Through a heartfelt plot, humorous casting and eccentric lighting the Fine Arts Division Theatre Department created “Villette,” an adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel “Villette.” The play opened Jan. 23, in the Lindhurst Theater.
“Villette” follows 23-year-old Lucy Snowe as she navigates both the social and physical aspects of the imaginary city of Villette. She encounters stern Madame Beck, played by Kayla Bryant, and timid Dr. John, played by Evan Huit, and falls in love with sarcastic Monsieur Paul, played by Spencer Williams.
“Once I became a playwright and had a few plays under my belt, I felt like I could do something hard,” Playwright Sara Gmitter said. “So, I picked up my favorite novel and figured out how I could make it a play.”
Genesis Ochoa, a junior theater and screen arts major with an acting emphasis, stars as Lucy Snowe in her second production at Pepperdine. Ochoa said she was honored to play the lead lady and was inspired by Snowe’s distinctive character.
“I have learned throughout the process [of being Lucy] how to become very headstrong,” Ochoa said. “I thank Sara and Brontë for allowing me to become a more independent and headstrong woman.”
The play addresses social stigmas such as depression and anxiety. Brontë’s novel was published in 1853, an era when mental health and mental illness were hardly recognized, according to FHE Health. Gmitter highlights these aspects of the novel in her play.
“Lucy goes through this whole period of depression that Brontë describes so perfectly, even though, when Brontë was alive, there was not a word for what it was,” Gmitter said. “But she knew what it was. She had felt it; she could describe it, and you could recognize it.”
Along with acknowledging mental health stigmas, Gmitter incorporates ideas of feminism and women’s empowerment throughout the performance. The supporting female characters, Ginevra, Madame Beck and Madame Bretton, all represent the diverse characteristics of womanhood.
“Madame Beck is what Lucy could become if she lets herself go completely down her rational, practical path,” Gmitter said. “Ginevra is what people think a young accomplished woman is supposed to be, but underneath she is so much more interesting and complicated. And Mrs. Breton is that warmth and acknowledgment that we are loved.”
First-year Public Relations major Izzy Latala said she enjoyed the performance.
“I thought it was really good,” Latala said. “It was really cool because the set was really minimal, yet they found ways to work it into so many different scenes and settings.”
The production of Villette began around September 2023, Scenic Designer Stella Engel said. Engel explained how the crew managed to transform the limited space in Lindhurst into the spacious city of Villette.
“There are so many locations [in the play], so it was a little complex in the beginning,” Engel said. “We focused on the larger images like the doors and storms. We focused on those elements first, and then a lot of practical things came after that.”
As “Villette” wrapped up its Pepperdine performances, Gmitter said she is preparing for a new piece of hers.
“There is another play that I have written that is waiting in the wings to find the right time before production,” Gmitter says. “But, I will always come back to ‘Villette.'”
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Contact Shalom Montgomery via email: shalom.montgomery@pepperdine.edu
