Bronte Flashcards
Bertha
sidelight emphasises her physicality when dancing
red wash projected onto back of stage
fluid / physical theatre
context key fact
first railway built in 1825
Branwell gets job at Sowerby bridge in 1845 and Bronte sisters can visit London/Scarborough due to the railway
Haworth had a life expectancy of 22 years
42% of children died before they reached the age of six
Patrick was pastor of the town, wrote to a sanitary reporter who did a report on Haworth
population increase of 260%
male pseudynoms used: Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell
themes/inspirations of Bronte
religion or lack of it
Yorkshire moors and their legends as well as nature
Extreme poverty, parsonage, Haworth
Social class and expectation and the role of women in society (governess)
former literature and patrick bronte
seclusion
the industrial revolution
Clergy daughter’s school/Roe Head/Heger’s boarding school - inspiration for Lowood
lighting beginning
straw wash for rehearsal room
practical lights systematically flicker on (candles, lamp)
purple and dark green wash with speckled grass gobo for moor - lights up back wall, when inside have gobo of windows
areas light up when they are talked about by barn doors and spotlight
‘as if craving the alms of the sun’ transition into 1845
light up moor, birdies to illuminate cathy’s light and fragile figure and then as charlotte enters go to steel wash with gobo of windows, fireplace with flickering practical light
set and its key aims
table and chairs on wheels so they are versatile, two levels to table with bottom layer holding props so they can easily transition from housework to writing
two levels - upper scaffolding represents fantasy (has steps and ladder) should be decorated expressionisticly with floor painted green for moor, feathers, and piles of books
grave yard
underneath platform (lit by uplighter barndoors) are the study of branwell, the shared room of the sisters and emily’s hideaway
door frames
projection of either moor or windows on back wall with gobo
the set should be decorated with: candles, lanterns, piles of books, manuscripts, laundry, kneaded bread, box of toys, easel,
clothes rail at the back to represent their limited wardrobe (sunday dresses, pinafores for children)
SFX
mostly naturalistic except for cathy/bertha
Wind and whistling for moor
piano theme for cathy who should sing along as well
repeated violin melody for Bertha
crackling of fire
sound effect of sea
sound of wind when opening window
sound of school bell
rain
purpose / intention for the set
expressionist and immersive - we are all on a biographical journey discovering the history of the Bronte’s
homely as embodies the few possessions they have (which are all practical), the parsonage was the hub of all their activity therefore this needs to be reflected through lighting
need to differentiate between the secluded areas for each character as they were all fairly isolated (done with lighting)
fantasy / literary area - illustrates the expressionist nature of the play and the extensive literary capabilities and imaginations of the Bronte’s
lighting - transition to childhood and juvenilia (angria)
spin table
yellow wash - happier, elizabeth alive, did not have to conform to gender expectations and stereotypes
‘he knew he wanted something better, something different for his own son’
blue wash to show sky / sea
entrance of Bertha - red wash and side lights illuminate platform
flashback to Elizabeth’s death, return to yellow wash
Anne enters, return to parsonage
act two beginning lighting
to show doors opening - profile to create a corridor of light, emphasing constant hub of activity within the Bronte household
Bertha theme with Rochester entering
need to show Patrick’s degrading health, lights dim slightly and backlight to illuminate patrick as he sit on a chair with back turned away from the audience, shows a shadow implying the legacy he leaves of the Bronte family and the fact that he now has less control over the Bronte household
purpose / intention for the set
expressionist and immersive - we are all on a biographical journey discovering the history of the Bronte’s
homely as embodies the few possessions they have (which are all practical), the parsonage was the hub of all their activity therefore this needs to be reflected through lighting
need to differentiate between the secluded areas for each character as they were all fairly isolated (done with lighting)
fantasy / literary area - illustrates the expressionist nature of the play and the extensive literary capabilities and imaginations of the Bronte’s
graveyard should be always lit as death was an omnipresent part of their life (elizabeth, patrick was the curator)
act two, sisters reading to each other - lighting
Charlotte exits from upper level of stage where she is playing Jane Eyre
table needs to be illuminated as it is representative of where they do all their writing , candle light practical light with red wash as it is bertha/jane, as we move onto Wuthering Heights and cathy appears gobo of moors and cyc becomes illuminated, as we read tenant of wildfell hall a dark night time blue wash with gobo of windows should return
bell nicholls arrival, return to darker steel wash as it is nighttime
branwell is escorted to his room, rest of the stage not illuminated and barndoors show only Branwell’s room and grave yard
third part - education,/sowerby bridge lighting
isolate the sisters as they were distanced from their home, fresnel, dimmer as it represents the past
go to cathy’s state, blue - birdies
Branwell DSL , round spotlight and chair as he writes - needs to be visibly separate from the sisters
return to parsonage as charlotte reads emily’s poems
heger’s boarding school, move table DSR to represnt classroom, straw wash as it is in the past and therefore more melancholic
books - lighting states
wuthering heights - inside blue wash as melancholic, outside on moor cathy’s theme, gobo and green/purple wash with wind, birdies
jane eyre - bertha’s theme, red wash and side lights, normal would be bright white wash as Jane was repressed and clinical
tenant
books - lighting states
wuthering heights - inside blue wash as melancholic, outside on moor cathy’s theme, gobo and green/purple wash with wind, birdies
jane eyre - bertha’s theme, red wash and side lights, normal would be bright white wash as Jane was repressed and clinical
tenant of wildfell hall - late at night, dim blue with windows and candle light
act two final - london and branwell’s death lighting
london, when they return should be bright white wash as they were succesful
slow crossfade into nighttime blue, preempts Branwell and Emily’s deaths
abrupt change to straw wash and spin table at the last glance at angria
fade to dark parsonage - windows with moor, death of emily, unfocused fresnel spotlight on cathy and emily which should slowly fade out to signify their deaths
lights change to daytime moor, straw wash
the seaside SFX and bright blue, cyc lit
setting fire to the manuscript, loud crackilng, should overwhelm the stage, parsonage and straw wash
beg of act one characterisation
two levels, mirroring each others actions
- Establishing of different mannerisms and beings of each character. Charlotte matter of fact tone and sensible, Anne well spoken, quieter, matter of fact, Emily distanced and fluid, she doesn’t care about her appearance yet can be sharp when she wants to be, always talks as if she is being challenged, fast
- Eg. ‘governess’
- Sense of familiarity, touching each other and charlotte emerging from behind Anne and Emily
- Immediately tensions present
- Charlotte always has to be busy, doing something, maintaining her reputation and looking after the family. Points, clips her words, cannot take no for an answer
- Emily, refuses to make eye contact often and looks out upwards, representative of the moor. Realist
- Charlotte controlling, reverts to housework when she cannot get her way
- Intentions: charlotte wants to redeem the family and uphold their reputation
- Emily wants to keep her relationship with Anne private and let Branwell be, as he is his ultimately his own person. Furthermore she accepts defeat ‘im going out’
act one patrick moments, characterisation
- Respect for Patrick and appeasing of tensions on his arrival (awkward and closed body language)
- Different side to Emily shown through reading of her book
- Patrick: dominant, stern voice, upright posture, slowly sits down and holds the stage through his precise movements.
- Emily reading Wuthering Heights: looks up for Patrick’s approval/reaction but soon becomes engrossed with her book and reads it with growing passion and conviction
- Clear change shown to childhood (pinafores), swinging arms, giggling, high-pitched voices, less articulate and mumbling, curious wide eyed expressions
- Patrick takes on a teacher like quality/figure as he sits on a chair and the rest of the children sit on the floor looking up expectantly and innocently at him. However, he also takes joy in seeing the happiness of his children, uses familial behavior with them such as tousling Branwell’s hair and shaking his head nonchalantly
angria and childhood, act one characterisation
- Angria (birthplace of Bertha) the two are playing as children, shoving in front of each other as they try to reach the front of the table to lead and snatch the telescope of off on another. Branwell putting Charlotte on his shoulders, symbolic of how he will always be stronger than her physically and literally in society. This playing shows how their prejudices are formed at a young age. Ends with charlotte sort of accepting defeat
- Change in composure upon Bertha’s entrance as if she appeases the tension on stage and induces a mythical, ethereal like quality on Charlotte and Branwell. Charlotte lies on table chest first staring out into audience. Bertha mirrors this but on the upper level
act one death of elizabeth characterisation
sombre behavior, representative of Charlotte’s transition to head of household and Emily’s blasphemous exploration of death. Subdued, looking down, silent sniffing and crying (showing emotion considered somewhat a sign of weakness) also shows Branwell becoming more self-entitled
- also illustrates the fragility of the Bronte household.
- each child learning to control their emotions after death and adapt
naturalistic moment act one characterisation
direct address to the audience reminding them of the biographical nature of the play
emphasis on ‘as word’
sisters alliance
characterisation of branwell
as a child: loud, boisterous, physical and over the top movements. Enouncates his words and has a higher voice eg. when playing with charlotte,
as an adult: fiddles with his hands as a nervous tick due to his laudanum addiction, when in indignation raises his tone and ends with a rising inflection, when high - spitting, breathing heavily, eyes wide and dilated, dysphoria (extreme mood swings from elevation to depression)
name of the fantast worlds
Angria - charlotte and branwell
Gondal - emily and anne
patrick characterisation
upright, stiff, rarely smiles except when his children have done something wrong
sharp and can be commanding when he needs to be
charlotte context
received four marriage proposals but rejected them all except bell nicholl’s
anne context
looked after branwell the most
refused to romanticise the male character within her books giving a realistic portrayal of them, which was probably why they were less successful
arthur huntingdon - violent and alcoholic
emily context
died of tuberculosis and rejected all medical help, as well as starved herself
martha brown housemaid -Miss Emily died of a broken heart for love of her brother
only published work was wuthering heights and a collection of poems
