Please note that virtual performances require that the booking organization have access to a platform such as Zoom Pro or Business. Virtual events and some live performances also may require a reliable internet connection for streaming video content where applicable.
Ahead of Their Time: Inspiring Women of Literature
Runtime: 35 minutes, 45+ with Q&A
Description: This rousing dramatic reading features twelve of classic literature’s most exciting leading ladies and historical women who wrote brilliantly in defense of their gender: Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Eyre, Lysistrata, Anne of Green Gables, Mrs. “Marmee” March, and Shakespeare’s Beatrice; Joan of Arc, suffrage orator Anna E. Dickinson, and social reformer Olympe de Gouge; and writers Anne Bradstreet, Christine de Pizan, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Availability: in person (local) or virtual
Performance history: in-person at the International Women’s Day Festival at ReachArts in Swampscott, Mass. (March 2023)
Sample: Hear a two-part audio version on the ReachArts podcast (March 17, 2023 edition).
Jane & Rochester
Runtime: 20 minutes, 30+ with Q&A
Description: Jane Eyre sweeps audiences away to Thornfield Hall and into her tumultuous romance with Mr. Rochester in this costumed dramatic reading chronicling the novel’s central love story.
Availability: in person (local) or virtual
Performance history: City of Salem (MA) CultureHouse pop-up at the Old Town Hall (live, June 2022); Red Rock Literary Festival at ReachArts in Swampscott, Mass., (virtual, November 2021)
Sample: Hear an excerpt from the reading on the ReachArts podcast (November 11, 2021 edition).
Daring Women and Compelling Villains: Why We Still Fall for Shakespeare Today
Runtime: approx. 60 minutes, 1h10+ with Q&A
Description: (also titled Shakespeare’s Birthday Party when performed around Shakespeare’s birthday on April 23) a fun and informative slide presentation about the Bard by Julie and her husband, longtime history teacher Bryan Butters. The presentation includes live performances from Romeo and Juliet, Richard III (pictured), and As You Like It. (Photo by Linda Werbner for the Marblehead Current.)
Availability: in-person (local) or virtual (the latter would include pre-recorded Shakespeare scenes by the couple)
Performance history: in person for Shakespeare’s birthday weekend at the Swampscott Public Library in Swampscott, Mass., in April 2023.
Press: “The chemistry between the couple was palpable as they descended into the murderous and scheming world of Richard III, the passion and tenderness of Romeo and Juliet and the rollicking hijinks of As You Like It.” —Linda Werbner, in an article for the Marblehead Current
Testimonial: “The accomplished pair of Julie and Bryan Butters present a thoroughly enjoyable and informative introduction to Shakespeare. Their program, an engaging mix of history, performance and literary discussion, is a perfect fit for library teen and adult audiences. The enthusiasm and expertise of actress Julie and teacher Bryan shine throughout.”—Beverly Shank, Friends of the Swampscott Public Library
Sample: Watch Julie and Bryan perform a scene from As You Like It in Flock Theatre’s Shakespeare Sketches.
Jane Eyre original film screening and Q&A
Runtime: 1h52 (screening), 2h10+ with Q&A, add 10-30mn if including a slide presentation about the making of the film
Description: Screening of a full-length Zoom film adapted from Charlotte Brontë’s novel by Julie for Flock Theatre of New London, Conn., and filmed during the pandemic with live actors and shadow puppetry. Featuring Julie as adult Jane, the film is available for free viewing online. An optional slide presentation gives audiences a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film.
Availability: The screening may take place in person or audiences may watch the film on their own and gather for an in-person (local) or virtual discussion and Q&A. May be combined with the 30-minute (or less) presentation Flock Theatre’s Jane Eyre: Translating the Gothic from Page to Stage to Screen, described below. (Image courtesy of Flock Theatre)
Performance history: Virtual screenings with talkbacks featuring Julie, Eric Michaelian (Rochester), and director Derron Wood have been performed virtually for the Sawyer Free Library in Gloucester, Mass. (May 2021) and the Swampscott Public Library in Swampscott, Mass. (November 2020)
Sample: View the trailer or full film.
Flock Theatre’s Jane Eyre: Translating the Gothic from Page to Stage to Screen
Runtime: 30 minutes, 40+ with Q&A, add 1h52mn if including screening
Description: This slide presentation explores the making of the 2020 Zoom film Jane Eyre, a full-length production adapted by Julie for Flock Theatre and filmed during the pandemic with live actors and shadow puppetry. Ideally preceded by an at-home viewing of the film, which is available for free online, or an on-site screening, coupled with a Q&A. The slide presentation may be adapted to suit a shorter time frame if needed. (Image courtesy of Flock Theatre)
Availability: in person (local) or virtual
Performance history: Gothic Scholars group of the International Gothic Association (July 2021, virtual).
Looking for something else?
Contact me to discuss the possibility of custom-creating or adapting a program for your audience. My special interests are classic literature (including but not limited to the works of Shakespeare and Jane Austen, as well as Little Women and Jane Eyre, both of which I have adapted into plays) and fairy tales. The copyright for any work created, and the ability to perform the work elsewhere, would be retained by the performer.
Kindly direct booking inquiries to my contact page.
Julie Butters 