Jane Eyre: A Musical Drama
Written By: John Caird and Paul Gordon
Creative Team: Director Andrew Hawkins, Musical Director Rebecca Mason
Fifth Business Theatre Company are excited to announce our 2027 Adelaide Fringe production of Jane Eyre, the musical adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic by John Caird and Paul Gordon. The FBTC team heading up this project are Director Andrew Hawkins and Musical Director Bec Mason.
Charlotte Brontë’s timeless love story comes to life in a sweeping musical full of heart, mystery, and moral courage. Nominated for five Tony Awards, Jane Eyre is a haunting, hopeful tale of love, loss, and the lies that secrets create.
This powerful adaptation begins in Jane’s traumatic childhood and follows her path to Thornfield Hall, where she meets the brooding Rochester and confronts the fire and darkness of his past. Jane’s spiritual conviction and inner strength anchor her through every trial, making this not just a romance, but a profound exploration of faith, redemption and the power of forgiveness.
Told through ensemble storytelling, the production flows seamlessly through time and memory, using a dynamic chorus of voices to shape Jane’s world. Performers will have the opportunity to inhabit multiple roles, and, therefore, the creative team are seeking a cast of dedicated, team focussed actors who are willing to collaborate and experiment in this space.
As our first-ever musical at the Adelaide Fringe, this is a landmark production for Fifth Business Theatre Company and an exciting opportunity for performers and creatives alike. With lush music and emotionally rich roles, Jane Eyre promises to be a thrilling and deeply moving theatrical experience.
We’re also casting key roles for younger performers, including Young Jane, Young John Reed, Helen Burns, and the girls at Lowood School. This is a wonderful opportunity for young actors to be part of a major festival production and gain valuable experience in a supportive and creative environment. Auditions for the Youth Ensemble are open to young actors in Years 6 to 12 in 2026.
Information Session:
Audition Information: https://bit.ly/FBTCJaneEyreAuditionForm
| Audition Information #:1 | |
| Date: | 08/06/2026 |
| Time From – Time to: | 19:00 – 21:30 |
| Audition Information #:2 | |
| Date: | 09/06/2026 |
| Time From – Time to: | 19:00 – 21:30 |
| Audition Information #:3 | |
| Date: | 13/06/2026 |
| Time From – Time to: | 13:30 – 16:30 |
| Character Descriptions #:1 | |
| Role Name: | JANE EYRE |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 20 |
| Role Information: | Our story’s protagonist. A young, strong-willed woman who is outwardly quiet, watchful and shy. Her beauty does not come from her physical appearance but rather from her character, humour, and strength. Vocal range top: E5 Vocal range bottom: F#3 Stage age: 18 to 21 |
| Character Descriptions #:2 | |
| Role Name: | EDWARD FAIRFAX ROCHESTER |
| Gender: | Male |
| Stage Age: | 30s |
| Role Information: | An intelligent and powerful male presence, he has been greatly damaged by life and is therefore quite prickly and demanding but has a keen sense of humour and engaging personality. Vocal range top: G4 Vocal range bottom: B2 Stage age: 30s to 40s |
| Character Descriptions #:3 | |
| Role Name: | Mrs Reed |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 40+ |
| Role Information: | Mrs Reed is Jane’s aunt and guardian who looks after Jane at Gateshead Hall. She is cruel towards Jane, offering her little happiness and punishing her relentlessly. |
| Character Descriptions #:4 | |
| Role Name: | MISS SCATCHERD |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 30+ |
| Role Information: | A teacher at Lowood, she is a hard-faced and embittered middle-aged woman whose nature has been warped by dogged obedience to Mr. Brocklehurst and a natural distrust of anything unusual or imaginative. Vocal range top: D5 Vocal range bottom: D4 |
| Character Descriptions #:5 | |
| Role Name: | MRS. FAIRFAX |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 50+ |
| Role Information: | Rochester’s elderly relation and the housekeeper of Thornfield Hall who is fussy, garrulous, and kind-hearted. Vocal range top: C5 Vocal range bottom: F3 |
| Character Descriptions #:6 | |
| Role Name: | GRACE POOLE |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 30+ |
| Role Information: | Bertha Mason’s minder and nurse who is caring and capable and has an occasional fondness for the liquor pot. Vocal range top: D5 Vocal range bottom: A3 |
| Character Descriptions #:7 | |
| Role Name: | LADY INGRAM |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 50+ |
| Role Information: | Blanche Ingram’s mother. An amply proportioned woman who wears an expression of almost insupportable haughtiness, her eyes are fierce and her voice deep. She is pompous and dogmatic. |
| Character Descriptions #:8 | |
| Role Name: | BLANCHE INGRAM |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 20s |
| Role Information: | The clever, sophisticated, and stunningly beautiful woman who is to be married to Rochester. She is witty and graceful but also possesses a stunning voice. Vocal range top: B5 Vocal range bottom: B3 Stage age: 20s to 30s |
| Character Descriptions #:9 | |
| Role Name: | BERTHA MASON |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 30s |
| Role Information: | Rochester’s mad wife, kept in the attic of Thornfield Hall. She is strangely beautiful yet a criminally deranged bride stuck in the moment of her final happiness. Vocal range top: C#5 Vocal range bottom: C#4 Stage age: 30s to 40s |
| Character Descriptions #:10 | |
| Role Name: | AGNES & ABBOT |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 20+ |
| Role Information: | Servants at Gateshead Hall Stage age: 20s to 30s |
| Character Descriptions #:11 | |
| Role Name: | SOPHIE, BESSIE & LEAH |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 20+ |
| Role Information: | Servants at Thornfield Hall. Stage age: 20s to 30s |
| Character Descriptions #:12 | |
| Role Name: | MR. BROCKLEHURST |
| Gender: | Male |
| Stage Age: | 40+ |
| Role Information: | The owner of Lowood School. He must be an imposing and frightening figure to Young Jane; cold-eyed, zealous and pontifical. Vocal range top: G4 Vocal range bottom: D3 |
| Character Descriptions #:13 | |
| Role Name: | RICHARD MASON |
| Gender: | Male |
| Stage Age: | 30+ |
| Role Information: | Bertha Mason’s brother. He is a well-educated gentleman, but mentally and emotionally weak as he is haunted by the wrong he has done to Rochester and the need to care for his deranged, unhappy sister. Vocal range top: G4 Vocal range bottom: C3 |
| Character Descriptions #:14 | |
| Role Name: | ST. JOHN RIVERS |
| Gender: | Male |
| Stage Age: | 20s |
| Role Information: | The appealing and handsome curate of the parish of Gateshead who is caring for Mrs Reed at her death. He is a complex young man, passionately devoted to his Christian faith and duty. Vocal range top: G4 Vocal range bottom: C3 Stage age: 20s to 30s |
| Character Descriptions #:15 | |
| Role Name: | ROBERT |
| Gender: | Male |
| Stage Age: | 30+ |
| Role Information: | The Butler at Thornfield, he is dry and intelligent, and a martyr to Mrs. Fairfax’s whims. An understanding and reliable servant to Rochester. Vocal range top: Bb3 Vocal range bottom: Bb2 |
| Character Descriptions #:16 | |
| Role Name: | LORD INGRAM |
| Gender: | Male |
| Stage Age: | 20s |
| Role Information: | Blanche’s brother. Stage age: 20s to 30s |
| Character Descriptions #:17 | |
| Role Name: | MARY INGRAM |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 20s |
| Role Information: | Blanche’s sister. Stage age: 20s to 30s |
| Character Descriptions #:18 | |
| Role Name: | YOUNG JANE EYRE |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 10 |
| Role Information: | Full of soul. Strong and wilful. Vocal range top: D5 Vocal range bottom: D4 Stage age: 10 to 12 |
| Character Descriptions #:19 | |
| Role Name: | HELEN BURNS |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 14 |
| Role Information: | A young woman of calm and spiritual demeanour whom Jane meets at Lowood School. She is intellectually and spiritually engaging. Teaches the young Jane her most important lesson in life. Vocal range top: C#5 Vocal range bottom: A3 Stage age: 14 to 16 |
| Character Descriptions #:20 | |
| Role Name: | ADELE |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 10 |
| Role Information: | A lively, curious, and affectionate young French girl, Adèle is Jane Eyre’s pupil at Thornfield Hall. Though often playful and dramatic, she longs for attention and stability, bringing charm and lightness to the darker corners of the story. Stage age: 10 to 12 |
| Character Descriptions #:21 | |
| Role Name: | YOUNG JOHN REED |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 14 |
| Role Information: | Jane’s cousin and heir to Gateshead Hall. He is her primary tormentor for the first ten years of her life, but he is never held accountable for his actions because his mother, Jane’s aunt and benefactor, is blind to her beloved son’s many faults. Stage age: 14 to 16 |
| Character Descriptions #:22 | |
| Role Name: | LOWOOD SCHOOLGIRLS |
| Gender: | Female |
| Stage Age: | 10+ |
| Role Information: | The schoolgirls at Lowood School where Jane is sent by her aunt, Mrs. Reed. Stage age: 10 to 18 |
More Information at: https://bit.ly/FBTC2026SeasonInfo
All adult cast members will need a Working With Children Check. Fifth Business Theatre Company will work with you to obtain this if necessary.
Contact: Dani Potter
fifthbusinesstheatrecompany@tyndale.sa.edu.au
