Welcome Jackie! Thank you
very much for agreeing to this interview with me today, to find out a little more
about what's involved with organising such an event as The Jane Austen
Festival.
I was very excited to
receive this year's programme - the 16th annual festival! - and the schedule is
as packed and brilliant as ever. I am very much looking forward to attending my
3rd festival.
1. First things first, how did you first come to love Jane Austen? I was
introduced to Pride and Prejudice at school. Do you have a firm favourite among
her works?
 |
| My first festival in 2014 |
I
was given the book Pride and Prejudice by my best friend when I was about 16,
she said “you will like this it is better than Jilly Cooper” we were reading
all the girl books by Jilly Cooper at the time. She was right too!
Probably
P&P as I have read it more times than any of the others but I love them all
really for slightly different reasons. Northanger Abbey is hilarious and great
if you know Bath.
2. Aside from a love of Jane, of course, what inspired you to
begin the festival? How did you go about starting such an event? When you had
the first festival I was only 4 years old, but I believe it was just a few days
to begin with?
 |
Meeting Wickham, Adrian Lukis, a festival patron, in 2014
|
I didn’t begin the festival –
David Baldock the owner of the Jane Austen Centre started the Festival and was
its first Director. I was involved from the beginning but behind the scenes and
acting as a steward in the early days when the numbers were less. His
inspiration was that at the time there was not much going on in Bath in
September, the weather was usually ok and he wanted to celebrate our favourite
author with special events and do something different not just the Jane Austen
Centre exhibition.
Now I feel old! Only 4 when
we started! The first Festival was 2001 and was held over a weekend and the
majority of events were at the Jane Austen Centre. The following year 2002 it
changed to 10 days and 2004 was the first year of the Promenade.
3. Now the festival spreads across a wonderful 10 days! I
remember in a conversation we had last festival about the vast number of
tickets you have to handle with the number of events through the week there are
to attend. So, what exactly are the numbers? Just how many tickets do go up for
sale for the festival?
84.5% of the tickets on sale
were sold in 2015. There were 466 Prom tickets sold (some join in without
paying and some are comps so the estimate is that there were over 600 taking
part in the Prom). With Prom tickets added to the Box Office total the stewards
during the ten days deal with just over 4,000 tickets and people!
(This photo shows the gathering before the promenade in 2014 with about 550 people!)
4. The festival has an
international attendance. I meet people from all over the world during the
events. Outside of the UK, where do most attendees come from? Does the number
of countries keep rising every year? Where are the most obscure countries you
have had visitors from?
In
2015 the figures were:
 |
| That's me! ^ |
UK
– outside of Bath = 44%
USA
= 24%
Europe
= 19%
Australia
= 6%
Canada
= 4%
Locals/Bath
= 3%
Europe
covers Netherlands, Italy, France, Spain, Eire, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland,
Israel, Austria, Norway and Germany. We have also had visitors from Russia and
this year have some coming from Japan and China. The Russians are very into JA
and we had a Russian TV crew filming aspects of the Festival in 2014. Jane
Austen enthusiasts are worldwide.
The number of different countries does keep increasing. Japan is
probably the most unusual.
5. What is your favourite thing about
the festival? I always love the feeling of community and the happy atmosphere
around Bath during the festival!
 |
| Promenade 2015 |
This
is a really difficult question to answer – I work all year round to prepare for
the ten days (and the Summer Ball) and to make it go well I am on tenterhooks
the entire time but I love it when the plan comes together! My favourite event
however has to be the Promenade as I get to walk at the very front and I love
seeing the visitor’s faces on the streets as we pass by.
I
also get a big kick out of people enjoying themselves and hate it if anything
goes wrong. The best thing is when someone comes up to me and says how much
they liked an event or how they are coming back next year because they have had
such a good time. That really is why I keep doing the job and next year will be
my 10th as Festival Director.
6. I have to say, you have a
wonderful wardrobe! Where do you get your gorgeous outfits from? Do you sew
them yourself?
They
are a mix of made by my Mum who was a professional dressmaker, bought online
and made by a local dressmaker. Unfortunately I simply don’t have the time to
make them myself and after making my Ball gown and evening pelisse Mum has
refused to make anything else. But then she is 86 so I think she can retire
don’t you.
7. As I mentioned, I was thrilled,
yet again, with this year's programme. I was particularly pleased to see the return
of John White and John Mullan. I am also looking forward to Austen Undone which
I missed last year, and I am very excited by the prospect of Pride and
Prejudice the Musical! Of course, the promenade is always one of the highlights
for me. The number seems to rise every year; how many took part last year? The
weather wasn't wonderful but it still seemed to be a very good turn out!
 |
| John White's crime and punishment talk last year |
466
bought tickets, another 50 at least were comps and then there were the
gatecrashers who just join on without paying. All in all just under 600 I
should think. I
8. Was there a reason where the
promenade route has been changed this year? It will, of course, be lovely to
have the fayre in the Assembly Rooms. I will miss having everyone in their
finery strolling around the Parade Gardens at the end though!
 |
My silhouette I had cut at the
fayre in the guild hall
|
Yes
and not my choice either – though actually the Assembly Rooms will be lovely to
use. Unfortunately the Guildhall was booked out for a charity dinner in the
evening. Apparently a long standing booking so as I couldn’t use that venue I
had to rethink. We could have used the Pavilion but that isn’t an 18th
Century building so I went for the Assembly Rooms. I have booked the Guildhall
for 2017 though.
9. As we all know, next year is a big
year for Jane Austen, being the bicentenary of her death, and of the publication
of Northanger and Persuasion. Are plans already underway for 2017? Do we have
much to look forward to for such a monumental year? I am also pleased to see
Jane Austen coming onto the ten pound note in 2017 too.
2017
is the bicentenary of Austen’s death which is a sad time really, so anything
will be low key as far as marking that anniversary goes. I have lots of things
in mind for 2017 and one thing booked but not for public consumption yet. It is
also my 10th anniversary as Director so I might think of something
really special!
 |
| John White's 'So, you think you're sick' talk |
Thank
you very much for visiting Laughing With Lizzie and for giving us a further
insight into everything that goes into The Jane Austen Festival!
Thanks Lizzie/Sophie, see you at the Summer Ball and from 9th
to 18th September 2016 at the Festival. Full details of the festival
are on our website www.janeaustenfestivalbath.co.uk
Best wishes
Jackie Herring – Festival Director
The Jane Austen Festival
BATH - UK
Your affectionate friend,
