Cathy in Yorkshire, Jane in Texas

Far Out Magazine travels through Yorkshire in five films and one of them is

Wuthering Heights (Andrea Arnold, 2011)

If you like Haworth’s central street, full of independent shops and eateries, then why not visit the Brontë parsonage too? It’s on the doorstep of the village centre, and it’s where Charlotte, Anne and Emily wrote most of their work. Emily Brontë famously wrote Wuthering Heights here, taking inspiration from the local moors, which play a crucial role in the novel. It has been adapted for the screen numerous times, but Andrea Arnold, known for her social realist works like Red Road and Fish Tank, did a great job in 2011.

The film, which stars Kaya Scodelario and James Howson exposes the beautiful darkness of the Yorkshire countryside, with several North and West Yorkshire locations featuring. Places like Thwaite and Coverham, both of which are beautiful villages, were used as filming locations, but go to any outstanding area of the Yorkshire Dales, especially on a foggy day, and you’re bound to feel like Cathy herself. (Aimee Ferrier)

The Marshall News Messenger features the last show of the season at ETBU Theatre and Music Arts: Jane Eyre the Musical.

East Texas Baptist University’s School of Communication and Performing Arts closed out the 2023-24 production season with “Jane Eyre,” a tragic-poetic musical drama adapted from the beloved novel of the same name written by Charlotte Brontë April 18-21 at Memorial City Hall in downtown Marshall.

The show was directed by Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Rouba Palmer with musical direction by Assistant Professor of Music Judith Shelton. The live orchestra was conducted by Assistant Professor of Music Pat Antinone.

“I have always loved the story of Jane Eyre, and when I heard the music score, I fell in love with the music, too,” Palmer said. “We worked hard to highlight the themes of redemption, forgiveness and overcoming adversity in hopes of inspiring audience members with a central message to persist in righteousness even when circumstances are at odds.” [...]

With poignant musical numbers and powerful performances, the show captured the essence of Brontë’s timeless story, offering audiences a compelling portrayal of one woman’s quest for independence and belonging in a society bound by conventions and constraints. The cast and crew also worked diligently to emphasize several strong Christian themes infused throughout the production.

“Forgiveness, redemption, judgment, mercy and how God tempers the former with the latter to visit us with salvation are some of the more prominent ideas highlighted in the show,” Shelton said. “It’s been my desire to direct this show for a very long time, so getting to direct the music was a joyful experience for me. The cast was receptive to my suggestions and quick to respond to the musical needs and direction I was moving. The challenge primarily lay in making such a large score and such heavy singing material accessible to the students.”

Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Jake Yenish oversaw the technical and scenic designs of the production and shared how the combined involvement of cast and crew, students, and faculty ultimately brought the compelling and creative show to life.

“As a liberal arts institution, our students have the opportunity to be deeply involved in as many aspects of the production as they’re willing to,” Yenish said. “Looking at the playbill, the names of the cast also appear in the production staff, and vice versa. Our students are the primary motivating source for the work we are able to accomplish. It is their sweat and their muscle that physically produced the design of the show.”

AnneBrontë.org highlights a letter by Charlotte Brontë in which she lays down the qualifications a teacher needs in her opinion.