2012 program of events

Please Note: Season Ticket Holders have automatic entry from Thursday to Sunday night.

MAIN EVENTS

Thursday Night - Opening Launch at the National Film & Sound Archives, followed by a special film screening.

Pride and Prejudice 
Dir. Robert Z Leonard, USA, 1940, 118mins, B&W, 35mm, (G) 
Filmed in beautiful black and white and starring Greer Garson and Lawrence Olivier, this 1940 adaptation was critically well received in its day. The New York Times described the film as "the most deliciously pert comedy of old manners, the most crisp and crackling satire in costume that we in this corner can remember ever having seen on the screen." However, among aficionados this movie adaptation is notorious for drastically diverging from the original novel,  not least being the the period of dress. For added interest Aldous Huxley served as one of the screenwriters. 
Thursday 12 April 2012, 7pm 
Arc cinema, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, McCoy Circuit, Acton 

Friday Night - Regency Variety Night!
An evening of various pleasures! From improvised dramatic performances, to singing, display dances, musical numbers and scripted performances – all with a Regency flavour! A regency soiree with a 21st century twist. Light supper provided at interval.

Saturday - Festival Country Fayre
Nestled on the beautiful lawns of St Johns Church this is an opportunity to purchase a good book or join in the archery competition. Additional stalls include haberdashers and milliners as well as devonshire teas, bbq and delicious cakes.

Saturday Night - Jane Austen Festival Ball
Relive the romance and frivolity of Regency times with a grand ball complete with candlelight, regency treats and traditional live music. Light supper provided at interval.

Napoleonic period gaming room next door to Ballroom: By the mid 18th C many of the games that had been played throughout the medieval period and into the period of the Civil War had been forgotten or changed. The two great survivors Backgammon and Chess were still popular but had adopted different rules. Dice games and card playing were still ever present. We are gathering together a range of games popular from the latter part of the 18th C through to the first twenty or so years of the 19th C. Some of these games continued to be popular while others were forgotten.

The Conspirators – A board game where either two or four players attempt to take their men to safety
Queen’s Guards - A board game where two players race to protect their queen
Aslato - A development of the medieval board game Fox and Geese where attention is turned from the rural to the military.
Dominoes - Plain wooden dominoes or bone dominoes are offered
Polish or Continental Draughts - This is draughts played on a 10x10 board with twenty men aside. The concept is similar but the rules are different. This is the game played today in parts of mainland Europe
Period playing cards - many options

Sunday Morning - Costumed Promenade Join over 100 people dressed in Regency costume for this spectacular feature of the Festival. Departing from the Commonwealth Park Chess Board, the promenade takes about one hour and finishes nearby for a regency potluck picnic.

TALKS & CLASSES (Friday & Saturday)

Regency Dance Workshops, all day Friday 13 and Saturday 14 April (plus a pre-festival English Dance Week 10, 11 & 12 April)
In preparation for the Jane Austen Festival Ball on Saturday 14 April 2012 these dance workshops are an ideal opportunity to get to know or become better acquainted with some of the dance steps and dances. It is not necessary to wear costume but comfortable smooth-soled shoes are essential. The first sessions of the day on Friday &/or Saturday are necessary if you wish to dance at the ball.

Punches, Cordials & Refreshers
Explore the variety of flavoursome & thought-to-be wholesome beverages enjoyed in Jane Austen's times. We will prepare liquid treats to serve at supper, based on authentic Regency and traditional recipes.

Maria MacArthur
In 1812 Maria MacArthur was about to embark on a challenging and new-life's role in the Australian colony - as bride-to-be she would beanaging her own domestic empire. A benevolent Aunt sent her a detailed letter from England advising her on all manner of household matters, including instructions on how to host sociable dinners and parties. Today we examine her catering repertoire to gain a insight into Regency tastes culinary and social!

Marriage a la Mode
The two best-known letters in Jane Austen's novels come from Captain Wentworth and Mr Darcy. One is leading up to a marriage proposal and the other is after a rejected proposal. Each was hand-delivered as young women did not receive letters from men to whom they were not engaged .. which made things a bit difficult! But marriage in Regency times was full of pitfalls, what with banns and special licences, dowries, settlements and jointures ... but is it really any easier nowadays?

Txting Austen - the challenge of converting letters to performance
How does a screenwriter or playwright deal with letters when adapting a novel to stage and screen? What are their options when letters carry so much important information? The session will offer not only an outline with examples of how various writers have handled this but also a fun hands-on approach! Adaptations and transformations offer all sorts of approaches limited only by the imagination!

The novels in the letters
What can we find out about the writing, publication and reception of the novels from reading Jane Austen's letters?

Jane Austen's novels in contemporary society
In recent years we have seen a proliferation of novels loosely based on Jane Austen's work. Bridget Jones' Diary and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to name a few. Harper Collins have just commissioned a new series based on Jane Austen's work. Well known novelist Joanna Trollope will be rewriting Sense and Sensibility. Five more authors will be chosen to rewrite Austen's other novels. Sophia will speak about these modern rewrites and discuss whether they enhance or hinder Austen's work?

Jane Austen in Wales
Did Jane Austen ever visit Wales? A letter from her niece Anna to her half-brother suggests the family went there.
What would they be doing? What was Wales like in Regency times?

Music in the life of a Regency family
We often know about the musical greats of a particular era, but how much relevance did they have for their contemporaries? Was a musical education really a sign of a well-schooled young lady? Did gentlemen do any music study as a general rule? Did every good home have a pianoforte, and how often was it used? And in what stead were professional musicians held in society? Taking Jane Austen's letters as a starting point, this seminar will present samples of popular music of the time and a discussion of the role it played in everyday life in Regency England.

DANCE PROGRAM

Friday
9:15-10:30 The Austen era country dance—an introduction to 'the felicities of rapid motion'.
11:00-12:15 We're not at war with Paris—the French dances enjoyed in Austen's England.
1:30-2:45 The new craze from Scotland and what Darcy meant when he mentioned the reel.
3:15-4:30 The knotty German dance—the salsa of the Regency era.

EVENING VARIETY NIGHT & DINNER DANCE - Dances drawn from daytime repertoire.

Saturday
9:15-10:30 So tonight we' gonna party like it's 1799—What you need to know to fudge the ball.
11:00-12:30 Dances that went to the music and names in the Austen family manuscripts.
1:30-2:45 Imports from Austria and Russia—including the Duke of Devonshire's favourite.
3:15-4:30 The easy minuet of the day—and howit became a folk dance.

GRAND EVENING BALL - Dances drawn from daytime repertoire.

Sunday
11am-ish, Chess pit in Commonwealth Park - The 32 person Chess dance—a hit in 2010—& other fun dances.
3:15-5:00pm Church Hall- 'It's a hard set that doesn't ask for more'—a Jane Austen House party with dances linked to her family plus your requests.

Limited Attendance Sewing Workshops

Because of the strong interest in the sewing workshops, we are opening up a lottery system on the 23 October 2011. Ticket holders choose two classes as their first choice, and then rate the others in case they miss out on their first choice. Where there is extreme interest in a class we will attempt to repeat it. Those with tickets will receive an email on the 23 October 2011 with an online submission form to fill in.

Beginning Embroidery – Regency Reticule (limited to 15) Students will learn the basics of surface embroidery while making a regency-era monogrammed reticule. We will cover backstitch, whipped backstitch, chain stitch, detached chain (lazy daisy) and outline stitch. We'll do the embroidery in class and students can make up the reticule in their own time.
Regency 'Betsie' or Neck Ruff/Frill (limited to 15) Fashion follows cycles, and so we see the Elizabethan ruff influencing the wearing of neck ruffs and frills during the regency period. This ruff earnt the names of 'Betsie' from Elizabeth I and 'cherusse' as the name given to starched lace collarettes. It was worn with high-necked gowns and as decoration with lower-necked dresses. In August 1815, Mirror of Fashion, a section of the Ladies' Monthly Museum mentions "a double Frill of worked muslin round the neck". Class members will make a single neck frill from white lawn and ribbon.
Adapting Sleeves for the Larger Figure  (limited to 15) Many of us no longer have the sylph-like figures of youth.  Learn to manipulate a sleeve pattern to fit larger upper arms.  (This method is also suitable for gentlemen with large biceps, but we will be looking primarily at ladies styles.)   BYO paper, paper scissors, ruler, sticky tape, pencil, eraser, pen, and tape measure.  I will bring a basic ‘puff sleeve’ pattern and a more fitted long sleeve for you to alter, but please feel free to bring your own sleeve pattern to work on. Make a Plume (limited to 15) Working on the information from the demo on Feathers last year, this is your chance to make a feather Plume for yourself.  A plume is generally constructed of 2 or 3 feathers sewn together and often wired, and then curled.  Feathers and wire will be supplied for a cost of $10.  Feathers will be either white, black or natural.  You are welcome to bring your own feathers (you’ll need 3 ostrich feathers/drabs of approximately 30cm/12”) Make a Regency ‘Saque’ Hat (limited to 15) This is a hat that comes under Turbans and I think it is the Regency version of the Beanie – always a good hat for those bad hair days (as are most turbans).  A Saque is made in a similar fashion to a mob cap or caul, so it can be easily sewn by hand (there’s really not much sewing) so there’s no need to bring a sewing machine along to this workshop. BYO 50cm length of fabric (115-150cm width)*, matching thread, sewing needles, pins and scissors.  (Optional tassel or bead dangle. Other decoration to be discussed during the workshop.) * Choosing Fabric: The fabric you choose will depend on whether you plan to wear it in the day or evening.  The Saque works best in a fabric that has some body, but still drapes well.  Some acetate brocades will work well for an evening Saque, but for day wear look for something less shiny, like a wool challis, or crepe.  A stiff cotton, or a taffeta won’t work well.  If you want a pattern, stick to middle eastern styles rather than a floral.
Quilted Regency Coats - (limited to 15) Regency coats were worn to keep the wearer both warm and dry. Stitching patterns were used to hold the wadding in place, and often these stitches were just as beautiful a design as the garment itself. See an antique regency coat up close and study how it was put together. Workshop participants will then make a copy of its collar.
Make a Regency Letterbook - (limited to 15) On her trip to the US in March 2011, Aylwen was fascinated by the Georgian and Regency letterbooks. Although quite small, they are large enough to hold letters, and in particular some feature designs indicating they were used to hold love letters. Workshop participants will start making a silk taffeta regency letterbook, and take away a kit to finish making it in their own time.
Make a Regency Bonnet - (limited to 15) In this workshop you will make a simple cotton or silk sun bonnet. Bring your own fabric cutting scissors, sewing needles, pins, thread in same colour as your fabric, fabric marking pen/chalk, 50cm of 100% cotton or silk (115-150cm width) and 100cm of 1" wide matching ribbon. Pattern & handout will be provided. If you wish to make a more elaborate, structured bonnet, do enrol in the pre-festival 2-day bonnet making workshop at http://jafa2012.eventbrite.com/.