Google Developers are Brontëites

Yorkshire Post reviews Jane Hair:

The play, popping up in three hair salons in West Yorkshire this week, works on several levels. The script contains plenty of sly ‘in jokes’ for Brontë aficionados to enjoy – Charlotte’s biographer Elizabeth Gaskell becomes bitchy gossip columnist ‘Lizzie G’, for example, and Anne’s blog is entitled ‘Wildfeller’ – but this is about making the Brontës accessible and the oft-told tale is delivered in a way that is warm, quirky – and frequently very funny. While there are a lot of laughs to be had, the play also addresses the perennial problem of artists having to find ways of funding their creative endeavours. So, while they would much rather be spending their time writing, slam poet Emily, screenwriter Charlotte and blogger Anne have to work as stylists at Haworth Hair and Beauty, where their brother Branwell is their (lazy, slightly distracted) receptionist. There are times when, perhaps, the extended metaphor is stretched a little too far, but overall this is a hugely entertaining piece with sparky ensemble performances from Jeanette Percival as Charlotte, Kat Rose Martin as Emily, Rosie Fox as Anne and Ryan Greaves as Branwell. A cut above. (Yvette Huddleston)

Anchorage Press reviews the play The Young Jane Eyre:

‘Young Jane Eyre,’ adapted by Marisha Chamberlain, and directed by Krista M. Schwarting, which opened last weekend at Anchorage Community Theatre, focuses on the first part of Jane’s life. This adaptation explores the formative years of this beloved character.
The team at ACT seldom has a misstep when it comes to the design side of theatre, and this show is no exception. A wonderful set design by Brian Saylor and dressing by Marcia Varady greet the audience. With very few set pieces that move, lighting design by Dean Brady is an important part of the story that moves indoors and outdoors throughout the show, as well as moving from the Reed home to Lowood Orphanage. Quick and smart set changes, combined with Brady’s light design, and the choices of color made these transitions seamless and never interrupted the flow of the show.
As director, Schwarting has a lot to be proud of with this play. The show has 26 characters portrayed by 21 actors. The majority of these actors are 17 or younger. Having a cast this large in a theatre that, like most community theatre spaces, is smaller can be a challenge. At no time during the 90 minute production did the stage ever feel crowded, and the blocking allowed for perfect viewing of each and every actor on stage.
Schwarting also did an expert job casting the show. Every character portrayed stood out and was memorable. Even those that only had a few lines added so much to this tale of overcoming adversity and being true to yourself.
Hannah Hickenlooper as the title character is an absolute joy. The novel was one of the first books that had a first person child narrative. Hickenlooper seems to be inspired by this fact, and is brilliant in her role as she tells the entire story. The emotions of each scene are clearly on her face when she is not speaking, yet she still manages to never pull focus from her cast mates. You will find yourself rooting for her, hurting with her, and being inspired by her bravery and character. This is the first lead role that she has ever gotten and one that she says has meant a lot to her. “The first nine chapters are so pivotal. They really taught me, you can stand up for other people, and not be afraid, it will shape you, and it shapes the people you are able to surround yourself with.”
Equally as engaging are the characters Helen Burns and Mary Ann Wilson, played by Bronwyn Embree and Kinley Norman respectively. These two support Jane in her journey in their own special ways, and the chemistry and bond between all of the actors was apparent and felt natural. [...]
I appreciated the choice to not have the actors speak in accents even though the play is set in 1820’s England and features characters from Scotland and other areas. Instead, each spoke their lines with perfect diction and projected loudly. For younger actors this ability is impressive, especially when feels like that is how they always speak. (RJ Johnson)

This account on SDA Developers of the preparations for Google Developers' io18 has led us to this lobby (you can find the way to it by yourself here).

A cryptic image attached to the tweet led people to the Google I/O website, which has been turned into an escape room-style Google Maps Street View experience set in a Google campus building. The lobby of the building contains a calendar, the novel “Sister Carrie” by Theodore Dreiser, a photo of the Three Sisters volcanic peaks in Oregon, and a painting of what appear to be the Brontë sisters. (Doug Lynch)

Nice touch!

Chronicle Live tells about this year's Great Exhibition of the North and its 'inspired by' mark.

The Great Exhibition of the North will be hosted by Newcastle Gateshead but other towns and cities across the North can get involved in the newly announced ‘Inspired by’ programme. [...]
Bradford Literature Festival, Bradford Science Festival and the bicentenary of the birth (on July 30, 1818) of Emily Brontë, author of Wuthering Heights, will all display the ‘Inspired by’ mark. (David Whetstone)

The Sun reports that tourism board Visit Bradford has released a tourist guide promoting the city, which

does have several bragging rights – it is the birthplace of David Hockney and the Brontë sisters, as well as the aforementioned Mr Malik. (Caroline McGuire)

DW interviews author Emma Byrne, 'a researcher who studied the science behind swearing and wrote Swearing is Good for You: The Amazing Science of Bad Language'.

From an artistic point of view, there is a long history in literature and in art of using language that is representative of the characters you're portraying. In British English, the classic novel "Wuthering Heights," written by one of the Brontë sisters, was the first one to use foul words without any dashes or asterisks, without any censorship. That's because the author wanted to ensure that the people reading it would experience the emotional impact of the kind of language her characters would use. To apply self-censorship as a writer, director or artist is to essentially do a disservice to the characters you're trying to portray, but it also does a disservice to the audience, because we know from neuroscience that you can't just substitute a similar sounding word for the real thing and expect it to have the exact same impact. It's only in hearing those real taboo words that we actually understand the speaker's emotional intent. (Courtney Tenz)

There's a first edition of Jane Eyre for sale on The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association for $40,000.