A DOLL’S HOUSE
Theatre (2022)‘I must make up my mind which is right – society or I.’ - Nora Helmer
A Doll's House is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having been published earlier that month. The play is set in a Norwegian town circa 1879. The play concerns the fate of a married woman, who at the time in Norway lacked reasonable opportunities for self-fulfillment in a male-dominated world, despite the fact that Ibsen denied it was his intent to write a feminist play. It was a great sensation at the time, and caused a "storm of outraged controversy" that went beyond the theatre to the world of newspapers and society. In 2006, the centennial of Ibsen's death, A Doll's House held the distinction of being the world's most performed play that year. UNESCO has inscribed Ibsen's autographed manuscripts of A Doll's House on the Memory of the World Register in 2001, in recognition of their historical value.
A Doll's House questions the traditional roles of men and women in 19th-century marriage. To many 19th-century Europeans, this was scandalous. The covenant of marriage was considered holy, and to portray it as Ibsen did was controversial. However, the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw found Ibsen's willingness to examine society without prejudice exhilarating.
A short film on the making of this play is available below, which captures the ideas, the process, and the labour that went into its making. This beautiful film comprises interviews and rehearsals' footage in an attempt to express the journey that brought this show to stage.
Nora Helmer – Aditi & Lamo | Torvald Helmer – Alok Ranjan | Dr. Rank – Bhushan Patil | Kristine Linde – Prateeksha & Prerna | Nils Krogstad – Vikas | Children – Lucky & Kriti | Anne Marie – Shazia | Helene – Pali & Khushboo
Duration: 2:30hrs minutes | Language: Hindustani
Translation Sarah Mariam | Assistant Direction & Set Design Sarthak Narula | Set Consultant Shaily Gupta | Composition & Live Piano Almudena Longares | Lights Design Rajesh Singh | Costume Design by Urvashi Bharagava | Choreography Aseng Borang | Film by Annette Jacob | Produced by National School of Drama, India
Conceived & Directed Amitesh Grover
