Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON – Necessary Angel, in partnership with Canadian Stage, presents a daring new production of Henrik Ibsen’s definitive classic Hedda Gabler, beginning January 12, 2016 on stage at the Berkeley Street Theatre. The presentation is part of Canadian Stage’s ongoing Berkeley Street Partnership with Necessary Angel, which began in 2014. 2016 marks the 125th anniversary of the first production of the play in 1891.
Directed by Necessary Angel Artistic Director Jennifer Tarver, whose production of Venus in Fur for Canadian Stage was an unparalleled success, Hedda Gabler will be brought to life by a distinctive, young cast including Aviva Armour-Ostroff, Frank Cox-O'Connell, Steve Cumyn, Hailey Gillis, Kate Hennig, Christopher Morris and Cara Ricketts in the title role.
"This assembly of actors is the perfect mix of raw talent and sophisticated artistry. My dream team for Hedda Gabler,” commented Jennifer Tarver of the casting.
First published in 1890, Hedda Gabler tells the uncannily contemporary story of the titular character, Gabler, who has just landed the perfect life: a successful husband, a beautiful home and the promise of a growing family. But below the surface lies a yearning that threatens to explode the polished surface of her new existence. Tarver brings her distinctive vision to Ibsen’s enduring and prescient portrait of a willfully blind society. For a woman determined to live her own truth, she will be free or destroy everything trying.
A play that is oftentimes heralded for it’s enduring relevance and insights into the narcissistic side of humanity, Hedda may never have been more significant than in the current age of selfies and social media, where the image we present to the world is often a lie.
“I directed this play two years ago at Hartford Stage in Connecticut,” says Tarver. “In my work over the past decade no play has more rigorously challenged my assumptions about how we move through our lives. How would Ibsen’s narrative scalpel carve out new insights for us now? For myself, I’m not finished with this play. I’m pretty certain Hedda is not finished with us.”
Tarver continues, “The play taps into the notion of blindness in society. For me the play speaks now in relation to a current epidemic of willful and selective blindness that has become a tool for surviving our day-to-day existence. It poses the questions: how did I arrive in my life? My marriage? My job? The characters are delineated by how they see the world around them (or don't see it), and how they move through it. It is at its core about young vibrant people who are trying desperately to find their place in the world.”
“I can think of no director better suited to revisit Ibsen’s enduring and prescient societal portrait than Jennifer Tarver, whose distinctive vision has proven her time and time again as one of our country’s finest directorial talents,” said Canadian Stage Artistic Director Matthew Jocelyn.
Prior to opening the show, Necessary Angel hosts Why Hedda? Why now? - an exploration of the ongoing relevance and resurgence in popularity of Ibsen’s work around the world. In the art filled setting of Toronto's Abbozzo Gallery, Jennifer Tarver will be joined by internationally acclaimed Canadian playwright Judith Thompson (Hedda 2009) and theatre critic Lynn Slotkin to take us deeper into Hedda Gabler and its meaning for contemporary society. All three have had extensive and intimate experience with various productions of this fascinating play, the themes of which are so resonant today. Tarragon Theatre's widely respected Literary Manager, David Jansen, will moderate the panel. Why Hedda? Why Now? Will be held on January 7, 2016 from 6:30 – 9:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase at brownpapertickets.com.
Hedda Gabler will be on stage in Toronto from January 12 to February 7, 2016. (Opening night: January 14). 2015.2016 subscriptions and single tickets are currently on sale with 6-show packages starting from $180 and full season 13-show packages starting from $360. Single tickets are available from $30 to $53. Subscriptions and tickets may be purchased by phone at 416.368.3110 or in-person at the Canadian Stage Box Office: Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front St. E.) or Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley St.). Full details on the production, casting and ticket sales are available online at necessaryangel.com or canadianstage.com.
Necessary Angel sponsors: BMO, Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council.
NECESSARY ANGEL IN ASSOCIATION WITH CANADIAN STAGE PRESENT
HEDDA GABLER
Can we be accused of blindness if we don’t recall closing our eyes?
Featuring Aviva Armour-Ostroff, Frank Cox-O'Connell, Steve Cumyn, Hailey Gillis, Kate Hennig, Christopher Morris,
and Cara Ricketts as Hedda Gabler
Directed by Jennifer Tarver
On stage January 12 – February 7 at Canadian Stage’s Berkeley Street Theatre
Twitter: @necessaryangel, @CanadianStage
Hashtag: #iamhedda
2015-12-04
Toronto: Necessary Angel and Canadian Stage present "Hedda Gabler" January 12-February 7