About A Doll's House
A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen, takes place in a seemingly happy, 19th century, Victorian home in Norway. Nora Helmer, wife of Torvald, has committed fraud in order to protect her husband's health and integrity, and is faced with blackmail by her husband's social rival, Nils Krogstad. Throughout this play, Nora's facade before Torvald eventually begins to fade as she is cornered by rogstad's exposure of her deeds and her crippling fear of facing the truth ebfore her husband. Torvald's response forces Nora to confront the legimiacy of their relationship, her role as a wife and mother, and her place in the world.
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In this production, we will present the Amy Herzog translation of A Doll's House with a minimalistic set and costume design. This translation does not stray from Ibsen's original plot structure, but modernizes some of the language and eliminates "fluff." With simple staging, set and costumes, the audience will be able to focus in on Herzog's direct, biting language, and the relationships between characters on stage. There will be no physical reminder through the design that the play is set in 1879, fixing the audience's eyes on reacting to what they are familiar with in the social-political world of this playin conjunction with modern society in 2025. This production will force us to ask how Nora's journey in A Doll's House is applicable in 2025, and how far we have really come.
About the Dramaturg
Megan Odland
Megan is a MA in Theatre student at Villanova University and holds a BS in Music Education (Voice concentration) and a BA in Theatre from Eastern University. As of Spring 2023, Megan was the first Student Director of a main stage production at Eastern University, and has worked with theatres in Philadelphia, such as The Kimmel Center, Theatre Horizon and Esperanza Arts center as a Production Assistant and Teaching Artist. She has spent her last twos summer working for The Salvation Army’s Arts Ministries Bureau in New York. Megan is a passionate singer, actor and educator who loves expanding her skill set within the arts. This envisioned production of A Doll's House is her first dramaturgical experience, and she is grateful to Dr. Chelsea Philips for her expertise, support and guidance along the way.
