Ever puzzled what would it not be wish to see all of Jane Austen’s characters co-exist in a single universe? Properly, Austen College is your likelihood!
Austen College is a TV present the place each single one in all your favourite Jane Austen characters exist on a contemporary faculty campus, coping with life, roommates, jobs, friendships, and, after all, romance.
This can be a present written by ladies, for girls. And YOU can assist make it a actuality!
How?
By donating to their project on Seed & Spark and serving to them shoot the pilot episode so it may possibly then get shopped round, and, hopefully, one of many many streamers and networks on the market will likely be sensible sufficient to select up this sequence and provides it the shot it deserves.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Austen College’s three writers and creators – Bryn Randall, Kari Iroz and Chantel Magistro – to get the inside track on this challenge.
If you wish to assist help Austen College, head on over to austenu.com, take a look at their mission assertion, and donate (we already did!).
Apart from that, carry on studying our interview with the fantastic Bryn, Kari and Chantel, and, hopefully, it is going to persuade you to assist them make this dream challenge into an precise TV present that we are able to all take pleasure in!
Tvshowpilot: I LOVE the thought of a Jane Austen universe within the type of Austen College! How did you give you the thought to create Austen U?
Bryn, Kari and Chantel: The three of us had a really related meet-cute to our characters in Austen College. We met in faculty the place we acted within the theater division collectively and shared basic faculty experiences.
Nearly ten years in the past Bryn, a die-hard Austen fan and a superhero universe fanatic, first had the sensible concept of making a contemporary Austen universe.
She got here to Kari and Chantel (additionally Austen addicts) with the thought and Kari and Bryn began on it immediately. Chantel was capable of be part of the workforce a couple of years later and we’ve been geeking out ever since!
Tvshowpilot: How has the method of getting Austen College made been like to this point?
Bryn, Kari and Chantel: It’s been superior! We’ve a lot enjoyable writing collectively – generally an excessive amount of enjoyable!
We’ve been associates for therefore a few years, and turning into writing companions has been a good looking development.
At first, there have been a couple of thousand drafts of scripts and lots of a Zoom name once we learn via episodes and located methods to enhance.
We draw a lot from our shared humorousness and the kind of quirky banter which can be a lot part of our regular interactions.
We’d labored professionally in playwriting and printed novels however studying about TV writing was new for us. After getting season one absolutely fleshed out we employed a sitcom coach to enhance the construction and make our scripts tighter.
We tried quite a few methods of pitching to get this made within the conventional means, however it’s arduous to interrupt into the enterprise. Finally, we needed to place it within the fingers of the Jane Austen followers.
That is the final word adaptation for all Austen lovers and now’s the right time to carry this type of basic universe to life. So now we’re campaigning to lift the funds for filming the pilot episode.
It’s already been unbelievable to see the response from the followers who need extra Jane Austen of their life!
Tvshowpilot: In your mission assertion, you point out that you simply wish to create a present that may be watched by everybody. Why is it important so that you can create a clear, family-friendly present for all ages and genders?
Bryn, Kari and Chantel: We imagine within the energy of constructive media.
Media is so ingrained in our lives now and we really feel there aren’t sufficient clear, family-friendly streaming choices.
We’re all mothers. We collectively have 12 children between the three of us, and there have been occasions once we have been modifying scripts collectively and each single one in all us had a child on our hip.
We wish to create a present that we don’t have to show off when our youngsters come into the room! A present that may assist form the values we wish them to have and the form of women and men we wish them to look as much as.
We additionally need our present to be inclusive and relatable. We characteristic characters from numerous backgrounds so it’s accessible to a broad vary of viewers with out excluding any communities.
Whereas we carry Austen’s characters into a contemporary setting, we nonetheless keep true to the social beliefs of Austen’s time. We all know we are able to’t characterize each minority or group, however we hope everybody can recognize our efforts to protect the magic of escaping into an Austen world.
Tvshowpilot: What was the toughest half about placing the characters in a contemporary setting whereas additionally retaining them true to who they’re in Austen’s books?
Bryn, Kari and Chantel: The category techniques and financial conditions of the characters throughout Austen’s period play an enormous half within the plots of her tales. That was tough to modernize in a means that was sensible to our time whereas nonetheless retaining the essence of what they struggled with.
The school setting actually helps with that half as a result of there are related techniques constructed into the collegiate world.
We spent hundreds of hours analyzing what particular character traits would appear like in the present day and making an attempt to adapt them in that means.
We did some modernizing of names and finding out crossover names for characters as nicely. However largely we’ve tried to be very aware of what the characters every undergo and evolve their particular person points in a contemporary means.
Tvshowpilot: What’s the important message you need individuals to remove from watching the sequence when (hopefully!) it’s picked up?
Bryn, Kari and Chantel: In case you’d requested us ten years in the past what the principle message of our adaptation was, we might have talked primarily concerning the romance and sharing the timelessness of those love tales.
That’s nonetheless true. And the best half about seeing the entire tales collectively is that there’s a pair to characterize all sides of romance: there’s the enemies to lovers, there’s unrequited love that by no means died, there’s studying about real love versus infatuation. It’s all the identical issues we cope with in romantic relationships in the present day informed via these beloved characters.
However within the strategy of scripting this present we found a second gem we hadn’t anticipated: we love these feminine friendships. A few of our very favourite scenes are the place all of the roommates and associates made up of Austen’s main heroines are collectively.
These unbelievable, witty, tender friendships bloomed the place we by no means noticed it coming (and don’t rely out the bromances, that are very a lot taking place!).
This present is a love letter to each Jane Austen fan. However we hope it’s additionally a tribute to her and the connections she by no means acquired to make; as a result of her time was lower brief, as a result of she didn’t have the assets feminine writers have in the present day, as a result of she didn’t have the power to inform these tales in a scope that solely tv offers us.
There may be energy in friendship, household, and all types of love. That’s the message.
Tvshowpilot: The mission assertion additionally mentioned that season one has already been absolutely written. Are you able to tease something about what we’d see in season 1?
Bryn, Kari and Chantel: One in all our characters has a Deaf brother we’ll get to satisfy (an homage to one in all Jane Austen’s brothers).
Emma and Knightley will likely be directing a play (and preventing each step of the way in which) and we’ll get to see some characters being pressured collectively for rehearsals.
A Soiled-Dancing-esque sequence of enemies studying learn how to waltz may happen.
There will likely be 100 little personal jokes for hard-core Austen followers.
Additionally, there will likely be fairly a couple of characters who’re actually the worst.
Tvshowpilot: Since right here at tvshowpilot we’re all about TV reveals, which Austen TV show adaptation is your favourite?
Bryn, Kari and Chantel: We collectively agree that the 1995 mini-series of Satisfaction and Prejudice is our favourite!
With a particular shout out to the e-series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. There are usually not practically sufficient TV diversifications on the market!
Tvshowpilot: Lastly, how can individuals assist help Austen College in relation to cash and in any other case?
Bryn, Kari and Chantel: Head to austenu.com!
We are attempting to lift the funds to movie half one of many pilot episode, if we elevate sufficient we are able to movie the pilot in its entirety. There isn’t a contribution too massive or too small, and serving to to unfold the phrase is large!
We’ve a Venmo the place you possibly can contribute as nicely – @austenuniversity
Additionally, you possibly can comply with us on social media, we’re @austenuniversity on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Pinterest.
So, there you have got it, our interview with Austen College’s creators Bryn, Kari and Chantel the place we not solely acquired an perception into how this challenge happened but in addition a scoop on what we are able to count on to see on season 1 of Austen College, when, hopefully, this challenge will get funded and made for all of us to take pleasure in.
Be certain that to take a look at Austen U’s web site and socials to help them on this challenge, donate for those who can, and unfold the phrase for those who can’t.
As a result of each little factor helps in turning all of our Jane Austen die-hard goals into the attractive actuality that’s Austen College.
