“I AM no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”

The National Theatre’s energetic and imaginative new adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece - Jane Eyre, comes to Birmingham Repertory next month as part of a UK tour.

2017 marks the 170th anniversary of the first publication of Jane Eyre - and Charlotte Brontë’s much loved story of the trailblazing Jane is still as inspiring as ever.

This bold and dynamic production tells the story of one woman’s fight for freedom and fulfilment.

From her beginnings as a destitute orphan, Jane Eyre’s spirited heroine faces life’s obstacles head-on, surviving poverty, injustice and the discovery of bitter betrayal before taking the ultimate decision to follow her heart.

Director Sally Cookson said about her production of Jane Eyre: “Adapting a novel for the stage is a challenging prospect – especially when that novel is cited as many people’s favourite of all time.

"It is always daunting when you’re working on a story which everyone knows so well, because you want to surprise and maybe challenge people’s expectations, without losing any of the things which make them like the story in the first place.”

Cookson added: “I chose this particular title because it’s a story that I love and have enjoyed a close relationship with ever since I was intrigued, as a child, by Orson Welles’ black and white melodrama with fabulous music by Bernard Herrmann.

“I didn’t actually read the novel until I was in my early 20s and I remember thinking while I read it ‘This is a clarion cry for equal opportunities for women, not a story about a passive female who will do anything for her hunky boss’.

The play runs from September 4 to 16 September.

For more information or tickets, from £15 (subject to availability), call the box office on 0121 236 4455 or go to birmingham-rep.co.uk.