Nu Sass Productions presents the house party of the season, hosted by none other than the Brontë Sisters — Emily, Charlotte, and Anne, the famous writers of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall respectively. The Brontë Sisters are stuck in purgatory, suffering through party after party in an endless time loop, until they throw the best house party and reach The Point of Celebratory Reverence. For them, hosting is truly hell.
Nu Sass is excited to present Brontë Sister House Party, written by Courtney Bailey, which premiered at the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival in 2021 for the Confluence Regional Writers’ Project, and was awarded the 2022 St. Louis Theatre Circle Award for Outstanding Play. This isn’t a play; it’s really a house party filled with music, laughter, tears, confessions, scuffles, and of course, private bathroom convos.
“The Brontës are like my Roman Empire: for years, I’ve obsessed over the precious few details we know of their lives, and of course, their extraordinary poems and novels,” said Kathleen Barth, Director of Brontë Sister House Party.
Kathleen adds that this play isn’t just for Brontë fans. “Courtney Bailey’s delightfully raucous play offers entertaining and insightful portrayals of the Brontë siblings, and their fabulous party guests, that will entice audiences new and familiar with the Brontës.”
Nu Sass Productions’ Brontë Sister House Party, directed by Kathleen Barth, features Leah Ly as Emily, Aubri O’Connor as Charlotte, Rose Hahn as Anne, Ty Edwards as Branwell, Breanna Horner as Cathy, Daniella Ignacio as Helen Burns, and Madeline Marie as Kate Bush. Understudies include Layla Nabavi, Katie Lurie, Aisling Mockler, Michael McCarthy, Hope Cassady, Alyssa Nolan, and Jessica Cooperstock.
The production team is comprised of producer Elle Sullivan, assistant director/dramaturg Edie Backman, assistant stage manager Ray Poukish, fight and intimacy director Bess Kaye, assistant fight director Layali Aljirafi, scenic designer Maggie Troutman, props designer Roo Sultan, costume/hair designer Lanae Sterrett, lighting/projections designer Heather Rody, and sound designer Connor Lugo-Harris.
Brontë Sister House Party, presented by Nu Sass Productions, runs August 14 – September 12, 2026, at Van Ness Main Street, 4340 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC. Tickets, available online, are $25 for general admission, with various ticket types available at discounted rates, including a limited number of pay-what-you-will seats. Additional fees may apply. Accessible seating and “no-stairs” seating may be purchased online.
About Nu Sass Productions
Nu Sass Productions strives to encourage marginalized genders in all aspects of theater, especially in those roles traditionally dominated by cisgender men. Nu Sass aims to create engaging, thought-provoking art while being a responsible local and global citizen.
