was carried elegantly and with poise by Violet, who brought china-doll fragility to this everywoman role. She glided through the scenes with finesse and made us care deeply about the fortunes of the eponymous heroine. Jemima also impressed with her touching presentation of Helen Burns, Jane’s tragic school friend, following this up with a smart portrayal of St John Rivers. Isabella was confident and engaging as Aunt Reed/Richard, while Katie’s mixture of defiance and hope brought the young Jane vividly to life. Isabella (Bertha Mason) provided gorgeous vocals alongside her attic lunacy, doing full justice to Emily Leather’s classy arrangements.
One of the evening’s most memorable turns was, unexpectedly, not human at all but canine. Margot G’s versatility was already evident as she rocketed through her roles as coachman and as both teacher and pupil at Lowood, but her portrayal of Rochester’s dog Pilot was something else entirely. This was an astonishing piece of physical theatre that captured the loyal Rochester hound quite brilliantly. A wonderful final touch was when she leapt in between the two lovers to close the piece.
“I have as much soul as you – and full as much heart”. This was without doubt a performance full of both heart and soul, and a real privilege to attend. Director Mrs Bower-Morris promised “lots of bonnets and ladders” but has delivered so much more; an enchanting, elegant, and pitch-perfect production that does real justice to an English classic.
National School Theatre Awards
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