New Oxford theatre company Thistledown are staging the classic Emma in the beautiful setting of a city church. Artistic director Laurence Goodwin tells Tim Hughes how it came about

Jane Austen's Emma is a classic of English literature; a period piece of manners and social mores harking back to a more elegant, civilized time.

So what better place to stage a production than Oxford's University Church – St. Mary the Virgin, in Radcliffe Square.

This week, a new Oxford-based company, Thistledown Theatre, is performing a production of the tale, with a cast of local talent.

Artistic Director Laurence Goodwin is among those responsible for bringing this much-loved story to life in a superlative setting.

So why Emma? "It is a cracking story and one of the most interesting and modern pieces from Austen's canon," she says.

"This is the story of a woman who lacks nothing; she has a freedom stemming from her wealth and social position which lessen the pressure to marry (a constant obsession in most of Austen's works) and hence, allows the story to explore other themes in more depth: friendship, self-awareness and society.

"I loved the fact that though this is an Austen, and, thus, preoccupied with matrimony. But, at the end of the day, that is a side-issue to the primary story of self-development and knowledge which we witness through Emma's experience."

A former member of the Oxford Theatre Guild (appearing as Lizzie Bennet in Pride and Prejudice at Trinity College six years ago, she has been a formidable experience backstage – directing Hay Fever at the OFS in December 2014 and working with local theatre groups, including Eynsham's The Bartholomew Players for whom she directed their production of Relative Values earlier this year.

She goes on: "I always find that choosing what to produce is one of the hardest parts of the entire process. Throughout, you’re always thinking 'What interests us and excites us as a company?', 'What do audiences want to see right now?', “What can we cast well?.

"It can take a very long time to find something that will work. Once we had chosen, we started thinking about what the show would look like in terms of set, costumes, general design.

And why the church? It can't be the easiest of spaces in which to work.

"We looked at several venues early on in the process," she says. "Having been a part of OTG’s very successful production of Pride and Prejudice a few years ago, I was set on using an outdoor space.

"We had a totally rain free run that year and I think I had an extremely optimistic view of an English summer. Then someone mentioned the dreaded “R” word: rain. What would we do if it rains?

"I realised we didn’t have to do a summer show in the way that everyone else in Oxford does – delightful as the castle and college gardens are – so I came up with a list of central Oxford venues which would be suitable for a large scale summer show but without the additional factor of fighting the elements.

"After a few phone calls and lots of emails, we booked the University Church. It’s usually used as a concert space, so there were some challenges, namely the fact that the 'stage' is really the platform on which the altar normally sits and measures 3m x 4m – which is not very much room when you consider that we have a cast of 12!

"Ana-Maria Niculcea who manages events at the church has been so helpful throughout the entire production and gave us the support we needed to essentially turn it into a theatre for our two week run.

he script is very impressionistic in its approach: a series of short scenes give the broad brush strokes of the main action so there really wasn’t any need to approach it like a drawing room piece in the way that a designer might be tempted to in a traditional theatrical setting."

She adds: "Having been given the opportunity to use the iconic and impressive space of St Mary the Virgin, we wanted to produce a show which would complement the natural beauty and weight of history evident in the building itself.

"The more we rehearsed and used the space, the more a Jane Austen piece seemed like the right fit; while rehearsing in the venue, we kept in mind that Austen herself may have visited during her brief stay in Oxford.

"I like to think that when you see our players wandering among the pillars and down the aisles of the Church, you are seeing the echoes of people who walked here two hundred years ago. Such is Oxford."

And it is a thouroughly Oxford production. Laurence says: "My husband Jamie is the company's co-founder and producer and our lead actress, Sarah Pyper went to Brookes and stayed on after her degree; we met playing sisters during Pride and Prejudice.

"Our costume designer is Eynsham girl made good, Izzy Pellow, and we are also using the talents of Ally Baker, a local seamstress and costumer for some of our costumes.

"We are very Oxford-centric and Oxford-esque!"

And, she says, there are great things to follow. "This is Thistledown's first official show, and you can expect a huge variety of things in future, from Fringe shows, to new writing, to beautiful classics.

"The Oxford theatre scene is alive and kicking, with so many professional and semi-professional companies operating in the city. We are really excited to be a part of it all."

Jane Austin is at St Mary the Virgin Church, Oxford until Saturday.

Tickets are £15 from oxfordplayhouse.com/ticketsoxford