When I confessed my lack of knowledge in the Brontë sisters (as a former English major), theatre director Amanda Goldberg chuckled with me in synch, saying she was also never truly part of the fanbase. But that was before her discovery of Polly Teale’s play, Brontë. Goldberg is now directing this powerful production about the well-known Victorian spinsters, with a re-envisioned mind.
“I know there are certain expectations when a production is titled with the name Brontë, but I hope those audiences are ready to challenge their expectations. Or, at least be open to meeting a completely new interpretation of this family.” Says Goldberg.
Like many other live theatre productions, Goldberg’s production also went through several rounds of cast changing and postponements in the past year due to the COVID related challenges. When she returned to Timms Centre for The Arts for their first rehearsal, Goldberg believed this team could now face any challenges.
“Like the Brontë family, we connect with love even through the most challenging times.”
Love, as well as acceptance and internal struggle, is one of the significant themes in Brontë. While the creative team tries their best to re-envision the story, Goldberg believes that the audience resonates with the complicated sibling dynamic.
“This is not a biography of the family, but a response to their story,” Says Goldberg. “Our greatly gifted characters have ideas and dreams, and we wonder to what extent we can relate to the feeling of not having a world that lets them do that. The Brontë family guides us to see what it means to love each other, even when sometimes it hurts to love.”
Brontë goes onstage at Timms Centre for The Arts from May 13-21.
