22 Sides
22 Sides is a podcast that will let you get to know some fascinating people and keep up with many things that are happening in and around the Houston area.
22 Sides
A New Jane Eyre Adaptation Makes The Classic Feel Alive
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Shakespeare on Zoom sounded like a stopgap. It turned into a doorway. We sit down with actor, director, and Zoom Shakespeare Productions artistic director Rebecca Bernstein to talk about how a pandemic-era experiment grew into a real community for artists and audiences, including people who could finally participate from home across time zones, disabilities, and limited access to traditional theater spaces.
From there we jump into what’s next on stage in Houston: Thornfield Cohen, a story of Jane Eyre, an abstract Jane Eyre adaptation that keeps Charlotte Bronte’s words while making the story feel immediate, accessible, and emotionally raw. We dig into the creative choices, including projections of Jane’s drawings and a dancer who embodies Jane’s artistic self, and why this version leans into the queerness that many readers have always felt in the love story.
We also get direct about inclusive casting in classical theater, why “the classics” have been withheld from people of color and LGBTQ+ performers, and how experimental productions can honor the intent of old texts better than rigid “traditional” staging. Then we widen the lens to accessibility, fandom support, and the real-world barriers that still show up at venues, right down to parking and mobility issues.
If you care about queer theater, inclusive Shakespeare, Houston arts, and making performance more accessible, hit play, subscribe, and share this with a friend, then leave us a review telling us what classic story you want reclaimed next.
Where to buy tickets to Jane Eyre show
https://matchouston.org/events/2026/thornfield-story-jane-eyre
Zoom Shakespeare Productions FB page
https://www.facebook.com/share/1EhemCNQ4A/?mibextid=wwXIfr
The Black Freighter Theatre Co. (online theater plays that my brother runs)
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17qpizfFVE/?mibextid=wwXIfr
The movie that local actress Andrea Pister has a bit part in, The Rivals of Amziah King
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27706593/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_accord_2_cdt_t_2
We hope you will listen often.
For more information, visit our website 22sides.com
Introductions And New Voices
Alexis Co HostHello. Hey everybody. I'm Alexis. I'm here with Robin. Hey, hey. And we have a couple or three special guests tonight.
Robin- HostYeah, we are excited to fill your ears with different voices. We have some familiar voices. We have the Kuma. Hi. And the Mel. Voila. And it goes. New to 22 Sides, Rebecca.
RebeccaHi y'all. I'm Rebecca Bernstein, uh, actor director and artistic director of Zoom Shakespeare Productions.
Robin- HostHi. Thanks for coming in. I hear Rebecca's doing stuff.
How Zoom Shakespeare Began
RebeccaSo um uh Zoom Shakespeare Productions, my company was founded during the pandemic, hence the name. Um what's the name again? Zoom Shakespeare Productions. Okay.
Robin- HostYeah. Virtual love. I love that way. Yeah. Um thank you. Thank you for getting us access to art during the pandemic.
RebeccaYou know, it was a time when suddenly people all over the world had so when we started, it was, you know, a few friends together doing a mincement ice dream because that would be fun. And then it just became this big thing. And we had people in who heard about it and joined us from Russia and Canada. Wonderful. Because they could. Exactly. It was 3 a.m. and they they were out of a job. So what else are you gonna do on a Saturday night? Now, would I have done it at 3 a.m.? I don't know. But um we were we were very lucky to have them.
Reimagining Jane Eyre As Queer
RebeccaUm, we are getting ready to do our seventh in-person production, which is a road premiere adaptation of Jane Eyre. Um uh it's uh definitely I would say a more abstract adaptation. Um, you know, it's all of uh Charlotte Bronte's words, um, and it really focuses on the love story, which strangely enough is kind of inherently queer. It's interesting that that book has lasted as long as it has because it's about a woman who has opinions and expresses herself and thinks about life in a way that was not standard for women of that time.
Robin- HostI love women like that.
RebeccaSounds like exactly, and who is loved by a man who loves how intense and fiery she is.
Robin- HostI love men like that.
RebeccaYes, and there needs to be more than if you ask me. Um hashtag being attracted to men in 2026 is not easy. Um uh I wouldn't recommend notes.
KoomahIf anyone ever questioned if sexuality was a choice, fair enough.
RebeccaUm but we have a really wonderful um uh directorial and artistic team. Um and what's really exciting is um Jane, as a character uh on the page in the book and in this adaptation is an artist, and we have a really talented dancer who's basically personifying Jane's artist self. Neat. Um uh so I'm hoping we open uh or run September 4th through the 13th. Uh so I'm hoping it's something, you know, a Jane Air that that you've never seen before. I think it
From Virtual Reads To Bold Staging
Rebeccawill be.
MelLike I mean, the So I've been involved with the other thing. Yeah, I was gonna say Mel Sun Brother actually acts with them for years. Shout out to Kayla, shout out to Kayla. Uh he's yeah, it it again, what do you do during the pandemic? He got involved with all these theater groups uh uh somewhere in the UK online and everything and started acting. And he introduced me to Zoom Shakespeare. And I started watching their stuff, and I thought, wow, this is not theater the way I've traditionally seen it. It for one, being online, but just the casting, the the thought that goes into just casting someone who can do the role, no matter what their ethnicity is, no matter what their gender is, no matter what, you know, you have really exemplified that Shakespearean concept of like make it work with what you got.
Robin- HostAs someone who hasn't seen it, is it is it people just reading scripts or is it are you dressed or so originally it was um just all virtual.
RebeccaAnd and at first it was let's play, and then it became but what if this was 1950s England? Um huh. But what if this was post-apocalypse times? Um zombie apocalypse. You know, we didn't do a zombie apocalypse.
MelI was surprised because you didn't even an episode of old Adam Wentz Batman. I think that was one of the other groups.
KoomahPride and Prejudice and Zombies.
RebeccaPride and Prejudice and Zombies are um but so then it became more serious. Now, you know, it's it's definitely traditional theater, but on stage. But um, but one of the big things that I think is important and I try to focus on, as you said, Mal, is classical roles like uh Romeo, um, or um or Titus Andronicus, or you just want to talk about a horror play. That entire that entire play is basically a horror movie. Cannibalism. Um cannibalism, um like body horror. Um and it's been kept from people of color and and people in the LGBTQ plus community for years, and it's 2026. We don't need to have all white casts and all straight casts.
Robin- HostNo, um uh were they all always straight anyway? No, no, probably not.
Alexis Co HostNo, Shakespeare certainly did not have all straight casts. I mean, I'm sorry.
RebeccaAnd what's interesting is like if you read some of his the texts, oh my gosh, how could people not interpret this? It's queer. Um, I do love thee. Oh, but they're just bros. Um okay. They never married.
MelBless their heart.
Queerness In The Original Texts
RebeccaUm but it's definitely something that I think needs to change in the industry. Um, and I'm trying to focus a little bit on making a tiny little change. Well, and that's the whole point of media, right?
MelTrue, where where are the people actually trying to interject some positivity? Find what is that that saying, find the people doing the thing, right? Find you, find the people doing the good stuff. Um, it's and that's what I felt when I found you guys. I was like, hey, I've always felt because I've always wanted to do queer recreations of old horror movies of sci-fi movies. These are genres I grew up on and I loved, but so much of the time you're sitting there laughing because the zombies moving so slowly, and the damsel has just casually walked away. That was one of the wrong movies. Well, even in the 1950s, like there's literally a scene in uh one of the mummy sequel movies where the mummy just kept trying to get there and she's standing right there, and then she's like checking something doing her makeup, and then she just walks away. The mummy's like, oh. And I felt bad for the mummy because I was like, I mean, girl, it's an ableist world. What can I tell you? You know, just trying to easy. Just trying to fulfill his job in this movie. Uh so yeah, it's like you you see all these queer readings and queer ideas, but the thing that really gets me is this isn't even a new thing. It was invented by the original authors, by the original, you know, uh Mary Shelley, who did Frankenstein, had affairs with women, had lost her Virginia on her mom's grave, you know. Things you find out when I'm glad I'm not the only one.
RebeccaYou finally found your story, but now I'm like, I'm not sure I'm here. It's a different time.
MelActually, Kuma's that's a whole don't know.
KoomahI'm 65.
MelAsian don't reason, isn't that true? Asian don't reason. But that's the thing, is like they're always trying to convince us, oh, this is just a modern thing, you people are just confused. It's all the da-da-da. It's like your ancestors were this, right? Your ancestors talked about this, you know, it's in all the original literatures back to the original Bibles and everything. It's there. Just tell me something recently.
Alexis Co HostDon't worry, we'll edit that as it comes up closer to make it match what we want to tell people.
RebeccaJust talking to something recently. Absolutely. Talmudically, God's referred to as three genders. In some passages, female, in some passages, male, and in some passages, there's an old um word in here where that doesn't even have an English translation. And yet, what do people say? Oh, this trans thing is new. No, it's not. I love the the passion there when you said that.
MelI'm gonna get a stress ball.
Speaker 6I can get the stress balls.
MelAll the stress balls.
KoomahAll the microphones are flying.
RebeccaWell, do the panda.
KoomahShe couldn't be any color.
MelRight.
KoomahMermaids aren't real.
MelShe could have a reverse of like a fish top and a just full. There's a there's a group out there for that.
RebeccaOh, but there it is. Go to Comic Con. Hotter than fish.
Robin- HostI'm sorry.
KoomahI would like to see uh a little mermaid as like a puffer fish.
Robin- HostYeah.
MelAgain, there's a group out there. But yeah, no, it's it's like that's that's a beauty. I've seen so many of your shows. You've done adaptations of Dracula, done all these versions of stuff, and it's always consistent. It's always keeps pushing media to recognize that this was the original intent of the stuff.
RebeccaExactly.
MelAnd you can appreciate, not everyone gets into Shakespeare and the language and can interpret that, but what I love is adaptations like yours, and and there are some experimental groups in the UK too, that make this language adaptable to a new uh demographic, a new youth era. Even people in disenfranchised communities and low-income communities, you don't have to learn all of the language. You can you read into it, read the stories, read empowerment in the adaptations, in the reinterpretation of it. And and I really think that those are actually more closer to the intent of the original material than a lot of adaptations where it's like, oh, well, we have to get the language exactly the same.
RebeccaOh my gosh, but they've hired all white casts and you know. I was thinking about weathering
A Prison Framed Shakespeare Experiment
Rebeccaheights. I don't know if any of y'all saw the the um the emerald finale, and I love her, but boy, was that weird. And so white.
KoomahWhat was it? Um weird and white. What was the one that I sent you? Wasn't it like Richard III or something, but it was like all women in prison?
MelOh, yeah, no, yeah, the Dunmar. So the Dunmar uh women's so good. So there was this series of Shakespeare plays done by a group of a group of all uh actresses, non-binary, queer, kind of inclusive people, and they went and presented it in a warehouse, but they called it like a prison. So the framing mechanism of this story was it was women in prison putting on Shakespeare plays. So it was a story within a story, right? Okay. They would open the plays with monologues from real female prisoners talking about their experiences and how they got to prison and stuff, and then they would go into the Shakespearean reproduction. And so many of the actresses had like very diverse, very like cockney accents, everything, you know, Scottish accents from all over. And it was such directed by Felita Lloyd, by the way, who also did Mamma Mia and movies like that. Yeah, they they killed it. Like I've never seen on all, you know, single sorry, single gendered cast, given that level and and that kind of prestige and freedom to do those stories. And it's it's still hard to find on DVD. I had to scope through and and purchase it and buy it because again, these things they pop up in our medium now and then, but they don't get promoted enough. Right. And just like you know, your stuff. I mean I was tech for queer fest for a long time.
Fandom Funding And Community Healing
MelA lot of us didn't get supported to keep going financially or otherwise. So it's like these, but these are the stories I really feel like fandom can help keep alive and keep funding because that's what I'm seeing now is a lot more grassroots funding from fandoms to put stories on screen that they understand, that they recognize that help fund it. And there's so much money in fandom because there's a lot of people who get stuck at home with disabilities and other things who you know work from home and do whatever they can. They don't have a lot of life outside of work. So it's like when they get to engage in their favorite thing or they're you know in a community together and then get to help create art too. I think it is like a healing thing, but it's also a community thing. Like we're starting to finally see stories outside the mainstream really get pushed forward more because like this one that we saw tonight. Like this one we saw tonight, like you know, your stories too. Like you have a lot of audiences coming back and back and back to loyal, loyal people to keep on.
Where To See Thornfield Cohen
RebeccaUh, this will be at match um in matchbox one. Um it's a wonderful space, and basically we're gonna have projections. We have um Jay Chang, who's a really awesome projectionist, doing Jane's like drawings and then gonna be projected.
Robin- HostUm so this will be in person, yeah.
RebeccaYeah, and then can people see it virtually? Good question. It'll probably be recorded. Okay, so we'll see it later. Okay. Um uh but it's gonna be I think pretty, pretty cool. I say I think I'm playing the titular character, so I haven't been able to see a lot of it, but the three scenes that I'm not in have looked really, really good.
Alexis Co HostSo again, I'm not in look real good. I'm just checking to make sure I heard that right.
MelThat's an artist for you. I've not been able to see. I wasn't watching me while I was there. No, I wasn't.
KoomahSo we mentioned like how audiences can see uh where it's gonna be at. But you mentioned that you're interested in casting very diverse people. So if someone's interested in auditioning, how can they do that?
RebeccaYeah, um, we uh uh have an Instagram and Facebook page where we post our um casting calls. Um uh again, we run September 4th through the 13th at Match. Um, it's called Thornfield Cohen, a story of Jane Eyre. And hopefully it will take that boring text that he might have been assigned in high school and make it feel accessible and sexy and different.
KoomahSo we're still called Zoom's Shakespeare.
RebeccaYeah, yeah.
KoomahAre we still doing Shakespeare via Zoom?
Speaker 2No. Um I I I say that there's not a market. Yeah, the funny thing is, uh now now as now as a group, that's true.
RebeccaThat is still doing things virtually. It's interesting that that became its own little art.
MelYou kind of sprung bored off that concept and some of the other arts. Oh, yeah, no, totally. And that's another thing that the pandemic tossed too is like it actually opened up a whole world of work and interaction for a lot of people. Again, trapped at home because of of either disabilities or some other reasoning, they got to engage and got to, you know, um, got to audition and things for things they maybe always wanted to try, but never could, you know. So a lot of that concept is amazing. You guys still have your YouTube page up where you're at a lot of your old concert now. Yeah, so you can try to find out. Um you guys have gone back to more in-person uh stuff now since the pandemic has been over. But hey, I mean, you always have that option of going back and doing things too. And sometimes you just want to have fun.
Alexis Co HostCan I try this again? Yeah, because I said, you know, where can we do this stuff? Kimma followed up with where can we participate? You told us, but you didn't give us any addresses.
RebeccaOh, I'm so sorry. Um uh if you go to match.com um and look up Thornfield A Jane Eyre Story, that is how you can get tickets. Um, we are also at Zoom Shakespeare Productions on Facebook and Instagram. Um uh yeah. Thank you. Thank you for for helping me pivot back to that. No, we'll find it. I will find it.
Alexis Co HostI was just sitting there saying, so exactly. How do I find you without looking forever? Yeah, only look a certain length of time. You've mentioned it. And that is valid.
Robin- HostYeah. Um so you're here in Houston, you have an in-person option through match, you have YouTube if you want to see the older
Virtual Theater Still Matters
Robin- Hoststuff. Yeah. And it sounds like if you just got really excited about still being able to access access this from home, that you can look for troops that are still doing it.
RebeccaYeah, there's a really wonderful group called um okay Zoomer. Okay. I know it's not great. Or um socially distanced Shakespeare was another group that popped up at the same time. Okay. Um, your brother's it's Black Fr Freight Friars.
MelI think it yeah, I think it's like Black Freight, I believe. I have to go back. I'm terrible at remembering names, actually.
RebeccaBut honestly, like like say you're having a a Saturday that you don't have anything to do. Yeah. Yeah. There are people still in 2026, six years after the pandemic, who are reading plays online.
Robin- HostWell, I think a lot I think it's underrated that uh that uh that people are still at home because I mean I found a lot of people who enjoyed being at home who may have um you know now more money in their pocket because they're not going out all the time, they don't have car access or they don't
Disability Access And Houston Heat
Robin- Hostwant to leave their house. Like they don't necessarily want to be with the general public after the general public was willing to kill them and they were autoimmune. Like, you know, I mean, and it disabilities, but people go on and off again, like six season surgery season, things like this. And and if you could turn off the television but get into something kind of cool and creative, then it really recreates different neurons in your head. You're you're experiencing different art that is on a different platform that's not what like Netflix or Prime or whatever, whatever. I rather pay artists than to pay necessarily those platforms, right? And uh I just I'm glad to give people more indoor fun because in Houston it's hot as hell. And that's kind of like it's like it's like our winter season. Are you listening? Goodness gracious. Right. I mean if everybody was okay tonight. Yeah, it's I mean it's it's kind of like a winter season, like we we just stay indoors, you know.
KoomahYou haven't done it in October?
Robin- HostThank you.
RebeccaI'm like, if you gotta reschedule.
KoomahIf we do rodeo, we can't do an indoor pride. Yep, yep. Well, indoor pride. You know, I have we're totally for that. Do I let's start raising money.
Alexis Co HostThe city would not let them do it in October, and there were no baits. And the only times they had were three dates, I think, in August.
RebeccaAnd you can't lose. That's like the worst heat in July. You'll have a little like some nights, you'll have a nice little green.
KoomahIt's 104 degrees, and the sun is not out.
MelIt's I'm starting to wonder if maybe that's a little bit of homophobia from our city plant.
Alexis Co HostWell, it is if it is, I will tell them that they're playing.
MelCan we call it homophobia anyway, so we can get changed? I mean, even if it isn't.
Alexis Co HostBut see, here's the thing they're making us become accustomed to it, right? And then they talk about global warming. So, you know, who's gonna die off from it? Not the people who are accustomed to it.
RebeccaWell, I like that angle.
Robin- HostThat's true. And for a long time, people who are heat sensitive and people who can't be out and going those distances because they're not able haven't been able to participate in community events, whether it's the Bayou City Arts Fair, whether it's Pride, whether it's, you know, um the next thing that everybody else gets to go to, and I get to see their photos on you know social media, but I don't get to go, you know. I mean, so that's why I was glad to use Houston streets that anyone who has a mobility zone can or a driving phobia now because like it's scary. Like, I mean I think it's I think it's just important. Like, so if you want an indoor option though, the match uh location in Houston is very friendly, has lots of different art going on. I think you should check it out because I think I still find a lot of people that don't know what match is.
Match Parking Garage Accessibility Problem
Robin- HostOh, yeah.
KoomahMatch is very friendly. The parking garage across the street is not friendly and is not uh you cannot exit if you're in a wheelchair. Yeah, probably.
Speaker 6Which we found out with with our friend Mike.
KoomahBecause he he had to try to like limbo under the arm, and we accidentally broke the arm, and the the garage attendant was all pissed off at us. But there all there is is a step. Like you can't get you can't get out of the garage.
Robin- HostOkay, it's not accessibility friendly. I didn't know that.
KoomahI wow. People know if you if you use a chair, okay, you're gonna get trapped in the parking garage unless you break the arm. Geez.
RebeccaAlthough honestly, they should break that arm. No, we it's not gonna be accessible. Break that well.
KoomahWhen we came back, we fixed it. And when we came back, the the garage attendant came and like lifted the arm for him. Yeah. But there was no parking garage attendant when we were there, and we didn't know what else to do. Gotcha. So we tried to like force it up and then.
MelNo, and that's a common problem around Houston, again, with accessibility and all this stuff, which you know should do better. Of course, now we're like walking back, all the should do better. But I'm still gonna say we shouldn't do better. You know, because yeah, you're losing money. You're losing money.
Robin- HostRight. And it it takes us coming back out and talking about these venues to actually put some yes, put some pressure on it, put some like understanding to it.
Alexis Co HostOkay, but we're talking about this in a time when uh diversity and inclusiveness has been removed all across the state of Texas by law.
KoomahYep. I would just like to say that, Greg Abbott, you cannot get out of the parking garage.
Alexis Co HostThere you go. But I'll bet his security people take care of you.
KoomahThey would lift him up over the thing.
Robin- HostOh
Texas Politics And Closing Thoughts
Robin- Hostman. Well, thank you for coming in, Rebecca, and sharing about this because we want people to look towards those pages if they want to audition and if they want to enjoy things, uh, maybe in their own home or maybe in person and get to see some Houston art because it it really is great to sort of unplug from the screens and get off all the other platforms and just go out and be amongst people, hearing them laugh, hearing them sigh, hearing real people like in the audience, it can be so healing. Yeah.
MelFind your try, you know, wherever you are.
KoomahIf you're in a rural community, if you're wherever you are, just find so when can we expect Zoom Shakespeare teenage sex and death at Camp Liz Mask?
RebeccaSo the thing is we we focused on classical classical theater.
KoomahAnd this is not classical?
RebeccaSo maybe but if we did a bloody Lisa Strata, that would basically go. That was a play about sex and death.
Robin- HostAnd if you're interested in that, listen to the other episode there we go that we talked about.
KoomahBut lesbians.
Robin- HostYes, yes, they've already been doing that.
