A LEEDS theatre has commissioned three new works to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Charlotte Brontë’s birth.

West Yorkshire Playhouse said its Brontë season will take centre stage during the autumn to celebrate the “extraordinary” works of the county’s iconic literary family.

The season will explore the Brontës’ relevance for contemporary audiences by inviting artists to approach their work from a 21st century perspective.

There will be a major new adaptation of Charlotte’s novel Villette by Yorkshire writer Linda Marshall-Griffiths, reimagining Charlotte Brontë’s ground-breaking novel whilst remaining true to its unique insights into loneliness, yearning and the redemptive power of love.

Commissions also include a work-in-progress staging of new musical Wasted – described as “the explosive crash-and-burn story of four young people with incredible dreams” – and a collaborative digital project entitled Know Your Place.

These will première alongside dance performances, including Northern Ballet’s Wuthering Heights, and panel discussions.