A Doll's House: Re-imagined by Emily Perkins

Media Release
14 June 2017
For Immediate Release
Att: Arts Editor/ Reporter

The re-imagining of the Ibsen classic A Doll’s House by Emily Perkins will be staged at Circa Theatre this August, directed by award-winning director Katherine McRae. This modern take on a much-loved classic picks up Ibsen’s gauntlet and drops it into present-day New Zealand.

“A Doll's House is famous for questioning the social straitjackets we find ourselves in, exploring the nature of power and free will, and the tension between the individual and her community, autonomy and responsibility,” says Perkins.

Perkins is a highly acclaimed writer, named a New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate in 2011 and recently appointed as a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This is her first stage play, initially commissioned by the Auckland Theatre Company for their successful 2015 season, which has been called “a skillful adaptation”, “provocative” and “visceral”.

In this re-imagining of the classic, we see a young Nora & Theo Helmer, struggling to maintain their sugar-free, eco-conscious lifestyle, doing everything to ‘live right’. But events from the past return to wreak havoc in their picture perfect marriage. Societal expectations and identity are central in this adaptation, revealing the social changes that have occurred – and those that haven’t - since Ibsen wrote the original.

Director Katherine McRae (Cherish, The Enemy of the People) was inspired to stage the play by the continued relevance of the domestic politics at the heart of this vibrant adaptation.

“By creating a fresh and exciting exploration of a modern marriage, Emily Perkins stops us relegating the difficulties of the domestic power balance to the past,” says McRae.

Sophie Hambleton (Katydid, TV’s Westside) commands the stage as Nora Helmer.

Also starring Arthur Meek (Lungs, Hilary Clinton/Young Lover), Kali Kopae (La Casa Azul), Francis Biggs (Consent) and Peter McCauley (TV’s The Lost World), this production will shock and move you.

The Chapman Tripp season of A Doll’s House is presented by arrangement with Playmarket and The Agency (London) and shows at Circa Theatre, 1 Taranaki Street, Wellington from 5 August to 2 September (preview 4 August).

Performance times: Tuesday – Thursday 6.30pm, Friday – Saturday, 8pm, Sunday 4pm Tickets: $25 - 52 from www.circa.co.nz or by calling 04 801 7992

/ENDS

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