THIS month marks the bicentenary of birth of Anne Bronte, the youngest of the six Bronte children, and in celebration of the author of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, the players at Farnworth Little Theatre are staging a production of Bronte written by Polly Teale.

Seasoned Director Natalie Crompton, director of Breaking the Code, Turn of the Screw at Farnworth and most recently Miss Julie at the Kings Arms in Salford, leads a cast of seven in telling the tale of the turbulent lives of the Bronte sisters.

The Bolton News:

(Photo by Adrian Mottram)

The stage production is a literary detective story set in 1845 in which Branwell Bronte returns to the Bronte household bringing chaos and disgrace to his family of writers. Teale's extraordinary play evokes the real and imagined worlds of the Brontës, as their fictional characters come to haunt their creators.

Polly Teale wrote in the Guardian in 2005: “We are fascinated by the Brontes because they broke the mould (against all odds). They broke it and yet they were made by it. They were every inch the product of their time, even in their attempts to free themselves.”

The Bolton News:

(Picture by Adrian Mottram)

Natalie said: “I’m feeling really lucky to be directing at Farnworth Little Theatre. I’ve always enjoyed the process of directing but there’ve been a couple of occasions where it’s felt that the unique circumstances of text, cast and crew have an extra magic. The cast are so committed and have been really fearless in throwing themselves into some challenging stuff. If you like the Brontes this is definitely for you and if you like a family drama with sex, drink and literary rock and roll - you’ll love it!”

The Bolton News:

(Photo by Adrian Mottram)

Performing in the production are Esme Mather as Charlotte Bronte, Ellie Murphy as Emily Bronte, Rebecca Anderson as Anne Bronte, James Haslam as Branwell Bronte, Andrew Turton as Patrick Bronte and a supporting case of Natalie Haley and Ben Kilburn.

The production at Farnworth Little Theatre, a 72-year-old local amateur dramatics society, based on Cross Street, runs until Saturday 25 January. Tickets are £10 full price / £8 concession and are available online at www.farnworthlittletheatre.co.uk or by calling the Box Office line on 0845 643 0808.