The production, titled Tess , will tour the UK from October to April 2024.

Circus Theatre company Ockham’s Razor is set to present a new version of Hardy’s classic novel, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, which will combine the original text with the physical language of circus, allowing the performers to recreate the well-known story of power, loss and endurance through a feminist lens.

This is the company’s first production based on a novel, with the script having been written by Ockham’s Razor using Hardy’s own words, with advice from Anne Marie Casey, an acclaimed novelist and screenwriter who has previously adapted Little Women and Wuthering Heights for the stage.

Tess will feature an ensemble of circus performers from diverse backgrounds, five women and two men. Directed by Alex Harvey and Charlotte Mooney, the cast will include: Macadie Amoroso, Joshua Frazer, Lauren Jamieson, Lila Naruse, Victoria Skillen and Leah Wallings.

Meanwhile, the creative team includes: choreography by Nathan Johnston, Composition, Sound Design and Production by Holly Khan, Set and Costume Design by Tina Bicât, Lighting Design by Aideen Malone and Projection Design by Daniel Denton.

Talking about the news: Directors Alex Harvey and Charlotte Mooney comment, “Tess of the D’Urbervilles has been adapted before for TV and film but it always struck us that the poetry of the book, the radical nature of it and the strength and heroism of Tess was often lost in translation. Over time we became increasingly convinced that circus, and all the physicality of it, would be the perfect medium for capturing all the many elements of the novel. One of the surprises in the creation of Tess is how much joy and humour there is to find in the novel and the staging. There is a seam of joy in there which is captured by the play and collaboration of the ensemble.”

To find out more about the production visit: https://www.ockhamsrazor.co.uk/news-stories