Wuthering Heights. A Walking Play in Lisle

Wuthering Heights as a walking play through Lisle's Morton Arboretum:

Inkwell Arts and Learning  present

Wuthering Heights

by Alissa Frewen

Director: Lara Filip

Original Music by Willa Zatzenboom 
With Sylar Mcclure, Faiz Siddique, Margaret Rogers, Bradley Lauber, Ryan Adams, Grace Burman, Gwenny Hayes, Jojo Nagwangu, Austin Hartung, Zola Pineda, Alexander Wisniewski, Olivia Sulisz.

October 17 (low impact walking play), October 18, 24, 25 at 16.00h

Wuthering Heights has been on our shortlist of books to adapt for a long time. However, it felt a little too obscure, maybe a little too complex a story to tackle. There really hadn’tbeen a truly faithful adaptation of it...well...ever. 

Then, a new, splashy campaign of ads came out for the new 2026 movie version! How exciting! Maybe there will be a new, faithful retelling of Bronte’s story! Or... Maybe not.

To be clear...I think it’s a beautiful film, and the creator was very clear that this was a teenage, fever-dream, re-imagined adaptation. I appreciated the creativity and beauty of it, but it left me even more eager to begin rehearsals for our production, so we could dig into the text and themes of the book as it was originally intended. 

At its heart, Wuthering Heights is not a story of lust, or violence or even longing...although there are plenty of those thematic moments. For me, it asks a question of whether (wuther?) or not, we can rise above generational trauma to find redemption and the love we all deserve.

It also is a story rooted fully in the period, but also incredibly universal in its exploration of the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. The disruption to the social and class systems and the pushback against the gentry of the time feel chillingly relevant, if you think about it. There was a sort of collapse of the “Real Wives of the Aristocracy” versus the “New Money” kids, coming up in the world and pushing the boundaries that had held society together up to that point. 

There’s also an even simpler truth. We should tell people we love them. Straight up. Just tell them. Maybe be honest about your hopes and fears and discuss the obstacles to your happiness with the people who can help change your destiny. Also, maybe just go ahead and change your destiny yourself anddon’t make rash decisions...(CATHY!!)

But, ALSO, maybe Cathy needed help shedidn’t know how to ask for. Mental health becomes a sort of shadowy, extra character in the story. Ghosts feel very real when we feel the pain Heathcliff carries from the moment he is “adopted” into this family. Nelly certainly has some narcissistic tendencies, ifwe’re being honest. 

Ultimately, this story and the moors themselves give us space to ask ourselves how we might give ourselves a real chance at loveand truth. 

Without hope, no story is worth telling for me...and though we have to traverse a brutal path, it does shine through in the end. I think that journey is well worth that destination. And I believe Alyssa has finally given the world a beautiful, faithful retelling of this tale.I hope you love it as much as we’ve learned to.

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