Jekyll & Hyde: National Theatre's school tour

In January 2024, the National Theatre is set to tour a 90-minute production of Evan Placey's Jekyll & Hyde to 60 state schools across England. The show is a reimaging of the gothic novella, leveraging live performance as a tool to engage school students with contemporary issues. Robert Louis Stevenson's infamous story has been cleverly reworked by Placey, who draws parallels between the marginalisation of women in Victorian society and contemporary challenges they face.

The play opens with Hattie (Jekyll) seeking to continue the legacy of her late scientist husband. Placey also introduces a second protagonist, Florence, a 21^st century blogger who writes fan fiction. Both women confront misogynistic views in their respected eras; Hattie is rejected by her husband's colleagues for suggesting her desire to conduct medical research and Florence is patronised by the police as an ‘eighteen-year-old little girl’ when she tries to report online trolling. The two stories unexpectedly intersect at the end of Act 1, when Hattie is unveiled as a character in Florence's fan fiction, illustrating the endurance of the aforementioned themes over time.

(in)Visibility

The production is brought to life by a company of eight actors, directed by Kirsty Housley who outlines its importance as a piece, which spotlights relevant topics and is something students may ‘see themselves represented’ in. The original Jekyll & Hyde is still a staple of GCSE exam specifications, but as Housley notes, this is a version audiences will ‘not be expecting’. Although Hattie's Hyde remains true to form, the production departs from the original story. In Florence's words, we are told it is ‘not appropriating the classic narratives to make them relevant […]’ it is ‘reappropriating them’. This reappropriation centres on the women, who Placey wrote are ‘not allowed to be part’ of the original story, underlining the barriers they face, as they fight to be taken seriously.

Housley proposes that the production raises questions through the female characters and the protest marches that provide a backdrop in both eras, asking ‘how do you create change?’ in a world that is riddled with mistrust and corruption.

Duality

A core theme in Jekyll & Hyde is duality, concerned with the good and evil sides of human nature. This is core to the design of the show and Placey indicates ‘there should be lots of mirrors integrated into the set’ which is realised by Amanda Stoodley for the tour. In the school's tour performance this theme is given prominence partly, Housley explains, through casting, as several actors have two roles that showcase dichotomous characteristics.

‘Housley wants students to see the world differently and see themselves differently’

For instance, Ellie Gallimore plays Josephine, a campaigner for women's suffrage and DC Williams, a female officer who is subordinated by her male colleague. As a stylistic choice, it emphasises that societal constructs continue to pervade expectations of gender as well as illuminating the notion of alter-egos that fascinate Jekyll.

Multi-role playing & identity

Multi-role playing is also a clear feature of the production. Actor Philip Bosworth takes on three ‘evil’ characters: Judge Enfield, officer Rose and Doctor Lanyon who he discusses, have to ‘die three different ways’ which he says has been a fun challenge to differentiate. It also sends a message about how the misogyny and hypocrisy these characters embody, is not possible to extinguish.

More broadly the production deals with multiple identities and how they are perceived. For example, Hattie is told she will ‘put this whole Society into disrepute’ when she asks to join the male scientists. Later, when she transforms into (Flossie) Hyde, she encounters the same men in an ill-reputed Soho bar, who show no respect towards the sex-workers they use. It brings to the fore how female sex workers in the 19^th century were cast as villains, resonating Housley explains with how ‘today women are often still blamed for things that happen to them’ (in the education pack, p. 8).

She outlines it is an important story to share citing recent research that showed ‘on average girls experience sexual harassment from the age of 13’. Using theatre to introduce sensitive issues Housley and Bosworth suggest, is a safe forum to start the conversation, as it is ‘one step removed’ presented through a ‘heightened reality’.

Protests

The protests which occur in the play concern women's suffrage in the Victorian setting and abortion rights in the present day. This is undoubtedly timely, given number of marches seen on the streets this year. Nonetheless, as Housley contemplates, these are not a catalyst for change, in the play or reality as the right ‘people aren't listening’. In the protagonists we see both ‘trying to do the right thing: ’Florence went to the police, but they ignored her’. Housley explains that ‘her words didn't matter’.

However, when violence is triggered by the words Florence uses online to describe her character murdering a policeman, ‘then they matter’. This raises questions Housley articulates, like ‘what is a good activist?’ and ‘when does that tip into being a terrorist’? Given both Hattie and Florence seek support via the ‘right’ people (in this instance the police) but are dismissed, it also provokes the audience to ask: ‘who do you trust’?

Being (a)live

The show, Housley hopes will once again ‘fire up the imagination’ of the audience who are more likely to experience seeing stories told through a screen than live. Since its first inception in 2022, the company have adapted how they present the show, to help students understand the ‘high level of artifice’ they are watching. This includes having the actors in the performance space pre-show, before they transform into characters onstage. The stage managers and technicians are also ever present during the performance, so as Bosworth notes, students ‘get to see the mechanics of theatre’. These choices, the company feel have ‘brought humanity to the show’ and helped young people to engage with live performance.

Appropriately for a story concerned with duality, the production serves another purpose, giving students the opportunity to see a show for the first-time, which Bosworth suggests is of the same ‘high quality’ as going to theatre. Counteracting the diminishing emphasis on drama is schools, Jekyll & Hyde will support the ‘hidden curriculum’ which is so often overlooked. This includes learning how to engage with theatre as an audience, inculcating values which enrich cultural capital. But what does the company want young people to get from the show?

The theme of identity is strong Housley reflects, suggesting she wants the students ‘to see the world differently and see themselves differently’. There is no doubt Jekyll & Hyde breathes new life into a classic tale, boldly opening up a dialogue about complex issues young audiences face. And as Bosworth concludes-seeing theatre like this is, ‘the best thing ever’.

Resources and Links

If the NT tour is not visiting your school the play is still worth exploring with students. The education pack contains activities which could be used when teaching political theatre or with PSHE curriculum topics such as misogyny, toxic masculinity and social media influence.

There will be public performances of Jekyll & Hyde at the Lowry Theatre in Salford in January 2024, a Theatre Nation Partner. Convened by the National Theatre, Theatre Nation Partnerships is a collaborative network of arts organisations across 13 priority areas across England from North Devon to Sunderland aiming to widen cultural participation.

• To book tickets for Jekyll & Hyde at the Lowry go to: nationaltheatre.org.uk/whats-on/jekyll-hyde-schools-tour

• Feguson, S. (2022). Jekyll & Hyde Education Pack. London: National Theatre. Available at: images.nationaltheatre.org.uk/uploads/2023/11/2024-Jekyll-Hyde-education-resource.pdf

• Pacey, E. (2017) Jekyll & Hyde. London: Nick Hern Books.