Southeastern Theatre will be producing Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” as the first play of the 2013-2014 season.
According to Chad Winters, instructor of acting and director of the production, “A Doll’s House” was chosen because it is a classic play which is taught in all “Introduction to Theatre” courses.
“Nearly every student who has taken an intro to Theatre class will have either heard about this play or have actually read this play,” said Michael Ricks, a student who will play Torvald Helmer. “As far as I know, every instructor at Southeastern makes their students read this play every semester. Now, Southeastern is finally producing this historical work of art. Students will appreciate this play because of its effect on society. This is a play you will never forget.”
Performances of “A Doll’s House” will take place in the Vonnie Borden Theatre in D Vickers Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 15 through Friday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for Southeastern students are free with student I.D.
“I think it will appeal to the students because the themes of the play are still relevant today,” said Winters. “I’m not doing anything different with the play. It’s a period play set in the 1890s. The costume and setting will reflect this time.”
The costumes will be designed by new instructor Mignon Charvet, light design done by Steve Schepker and set design by student Matthew Green.
“A Doll’s House” is the story of Nora Helmer, who will be played by student Olivia Matte. Nora is a housewife in the 1890s who risks everything to save her and her husband Torvald’s reputations, all while trying to put on a “perfect housewife” act for both her friend Mrs. Linde, played by Jaimee Rome, and Nils Krogstad, the family’s lawyer played by Christopher Dalton.  
“The storyline is beautiful and quite brilliant for it to be written in the 1800s,” said Ricks. “It’s different, and it offers a strong female lead. During its time it was a controversial play because women had such a subordinate role in the family household. You will see that in this play, and you will see how the men react when that code is broken.”
In preparation for this production, the student actors went to extra lengths to prepare for their individual roles. Ricks did his research on his character and even went as far as to change his physical appearance to play the role of Torvald Helmer, Nora’s husband.
“I gained a few pounds and grew a head of hair,” said Ricks. “Besides that, I read up on a lot of history and background. As the husband, I’m not the bad guy. I thought I was. Instead my character is loving and caring, but very opinionated because of the way he was raised. It’s not his fault that he is against the idea of a woman acting on her own. By the end, students will actually feel bad for me.”
Dalton, who plays the family lawyer, delved into his character’s background and researched how to best portray a lawyer.
“At first, I simply had to act out my scenes with my fellow actors and actresses to get a feel for what his intent was and how others would react around him,” said Dalton. “After that I had to look into his backstory a bit. Krogstad became a lawyer and when hardships came around, he did a bit of crooked business until he was caught. Since then he has been trying his hardest to work legitimately to gain his respect back. As far as studying goes, I’ve watched ‘Law and Order’ to help with the idea of being a lawyer.”
In addition to the actors’ changes in routine and appearance, “A Doll’s House” is seeing a small change to the characters’ usual diction.
“Despite the British jargon written into the play, we’ve decided to not use British accents,” said Ricks. “Many interpretations will stay extremely close to the script, but our director has given us a lot of freedom as to how we wanted to interpret it. I’ve seen many interpretations of this play, either on stage or in film. But this, this play which you will see here, stands out. I’ve been grateful to have been given a phenomenal cast and crew.”