Born in 1828, Norwegian playwright, theatre director and poet Ibsen, wrote in Danish yet lived for many years in Italy and Germany. Heralded as one the most distinguished dramatists after Shakespeare, by the early 20th century A Doll's House became the world's most performed play. Hedda Gabler A poignant study of loneliness, impotent rage and societal expectations breeding a certain kind of madness, this trailblazing play focusses on Hedda Gabler, 'the general's daughter', and her rising feelings of anger and jealousy towards a former schoolmate, fuelled by her lack of control in her own life. When a former suitor comes back into her life, bringing with him all kinds of complication, passion and history, Hedda devises a plot to win back her power... which ultimately leads to a very civilized sort of chaos and, ultimately, tragedy. Full cast: Laura Carmichael, James Parkes, Rachel Atkins, Sarah Whitehouse, Christopher Dane, Harry Myers, Fiz Marcus. A Doll's House Nora Helmers is her husband Torvald's adorable 'little doll'. Pretty and doll-like in her doll's house with her healthy children and seemingly respectable life, she and her family have it all... or so it seems. Behind closed doors, like a lot of Ibsen's antiheroines, Nora is unhappy and unfulfilled. She is thoughtful, intelligent and trapped, playing the role of a dutiful wife in a situation that doesn't arouse any of her passions, in a society that believes that she shouldn't have any. A fascinating before-its-time window onto a world where expectations of women were streets apart from the contemporary world, Ibsen's masterpiece is a study in strength, determination and hard choices against all the odds. Full cast: Laura Carmichael, Edward Harrison, Christopher Dane, Sarah Whitehouse, Harry Myers, Jessica Dennis, Josephine Arden. An Enemy of the People A true classic and a play for our modern times in equal measure. A perhaps unintentional parody on 'fake news', the hysteria of the masses and publicly shaming individuals to the point of breakdown, this story follows one man's struggle to do the right thing and speak the truth in the face of extreme social intolerance. Sometimes farcical, sometimes terrifying, An Enemy of the People is a parable for crazy times and a cautionary tale for those who dare to challenge the establishment. Full cast: Owen Teale, Sarah Whitehouse, Christopher Dane, James Parkes, Edward Harrison, David Forest, Ben Whitehead, Harry Myers, Neil Frost, Paul Anthony, Liis Mikk, Josephine Arden.
Author
Henrik Johan Ibsen was a major Norwegian playwright largely responsible for the rise of modern realistic drama. He is often referred to as the "father of modern drama." Ibsen is held to be the greatest of Norwegian authors and one of the most important playwrights of all time, celebrated as a national symbol by Norwegians. His plays were considered scandalous to many of his era, when Victorian values of family life and propriety largely held sway in Europe and any challenge to them was considered immoral and outrageous. Ibsen's work examined the realities that lay behind many facades, possessing a revelatory nature that was disquieting to many contemporaries. Ibsen largely founded the modern stage by introducing a critical eye and free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality. Victorian-era plays were expected to be moral dramas with noble protagonists pitted against darker forces; every drama was expected to result in a morally appropriate conclusion, meaning that goodness was to bring happiness, and immorality pain. Ibsen challenged this notion and the beliefs of his times and shattered the illusions of his audiences.
