Brontë mania! Leeds pays its own unique tribute to Yorkshire's first family of literature

In celebration of Charlotte Brontë’s 200th year, West Yorkshire Playhouse, working with the Brontë Partnership Museum, will pay its own unique tribute with three brand-new commissioned performances.

A new adaptation of Charlotte’s novel ‘Villette’ will be playing at the Courtyard Theatre. The play uses themes and characters from the book but is set in the future.

Mark Rosenblatt, who is directing the re-imagining of Villette, said: “The Brontës are internationally known and they are right up the road from us. It’s hard to think of more famous novelists and there’s not just one, there’s three of them. Villette gets to the heart of the original novel but finds a way to connect it with a modern audience.”

‘Wasted’, a musical about the lives of the Brontë siblings, will also take to the stage.

And digital Project ‘Know your Place’ will map the locations in Yorkshire which gave the sisters their litearary inspiration.

West Yorkshire Playhouse’s Executive director Robin Hawkes said: “The Brontës’ writing is both rooted in and strongly influenced by the environment in which they lived and created their enduring characters and stories, which are known and cherished around the world and which we’re looking forward to exploring with our audiences.”

Emily Brontë’s work will also be brought to life with Northern Ballet performing a production of her much-loved masterpiece Wuthering Heights.

The season will feature screenings, panel events, a Haworth audio experience and a social media takeover alongside the theatre performances.

The Brontë Season will run from Sept 5 to October 22.