Janae is a contemporary coming-of-age modern retelling of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre–set in the working-class town of Darbyville, Ohio, where a group of teens—including 17-year-old Janae—navigate identity, loyalty, and loss in a place that often feels too small for their dreams. As tensions simmer between lifelong locals and outsiders, friendships are tested, secrets surface, and the teens confront painful truths about family, community, and what it means to belong. With settings like the Darbyville Animal Shelter, a local school, and Aunt Sara’s home, the play captures the raw, tender, and often funny moments of adolescence on the edge of adulthood. At the heart of the story is Janae, whose journey reflects the emotional weight of growing up in a town where the past clings tightly and the future feels just out of reach.
The story
Producing it
Cast19 to 25 actors, with doubling. As written, 10 female and 9 male roles. You can change lines, roles and genders to fit your students.
SetShelter, school, living room, hospital bed.
TechA scrim with projections runs throughout. Plan for animal and alarm sound effects, an intake desk and stacked cages, a messy cat gag, a hospital bed, and lots of phones. One stage slap to choreograph.
For your scene-stealersA lead role at the heart of the story, a funny overnight shelter scene with an invisible cat, charged two-person confrontations, and a hallway chorus for the ensemble.
