Behind the Footlights: The Course of True Love…. Ibsen’s A DOLL’S HOUSE at The Arden

By Ellen Wilson Dilks

"Well, we will share it, Nora, as man and wife should. That is how it shall be."

Old City’s Arden Theatre Company starts of the new Year with an intimate production of Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 drama A Doll’s House (Adapted by Simon Stephens). Directed by the Company’s Artistic Director—and Co-founder—Terrence J. Nolan, this story of public perceptions vs. private realities runs from January 11 to February 25, 2018 on the Arden’s Arcadia Stage.

To the outside world, Torvald and Nora Helmer are leading perfect lives, with nothing but happiness in their future, but they are not sharing everything as true partners in life. Torvald treats his wife like a child. Soon, a long-buried secret comes to light and it forces Nora to make the most difficult choice of her life.

A Doll’s House was first presented on December 21, 1879 at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, having been published earlier that month. It was controversial at the time due to the way it deals with the fate of a married woman, who at the time in Norway lacked reasonable opportunities for self-fulfillment in a male dominated world. There was a “storm of outrage” at Ibsen’s plot; it went beyond the theatre world to the editorials of the day and to the drawing rooms of society. A Doll's House was based on the life of Laura Kieler (maiden name Laura Smith Petersen), a good friend of Ibsen’s. Much of what occurs between Nora and Torvald happened to Laura and her husband, Victor. The play was written following Laura Kieler’s commitment to the asylum, and Ibsen was deeply shaken by the fate of this friend of the family. A number of people have translated and adapted Ibsen’s play—some even had the audacity to change the ending to make it more palatable.

We recently spoke with The Arden’s Terry Nolen regarding his vision for A Doll's House.

DCM/MLC—What attracted you to this play at this particular time?

I’ve long been drawn to this play and its examination of marriage and money and power.  The Arden has an ongoing commitment to producing work that celebrates and challenges the Philadelphia acting community and, over the years, I’ve done several readings of A Doll’s House.  Each time, I’ve loved rediscovering the play with different actors, but have not felt compelled to produce it.  Last fall, soon after the Presidential election, we did a reading of the play and it was absolutely riveting.  Katherine Powell, an actress who appeared at the Arden as Masha in Three Sisters and Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, read the role of Nora, and she was a revelation.  The play seemed to leap off of the page – gripping and shocking and incredibly relevant. A Doll’s House shines a light on how hard it is to be absolutely truthful, even with those with whom you are most intimate.  Marriage (and partnerships) can be complex and messy, sustained in part by a shared understanding of what is essential for that relationship to flourish.  But what if the foundations of that “shared understanding” are destroyed?  What if one must make a change?

DCM/MLC —What are you and the cast exploring in particular to make the Arden’s version unique?

Many years ago, I had the honor of working with Chaim Potok when the Arden produced The Chosen, a play he co-authored based on his acclaimed novel.  One time, when discussing a particular relationship, Chaim said, “Never judge a marriage unless you sleep under the bed.”  That’s what A Doll’s House does: it puts you inside of this marriage, behind the closed doors. We witness the most intimate and honest examination of this marriage.  To that end, we’ve reconfigured the theatre to bring the audience as close as possible.  The production will be in the round – with the audience “in the room/under the bed” with these characters.

DCM/MLC —Given your choice to have a racially diverse cast, will there be any changes in the time frame you set your production in?

We’re focusing on the contemporary resonances of this play, and are stripping away many of the period details that assures the audience that this took place a long time ago.  But part of the play is about the shame that is unleased by debt, and clearly that’s not something that exists in today’s world where debt is so absolutely commonplace.  Our goal is to allow the play to exist in an earlier era, but to also find ways that it could be taking place today.  Not “once upon a time” but rather “here, now, in this room.”

DCM/MLC —Why do you think Ibsen’s A Doll’s House has continued to be produced?

A DOLL’S HOUSE was first performed in 1879, but it continues to speak to audiences, in part, because the play can be viewed from so many different perspectives.  It is political and personal and, like the central character of Nora, incredibly compelling and also, at times, confounding.  This is a play that commands our attention.  In it, we see our own relationships, our own struggles, and what one must be willing to confront to be true to yourself. 

If You Go: A Doll’s House runs on the Arden’s intimate Arcadia Stage from January 11 to February 25, 2018. Performances are Tuesdays through Sundays, with evening curtains generally at 8pm and Sunday matinees at 2pm. (Note= Week Night performances start at 7pm). The Arden is located at 40 North Second Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. The Box Office can be reached at 215-922-1122, and is open daily during performance runs. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.ardentheatre.org