Bronte: A Portrait of Charlotte July 25, 2012

'Bronte' takes place "in the course of a single day in a sitting room of the Bronte house," where Charlotte has returned to live with her stern God-fearing father after burying the last of her siblings, her sister Anne. Based on letters written between Charlotte and her childhood friend and confidante, Ellen Nussey, the play sheds light on Charlotte's fears, her need for love, her sense of loss and quiet suffering. Most important, it casts light on the genius of the woman who, despite the repressive environment she grew up in, dared to challenge conventional wisdom that women "ought to confine themselves to making puddings....knitting stockings.....playing on the piano." Written as a radio play for Julie Harris, it eventually became a stage piece which the legendary Miss Harris toured the country performing.