The Watsons in Conversation: Director’s Q&A with Hedda Bird

As the final preparations are underway for our March production, we sit down with Director Hedda Bird to hear what we can expect from Laura Wade’s comedy, based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel The Watsons.

First of all, without giving too much away, tell us what The Watsons is about?

It starts clearly as an adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished novel – The Watsons. The play explores the same themes that Austen continually examined – the imperative to marry for love as well as financial security, and young women’s desire to be seen and heard, within the context of the period.  However, Laura Wade did not simply invent a way to ‘complete’ the story, she explores story telling in all its glory.

We understand this is Jane Austen with a difference, tell us more.

A character called ‘Laura’ – a playwright (who is presumably based on Laura Wade herself)  – enters the stage. As the play progresses, you will see many scenes typical of a Jane Austen novel played out – a proposal, a rejection, an elopement, squabbling sisters, over-bearing brothers and of course, a genuine declaration of love. Thrillingly, none of the scenes are played in the way you (or Jane Austen) might expect.

What did you think of The Watsons when you first read the script?

I saw the show a few years ago and very much enjoyed it, so sought out the script.  The script is delightful, and on first reading appears to be a very light touch comedy with some slightly ‘wild’ moments. However the more I worked on the script and throughout rehearsals I have become aware that Act 2 is a bravura piece of writing, where Wade has taken huge creative leaps that explode everything we love about Jane Austen into a veritable feast of joy. 

Tell us about rehearsals, what have they been like?

I don’t remember the last time I laughed so much in rehearsals, the creativity the cast has brought, clearly inspired by Laura Wade’s dazzling script, has made for hours of enjoyment. Inevitably with a large cast there are rehearsals when not everyone can attend, so we have had a lot of fun with people ‘reading in’ different roles. 

There are a lot of people on stage with this show, how have you juggled such a large cast?

This is indeed a lot of people to have on stage, and I made the deliberate choice to add more characters for the crowd scenes so that a wider range of WT members could be involved.   I won’t deny it can be head-spinning to manage the scenes where everyone is on stage, often all doing different things. I like to work on staging scenes in rehearsals, rather than plan moves in detail beforehand, though it takes more time. I think this gives a more satisfying result as I can respond to the many ideas that the cast have. In the end, handling a large cast is about experience. 

I have handled some large casts, working with Wokingham Youth Theatre previously, as well as other WT shows such as Hamlet and The Taming of the Shrew. To celebrate the Millenium I directed 300 school children in an open air production of a musical written by their head teacher, then we revived it ten years later with 300 different children and a professional orchestra at the Reading Hexagon Theatre. So actually WT is a piece of cake after that!

What do you think are the central themes or relationships of the story?

The story explores Jane Austen’s themes of marriage and love from a female perspective – the desire for a loving partner,  seeking equality in a relationship, the absolute need to find financial security. Wade’s writing shows how all these themes are all still valid today.  She then added an exploration of what it means to be a writer, as the character of Emma Watson gradually becomes the voice of self-doubt in Laura’s head.  We wonder if Austen herself had such doubts – is that why The Watsons was never finished?

How do you approach a play that is both Jane Austen and modern comedy? 

In early rehearsals we talked about the ‘dial’ with Jane Austen at one end and Laura Wade at the other.  Through the play we explored how much the characters were in Jane Austen mode, and how much they were revelling in the freedom Laura Wade offered. It is a mark of Wade’s script that though in one sense the action of the play becomes completely unhinged, in another sense the internal logic of the story holds the audience right to the last moment. 

What can audiences expect from this show?

Totally Jane Austen and totally NOT Jane Austen, at the same time.  A visual feast of regency frocks, lots of surprises and a hugely entertaining night out. 

Finally, if you could describe the production in three words, what would it be?  

Gleefully funny Austen-homage (alright that’s four words!).

The Watsons, by Laura Wade⁠, opens at Wokingham Theatre to a private charity audience on Wednesday 18 March before opening to the general public on Thursday 19. There are still a handful of tickets left for the production, which finishes its run on Saturday 28 March. Get your ticket here.

📸 Simon Vail⁠