UBC Theatre & Film's production of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Poster graphic by Jon Wood.

THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL

Based on the novel by Anne Brontë
Adapted by Professor Jacqueline Firkins
Directed by Alumna Sarah Rodgers

Presented by the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of British Columbia

THEATRE SERIES | WORLD PREMIERE

October 1-17, 2015

Tickets: $11.50 - $24.50

Venue: Frederic Wood Theatre

— HER SECRET IS SAFE WITH HIM —

Helen Graham has moved into the withered Wildfell Hall in an attempt to escape her mysterious past. Unfortunately, gossip is served daily in Helen’s new town and she is their latest appetizer. Chatter quickly escalates when her relationships with Frederick Lawrence and Gilbert Markham are scrutinized; forcing Helen to contend with her past haunting the present.

Celebrated as one of the world’s first feminist novels, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall delivers quick wit and cutting insights on 19th century gender dynamics. When performed in this premiere stage adaptation from Professor Jacqueline Firkins, female independence truly takes the spotlight. 

Stephen Heatley, Head, Department of Theatre & Film

Stephen Heatley, Head
Department of Theatre & Film

Welcome to the world premiere of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall!

I am so proud to be beginning my term as Head of the Department of Theatre and Film during the centennial celebrations of our university.

One hundred years ago students first began course work at UBC and that same year a young English professor named Frederic Wood formed the Players’ Club. Theatre has been happening at UBC as long as there has been a UBC. Our department has a long and rich tradition of teaching and scholarly activity in theatre and film. The original Frederic Wood Theatre opened 63 years ago and our current home opened 52 years ago. Under the guidance of Dorothy Somerset, this department was founded 57 years ago. We have been teaching film classes on campus for 49 years.

So I am delighted to be able to welcome you to a world premiere to kick off our 64th season; adapted by our faculty colleague, Jacqueline Firkins, directed by MFA directing alumna Sarah Rodgers, and featuring the work on stage and backstage of our current students and recent graduates of whom we are most proud.

I look forward to welcoming you to this theatre several times this year as well as to other theatre and film events at locations across the campus. Happy 100th UBC!

Cheers,
Stephen Heatley

Sarah Rodgers, Director, UBC's production of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Sarah Rodgers, Director
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

This has been a fascinating project for me as I come back to direct for UBC after a few years off – my last offering being The Duchess by Linda Griffiths that recently enjoyed a very successful revival with Diane Brown in the lead role at The Vancouver East Cultural Centre.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall has offered up some unique challenges. The novel is one of the least known novels written by the famous Brontë sisters. The novel is written by Anne Brontë – the youngest sister who had to witness first hand the breakdown of her brother, Branwell, who joined her as a tutor at Thorp Green. Out of the experiences of observing her brother take up an affair with the lady of the house and his subsequent journey into drink and drugs and ultimately death grew the novel of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. The novel is an ambitious but uneven work. The longest section of the book is told through Helen’s diary presented in installments between 1821-1827. The structure makes for a very challenging style to transform to the theatre or even film. Our playwright Jacqueline Firkins has done a wonderful and admirable job of making this piece theatrical and suspenseful and even bringing some delightful comedy to a rather bleak story.

This is also a class project – a unique exercise within the season and thus the department cast some of the students in roles outside their type in order to allow the actors to explore and grow. I am enjoying greatly guiding the actors in their exploration on this challenging path.

We are also having many discussions on the pros and cons of accents. It is my belief that the world of Brontë is uniquely British and the dialogue with its cadence and choice of words suit an accent. It allows the language to soar supported by the lilt and inherent rhythms of the dialect. Although this piece set in the country (most likely Yorkshire) adds an even more challenge to the students work. Do we do a gentle RP to place the piece in England or specifically the country lilt of Yorkshire? At this point in the process the exciting debate continues as in the room we continue to play. By the time you sit back and watch this show and hear the actors – you will know who won this fascinating consideration. Ultimately we wish to honour a passionate story and the actors to take themselves deeply into these characters and certainly the themes in this piece of passion and pain and loss and the hope of a second chance at love are themes experienced and that resonate around the world. And so ‘ear all, see all, say nowt. Just tuck in und enjoy the show’!

Sarah Rodgers

Jacqueline Firkins, Playwright, Set & Costume Designer, UBC's production of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Jacqueline Firkins, Playwright
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Questions & Answers with Jacqueline Firkins

When did you first read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall?

I read the piece in 1993 when I was pursuing my undergraduate degree in English Literature. I was struck by the differences between Anne's novel and the work of her sisters, but Tenant haunted me, as a good ghost story should, even one whose ghosts aren't supernatural.

How did you come to adapt this novel for the stage?

I have been teaching in University settings for twelve years. Every year the faculty tries to find plays that meet certain criteria, including a number of interesting women's roles for acting pools that often have more women than men. After discussing the same few scripts over and over again, I said, "Why don't we generate some work that fits these needs?” I returned to the literature [that not] only put women's voices on stage through the cast, but also in authorship. I found works that contained a number of meaty women's roles. Tenant suited our particular casting pool best and the participants in early workshops were drawn in by the mystery at the heart of the piece.

What was the most unexpected challenge of the adaptation process?

One of my biggest challenges was trying to serve a lot of needs with one piece. I had my own artistic goals about diversifying the notions of a heroine or a love story, but I had to retain some commercial appeal. I had to honour Bronte's intentions with the novel, and yet consider what might resonate most for a modern audience. I also had to serve a specific cast and their potential educational opportunities as growing artists. Each actor needed a character with an arc and some complexities to explore. Some roles that were minor in the novel grew to be much larger in the play. Therefore the piece began to focus on a story about an individual who disrupts a community. In the end, I'm grateful for the impact of all of the parameters. They kept us asking questions about what story we really wanted to tell and why we wanted to tell it.

What aspect of this story makes it relevant for our modern audience?

I have always been drawn to classic or "time-tested" literature because it illustrates the things that have changed and the things  that haven't. If Tenant was set in 2015, Helen would have had a pre-nup, Jane would have found a man (or several) through OKCupid, Mrs. Wilson would be at home all day on Facebook commenting on everyone else's posts, and Rose would be off studying Oscar Wilde in university. But the core feminist argument holds true today: we often have different expectations of our daughters and our sons.

If you could be a Brontë sister for a day, which one would you be?

In truth, Charlotte. (Sorry, Anne.) She had such an amazing combination of wit and compassion. She was nurturing but never afraid to speak her mind. She was deeply analytical and understood the frequent contradictions of brain and heart.

She gave us Jane Eyre and Lucy Snowe, two women who--when I encountered them as a teenager--taught me that even girls who aren't considered pretty or strong deserve intellectual stimulation, artistic fulfilment, and lasting companionship.