Underdog: The Other Other Brontë by Sarah Gordon
Directed by Dorothy Hirsch
Performance dates 14th–18th July 2026

Underdog: The Other Other Brontë is a comedic play that takes an irreverent look at the lives of the Brontë sisters, focusing particularly on the often-overlooked Anne. It’s a play that manages to be both hilarious and thought-provoking, offering a contemporary lens on the battle to be published faced by women writers in the 19th century.

Brought to the Corn Exchange by director Dorothy Hirsch and her awesome production team that brought you 2024’s comedy, Breath of Spring, this show promises to surprise and entertain.

Roles Available

• Charlotte Brontë – ambitious, judgemental, a force of nature.
• Emily Brontë – truth speaker, woman of action, roller of eyeballs.
• Anne Brontë – mousy, or is she? The mediator and a very, very, very nice person.
• Branwell Brontë – volatile, highly strung, does some serious drinking.
• Ensemble (3-5 actors, excellent roles for men) – Thomas Newby, Mr Brocklehurst, Mrs Ingham, Cunliffe, Tabby, Elizabeth Gaskill, George Smith, Prof. Heger, Harriet Martineau, Elizabeth Rigby, Smith Williams, George Henry Lewes, Thomas Reid, Fonblanque, Thackery, May Sinclair, The Spectator Quarterly, London Magazine, Westminster Review, Weekly News, The Athanaeum, The Era, North American Review, The Atlas, Christian Remembrancer, Literary World, Critic 1, Critic 2, Driver, Voices, as well as a potted plant, a portrait or 2, a carriage, and various sundry bits and pieces.

All listed ensemble roles have lines, multiple parts per actor, no constraints by sex, physically active.

For more information contact the director, Dorothy Hirsch – dorothy.hirsch@sinodunplayers.org.uk