Sunday 1 April 2007

Being the April Fool that I am, I offer, for your viewing pleasure, the first report published in the Hampshire Chronicle about my partner, which appeared prior to the run of her play. Although why anyone would want to read it is beyond my comprehension. This is a cut'n'paste job, because AOL wouldn't co-operate with me in pasting the scanned cutting in here. Grrrowl.

Coincidentally yours — Ruth’s play about Jane


Ruth ---

LESS than two weeks after the release of a film on the 19th-century novelist, Ropley Dramatic Society is to put on a play about Jane Austen.

Affectionately Yours, Jane Austen, by Ruth --, which runs at Ropley Village Hall for three nights next week, uses surviving letters from Jane and her sister, Cassandra.

Ruth has written a series of interlinking correspondence between the pair that highlights their deep friendship and the social climate of the time.

Ruth, --- resident, said: "It's quite exciting because I am really passionate about Jane Austen and, hopefully, I have written something that will help people to see her as a normal person, with normal hopes and fears.

"She was a girl just like most girls, rather than some goddess of literature.

"She was just a human being. I think it's nice, hopefully, to present that side of things to people. If just one person goes away from it and reads one of her books, then it would great."

Ruth said it was a complete accident that her play coincided with the release of Becoming Jane, a film that explores Austen's own love affairs.

She said: "This is truly weird. I did not know about this film. It's a bit annoying becausea lot of people think I am cashing in on it. It's just a coincidence!"

Ruth has written three plays, but this is the first to be performed to an audience.

She plays Cassandra Austen in this production, in which Jane is played by Tracey Wickham, and she has appeared in close to 10 plays for Ropley Dramatic Society, as well as four at the Chesil Theatre, Winchester.

As well as writing, directing, producing and performing in the play, Ruth has a couple of other writing projects on the go.

These include a book about her granddad's wartime experiences and an award-winning blog, http://journals.aol.co.uk /ruthnjasper/the-dogs-blog/ - it was AOL blog of the week.

Affectionately Yours, Jane Austen, runs from March 22 to 24.

Tickets from --.

Good day.