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Bront?17081576517500 By Polly Teale“The word. It is this alone which separates us from animals. The power not only to live but to know that we are living. That is to think. To shape ourselves. To make of our lives what we would. To inspire others with what we say, what we believe. Look to God, to the great men of history. Look to art, to literature.”IntroductionLucy Kempster – DirectorAside from being involved in the 24 hour musical publicity team, where I remember walking into town in a neon yellow t-shirt and sandwich board singing “Who will buy - my wonderful tickets”… I got properly bit by the SuTCo bug last semester when I auditioned for Equus and the character Hesther Salomon took over my life. Working alongside a fantastic cast and production team (including the lovely James Donnelly now my PM) made me want to continue to stay involved with SuTCo. Not only did I learn how SuTCo works from the inside out but I could see how everyone genuinely cared about making good theatre and although we’re technically an amateur theatre company this does NOT reflect the standard of our productions.Outside of SuTCo I have co-directed and abridged Shakespeare plays with primary school aged children. This has meant for the past few years I have been involved with the casting and rehearsal process and have run after school workshops so have a good understanding of how to get from text to performance. I have also been involved with a recent production at the Crucible called Fanfared with Leeds bases company ‘Invisible Flock’, again giving me a greater knowledge of how a professional theatre company should run. And so now the plan is to bring Bront? to life, and hopefully convince you all why it’s such a beautiful piece of theatre.James Donnelly – Production ManagerI have been a member of SuTCo for coming on 3 years now and although I've never officially fulfilled the role of Production Manager before, I have done some stand in work which shows that I am equal to any task I put myself to. In addition to my work with SuTCo I have also had experience at working within a professional theatre environment for the past two summers, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. This I feel gives me a good base of knowledge to work from and will allow us as a production team to conduct ourselves in a professional manner.I really relish the prospect of working on such a show as Bronte, simply because it has the potential, as well as being theatrically moving, to be technically stunning too. In terms of backstage work, this would be a very exiting show to be a part of, from the post-romantic/gothic interior of the stage set, to the wonderful period costume; and the chance for lighting and sound designers to create a mood that reflects the turmoil of the events that unfold; this is a piece of theatre that will offer a fantastic challenge to those that want to get involved with the technical elements of production.Together we’d like to propose Bront?, because we think it could be simply amazing.SynopsisBront? was written and directed in 2005 by Polly Teale. It was later revived by Shared Experience Theatre Company in 2010. This contemporary play explores in two acts how three Victorian sisters living in isolation on the Yorkshire Moors came to write some of the most powerful and passionate fiction of all time. With the present tense set in 1845 we see both the real and imagined worlds of Charlotte, Emily and Anne as their fictional characters come to haunt their creators and how they are affected by their brother Branwell's descent into alcoholism and insanity. It also looks at how their father, Patrick Bront?, an Irish priest, influenced their writings by encouraging the girls to read from a young age.Without a chronological structure, the characters move back and forth in time recounting scenes from their lives both as documented and as imagined by the author. The play also shows the difficulties the writers had in their private and literary lives, not least of which was the chauvinistic attitude present in Victorian society, the hardship of life as an unmarried woman and the poor health of all of all four of them which lead to their untimely deaths.The play begins with three actresses in modern dress discussing the Bront?s and their work. As they put on their costumes they assume the identities of Emily, Charlotte and Anne. Throughout the play, the story of the three women and their brother is entwined with appearances from the characters they created – the sisters reading from their books take on the persona of their own characters. Alongside this two other characters – Bertha and Cathy appear to help bring the novels to life.Just to clarify because this all seems a little confusing -Actress – plays Charlotte – plays Jane EyreActress – plays Emily – plays NellyActress – plays Anne – plays Mrs HuntingdonActor – plays Branwell – also plays Rochester/Mr Heger/Arthur Bell NichollsActor – plays Patrick – also plays Heathcliffe/Arthur HuntingdonCathyBerthaSo male to female ratio is 5:2.(Phew. Any other characters I’ve forgotten will be played by James Donnelly dressed in a full length skirt and corset…)Characters Charlotte Bront? (Jane)– Intriguing and sometimes stubborn Charlotte is the most well-known of the Bront? sisters perhaps because of Jane Eyre. I’m reluctant to define her character too much because so much of it will depend on the relationship developed between her and the rest of the family, especially Branwell. She is however the eldest and this should come across in her confident manner, it is also clear she struggles with the restrictions made on her life – constantly dealing with the conflicting need to write and to uphold those expectations put on her she is a woman ahead of her time. She says writes to become invisible and yet desperately wishes to be “forever known” and craves the same kind of freedom her brother is allowed, which leads to tensions rising between them.Emily Bront? (Nelly)– Again a strong willed character that often clashes with Charlotte, she writes to escape the world she struggles to feel a part of. Whilst Charlotte believes and encourages Emily to publish her work, Emily’s character is much more insular. As she reads from her work Wuthering Heights she takes on the role of Nelly and we see her become truly engrossed in the world she has created. Less impulsive than Charlotte, Emily is more of a thinker and determined to remain unknown. Anne Bront? (Helen Huntingdon) – In the opening scene the actress playing Anne admits “I am not so interesting to you… my books will be read as background to their great works” which is why I think Anne is such a fascinating character to bring to life. Sensitive and observant, she does her best to fulfill the duties expected of her and towards the end of the play she is the one who questions “Do you ever wonder what our lives would have been like had we never put pen to paper?” Her book – The Tenant of Wildfell hall is said to be the most shocking of all the Bront? novels which proves her character has more depth than it may first appear on the page.Branwell Bront? (Rochester/Mr Heger/Arthur Bell Nicholls) – Desperate to prove himself but constantly overshadowed by his sisters, Branwell’s character returns in 1845, drunk and in disgrace. He slips further into alcoholism and eventually a madness which brings chaos to the household. Intensely close with Charlotte, their relationship appears to be bordering that of a sexual one. The scenes where Branwell is shown as a child show him as instinctive and loud but it is clear he lacks the same interest in writing as his sisters. Rochester is the protagonist from Charlotte’s novel Jane Eyre and Mr Heger is her previous school teacher who encourages her to write more passionately. Arthur Bell Nicholls is Patricks curate – an elderly man, who is well read, serious minded and familiar with the Bront? family.Patrick Bront? (Heathcliffe/Arthur Huntingdon) – Irish accents welcome. Patrick is a tolerant and attentive father, and we see him in his youth encouraging his children to write and read. Later, after the death of his wife and child he becomes more reclusive and suffers from cataracts which impair his eyesight so badly he has to use a stick to navigate his way round. A man with authority, he is respected and loved by his children.Heathcliffe is from Emily’s only novel Wuthering Heights and Arthur Huntingdon from Anne’s novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.Bertha – Also known as the mad woman in the attic from Jane Eyre she is a manifestation of all the desires that Charlotte represses. An extremely intense, physical and sexual character, she appears throughout, almost to taunt Charlotte at her most weak. Often referred to as exotic, her performance should be raw and emotional.Cathy – Almost dreamlike and ethereal in her nature, Cathy from Wuthering Heights is Emily’s creation. Almost like Emily’s imaginary friend, there is a childlike quality to her character which adds to the idea of escapism. One of the most beautiful moments in the entire play is Emily’s death, where Cathy appears and speaks lines from the novel to accompany the moment where she passes away. The reoccurring images of feathers and birds that often appear in her speech throughout remind us of Emily’s need to leave behind the disorder of her family – and as Cathy closes the play with “Fly. Fly. Fly away from here. You must be gone. Away. Away now quickly before they catch you” – we are not left with the image of the actors, nor the Bront? family, but the characters they created, as in truth, this is all that remains of them today.Set Obviously we would like to make use of a set designer who will hopefully become as excited as we are about the potential for this play. There are a couple of ideas which I would be interested to see developed properly by a set designer which are …wait for it… defined areas of stage for each of the characters and a general museum-esque atmosphere. On paper this doesn’t sound as exciting as it should which is why we need a set designer to bring it all together. These defined areas of stage don’t need to be naturalistically accurate spaces but rather metaphorical representations of the characters – the reason for this being to help make the action clearer and also to add to the sense that we are watching a museum come to life.There are certain rooms which I feel need to be present – the kitchen for one where most of the main action takes place and an area which in my head is known as “Bertha’s space”. I have an image of this space in my mind where it is littered with torn/burnt pages and old books, with perhaps a block where Bertha sits for most of the performance.If you’d like us to discuss this further please ask because we do have ideas and obviously we’d like to all agree on the general atmosphere, otherwise we’re happy to really let our set designer run free on this one.Ready SET Go you might say…. Or you might not. Moving on. Lights, Costume, ActionLights:As with the set design, we don’t pretend to have all the answers for a lighting design, nor would we want to, because where’s the fun in that… but again to give you a general idea of the things we think are important to make the piece feel like it all works as one –If areas of stage are defined for certain characters or moments of the play it would also follow that the lighting should add to this separation and definition. When illuminating, for example “Bertha’s space”, the lighting designer should be aware of the intensity of her character’s scenes compared to the more naturalistic atmosphere in the kitchen. Not that I’m simply suggesting a big red spotlight for Bertha and a yellow one for the kitchen – but you get the idea.It is also important to note that lights will be integral to scene changes and also signifying changes in time, and this happens throughout. So the design will need to have the ability to make this change quickly and clearly for various scenes. This play gives you the chance to work with deeply intense and passionate moments, as well as more tender and dreamlike sequences. There is a lot of scope to play with here, and we can’t wait to see what ideas a lighting designer can bring to the table.Once again, if this is not clear enough we do have other ideas, but for the moment, we’d like to leave it in your (whoever you might end up being) capable hands and also to discuss with the set designer how these two technical elements should work together.Costume:In the opening scene the actors change from modern clothes (I was thinking Burberry, jeggings and leg warmers… I’m kidding) to more traditional period costume. Whilst the costumes should give a clear sense of the time period, the accuracy of them can be questionable – the audience are aware from the very beginning they are watching a performance. Hopefully a costume designer will be able to take this on board and come up with a close enough representation of the period.Action:This script does like to jump around the timeline and so physicality is going to be really important for all the actors so the audience notice the changes in age as well as character. As a director I would dedicate time to working on this specifically. I would also like even the characters of Cathy and Bertha have a wild, physical nature to them to create the sense that we really are bringing the pages of their books to life. Other exciting news which will hopefully help to tie the piece together and make sense of each of the different characters is the use of music. I am currently working with ex-Sheffield student Rob Henry to create an original score for the play, an example of which I should be able to bring along to the proposals. Rather than using clips of music I found off the internet and trying to make them fit the scenes, I decided to ask Rob to create this with me so I could work with the scenes as they develop and really give Bront? the intensity and originality it deserves. I shall leave you in suspense as to how it sounds for now. So turn up to proposals to hear more…(Oh, and for those of you that don’t know and are interested – Rob is my boyfriend and to give you an idea of what he’s like – he has spent over ?100 on earphones - so is technically a audiophile and has been playing piano for over ten years. I didn’t just find him off the street.)Finally it is also vital for me that this family does genuinely feel like a family, for all their bickering’s and rising tension they are obviously close and without a doubt care deeply about one another. The closer the family seems for the audience will hopefully mean the more they get emotional invested in the characters. When each of the sister’s passes away in the script, it is not just the loss of a character, but the loss of a real life, if only in the past. Each death should be a significant and poignant moment because we are not just dealing with fictitious characters, but the real lives of the Bront? family.Why Bronte? Bront? was written with in the last ten years and has a contemporary tone which I think will attract today’s audiences towards it. The name Bront? is also one which many people will have heard of and when it comes to selling tickets, it’s important to make use of people’s natural curiosity At its basic level, this play is about a dysfunctional family, an idea which is both accessible and relatable to many people. I don’t pretend to be in love with Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights or claim to know every angle of the novels, but I am fascinated by these characters in terms of their real, human qualities and I believe that is what will interest most people. This isn’t about recreating Jane Eyre but about the people and their relationships and how their lives lead them to write both passionate and heartfelt literature which still has meaning even today.In terms of the characters I know myself from an actor’s point of view how interesting they are to play. Not only does this play allow the actors to explore the family as a unit and at different points in their life but there is also the opportunity to bring the sisters characters to life – visceral and powerful, these characters refuse to hold anything back and are the purest and most emotive manifestation of the sister’s conscience. And finally we mustn’t forget they were real. Whilst this play admits it is a fictitious and imagined story, these were real people who lived just fifty miles away. The Bront? parsonage museum sits still a few miles away in Haworth. And so the public will have heard of the name and this play is a chance to read their diaries – which is nice when we want to sell tickets. We have copies of their novels sitting in our bookshelves and countless documentaries on them but even more than that we have the peaks – we can look outside our windows and see the same hills and valleys that they would have walked across. It’s not often we get to produce something which so closely connects to where we are now. They were here.Other Important thingsWe’d quite like to put Bront? on in Week 1 or 3 so that James doesn’t fail his degree and I don’t screw up my second year…The rights for the play are ?64 + VAT which comes to ?76.80 per performance.The lovely people at Nick Hern would also like us to buy copies of the script for the cast and are offering them at ?8.09. And when I say “would like” what I mean is – a condition of the rights is… Now we would need 7 copies which at their price = ?56.63. But if we can find them cheaper – and we can – they are happy for us to purchase them anywhere. So that’s would be a one off payment of about ?42. ................
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