ASCENSION COMMUNITY THEATRE PRESENTS ‘A DOLL’S HOUSE’

ACT presents A DOLL’S HOUSE as it’s opening show in 2015. Tickets range from $15 to $30 per seat. For tickets, call 225-647-1230 or go online www.ascensioncommunitytheatre.org

CAST LIST: Characters Cast Members

Nora Helmer -  Heidi Frederic

Torvald Helmer -  Derek Bourque

Kristine Linde -  Nanette Kivett

Dr. Rank - Warren Frazer

Krogstad - Richard Pittman

Nanny Anne-Marie - Christy Sloan

Maid Helena - Jamie Keller

Emmy Helmer - Sarah Sloan

Signey Helmer - Madeline Pittman

Ivar Helmer - Jaxon Keller

SHOW RUN:

February 26-March 1, 2015 March 5-March 8

Performances Thursdays-Saturdays 7PM • Sundays 2PM

NOTES:

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House opened on December 21, 1879 in Copenhagen, Denmark and soon gained --- for its door-slam ending. As Ibsen revealed in his biography and personal notes, “a woman cannot be herself in modern society. It is an exclusively male society, with laws made by men and with prosecutors and judges who assess female conduct from a male standpoint.”

All the characters of this play are trapped in roles that society has dictated and demands they play. It is a journey not just towards women’s liberation but to self- liberation and responsibility.

Nora and Torvald Helmer are seemingly happy in their marriage until we discover that lies and deceit have invaded the household. Nora has forged a signature in order to borrow money to save her sick husband. “I did it for love,” she says. Nora believes that her husband will stand up for her; however, Torvald is worried more about appearances and his reputation than his wife. Because he is not the man she thought he was, Nora makes the decision to find her own human identity.

Ibsen leaves his audience to consider sobering truths: “the prime duty of anyone is to arrive at an authentic human identity and not accept the role determined by social conventions.”

Henrik Ibsen (Author)

Born March 20, 1828, was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director whose controversial and challenging works helped establish realism as a theatrical form to be reckoned with. Ibsen’s early work, however, is remarkably different from the realist masterpieces for which he is now renowned. Ibsen’s early efforts – typified by his plays Brand (1866) and Peer Gynt (1867) – were written in romantic verse. Peer Gynt, in particular exhibits a style far removed from his more realistic fare; the play predominately deals with the myths and legends of Scandinavia’s past, though it did use verse to satirize Norwegian culture. In the 1870’s Ibsen denounced the use of verse pledging himself to theatre that creates an illusion of reality on the stage. This new dedication contributed to the work for which Ibsen is best known, A Doll’s House (1879), Ghosts (1881), and Hedda Gabler (1891). Despite his enormous influence on the emerging canon of realistic and naturalistic drama, his commitment to that style was short-lived. Ibsen’s late career – typified by The Wild Duck (1884) and The Master Builder (1892) – demonstrated Ibsen’s experimentation with symbolism and the techniques of the early avant-garde. Ibsen died on May 23, 1906.