Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON (April 30, 2015) — Canadian playwright Erin Shields’ new version of Henrik Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea begins previews today at the Shaw Festival’s Court House Theatre. Directed by Meg Roe, the Shaw commissioned version – which was three years in the making – revitalizes Ibsen’s rarely produced romance with a contemporary sensibility. Shield’s adaptation captures the emotional intensity of the Ibsen classic, which raises questions of love, freedom, sacrifice and fulfillment.
Camellia Koo’s set and costumes, along with lighting design by Kevin Lamotte and a soundscape created by composer and sound designer Alessandro Juliani evokes a distant Norwegian town on the shore of a fjord.
Ellida (Moya O’Connell), a lighthouse keeper’s daughter who loves the sea, swims in the fjord every day to suppress her ever-growing claustrophobia and restlessness. Still haunted by a promise made long ago to a lost love, she plays the dutiful wife and stepmother to widower Dr. Wangel (Ric Reid) and his daughters. On a late summer’s day, an English ship comes down the fjord – the man from her past has come back to claim her.
The Shaw’s production of The Lady from the Sea also features the talents of Neil Barclay, Kyle Blair, Darcy Gerhart, Jacqueline Thair and Mark Uhre.
The world premiere production of Erin Shields’ version of Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea is on stage at the Court House Theatre (26 Queens Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake) from April 30 to September 13 (Opening May 15).
The Shaw Festival’s 2015 season began April 8, runs until November 1 and features 10 productions presented on the Festival’s four Niagara-on-the-Lake stages. For more information on the 2015 season, performance schedule or tickets, visit www.shawfest.com or call 1-800-511-SHAW.
About the Shaw Festival
The Shaw Festival is a theatre company inspired by the work of Bernard Shaw. The Festival produces plays from and about his era and contemporary plays that share Shaw’s provocative exploration of society and celebration of humanity.
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Illustration: The Lady from the Sea. ©2014 Emily Cooper.
2015-04-30
Niagara-on-the-Lake: New version of Ibsen's "The Lady from the Sea" premieres at the Shaw Festival