Salem Writer, Actress Brings History Alive At CultureHouse

SALEM, MA — Julie Butters will help commemorate the 175th anniversary of "Jane Eyre" this week with a live reading more than two years in the making.

The Salem-based writer and actress, whose stage adaptation of Jane Eyre was produced as a Zoom film in 2020 but not performed live because of COVID-19 restrictions, will perform readings from the novel on Thursday at the CultureHouse at the Old Town Hall.

The solo project "Jane & Rochester" — a 20-minute, costumed, dramatic reading from the Charlotte Bronte novel — will start at 3 p.m. and be followed by a brief question-and-answer session. A second reading will begin at 3:30.

"I'm very excited for the opportunity to perform Jane & Rochester in person for the first time," Butters told Patch on Tuesday. "I originally presented the piece via Zoom for the Red Rock Literary Festival in fall 2021, as we had COVID-related concerns about meeting on-site.

"I'm grateful to the city of Salem and CultureHouse for giving artists the chance to connect live with the community through the pop-up at Old Town Hall."

Connecticut's Flock Theatre produced her work as a Zoom film that garnered more than 4,300 views on YouTube. The production was featured as the cover story of Spring 2022 01907 The Magazine.

"Artists continue to be creative in finding new ways to reach people during COVID, but there's a special magic when you connect with an audience in person," Butters said. "I hope my performance will help people re-experience how joyful live theatre can be."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)