Preview: Hedda Gabler

Hedda Gabler is a play that has stuck with me for years. I have always been drawn to character-driven plays, and Ibsen’s Hedda is right up there with the great protagonists of theatre. I wanted a solid script that left character interpretation loose, giving myself, Laura (my assistant director), and the actors creative scope to calibrate their characters to their best reading. I also wanted a drama with darkly comedic moments, and have total faith my actors will maintain a straight face throughout!

I would be lying if I said I had read the Ibsen’s original in Norwegian, but my understanding is that this adaptation is leaner, purposefully less prescriptive about the characters, with language that’s contemporary without the story being modernised.

The central theme is that of freedom versus entrapment, with power and control, gender, creativity, boredom, and reputation all underlining a particularly sharp storyline.

Hedda (Alice Robinson)is intelligent, restless and fiercely independent, but she feels trapped by the life she has created and seeks control wherever she can find it. Jorgen Tesman (Jack Titley) is Hedda’s well-meaning, ambitious husband, whose excitement about their future contrasts sharply with Hedda’s.

Aunt Juliana (Su McLaughlin) is Jorgen’s warm, devoted aunt, whose generosity and affection for the couple reveals the conventional domestic world Hedda struggles against. Thea Elvsted (Caitlin Stevenson) is gentle but quietly courageous; she has broken away from convention and found purpose and independence through her relationship with Eilert Lovborg (Yemi Thomas). He is brilliant, charismatic and self-destructive, and his return threatens Jorgen’s ambitions, reigniting Hedda’s desire for something more.

Charming and perceptive, Brack (Alexander Pankhurst) understands Hedda’s desire for freedom, and plays the social game very effectively.  (Alison Ryan) is the Tesmans’ practical and observant maid, who quietly witnesses the tensions beneath the household’s respectable surface.

The joys have made the challenges more than worthwhile. I cast a group of actors that are not just good at what they do, but are fundamentally good people, so our dynamic has made any hiccup during the rehearsal process feel more than manageable. The biggest risk I was conscious of before casting was keeping the vibe in the rehearsal room positive and productive throughout. Thanks to the actors and Laura, this was never a problem, and I cannot speak highly enough of this team.

Murky, psychological, rich.