Originally banned from performance when first written in 1881, Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts is set to intrigue and electrify Brisbane when it returns to the stage after a 30-year hiatus – opening on Saturday 20 July 2019 at The Curators Vintage Pop Up Theatre in Red Hill.
Helene Alving has been haunted by a life of deception. When Pastor Manders comes to discuss the business of building an orphanage to honour the memory of her late husband, the lies begin to unravel. With the return of her beloved son, Oswald, from years of exile in Paris, Helene is determined to liberate them both from the taboos of their dark past.
But will exorcising the memory of her famous, debauched husband lead to salvation? In one of the greatest female roles in western drama, Helene Alving rides into battle like a Valkyrie, but is also besieged by her own vulnerabilities.
Acclaimed director Michael Beh has adapted this new production, so it remains a relevant, scorching view of the destructive nature of secrets and the social codes that bind them, bringing together a cast of talented Brisbane actors – Lisa Hickey, Tom Coyle and Patrick Shearer feature – alongside Warwick Comber and Lauren Roche.
The Curators are independent Brisbane based professional artists working together to create high quality productions – bringing new life to classical theatre. Forming in August 2017, The Curators brought Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya to the Brisbane stage for the first time in 86 years.
In May 2018, The Curators staged Amanda McErlean’s exciting new one woman show, The Quighting Time, followed by the critically acclaimed October production of The Third Beauty, an exploration of gender in Shakespeare’s female roles.
Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) is known as the master of modern European drama, whose enduringly topical plays continue to be staged in all parts of the world. From works such as Peer Gynt, that reinterpreted Scandinavian mythology for the modern sensibility, to his mature plays such as A Doll’s House, Ghosts, An Enemy of the People and The Wild Duck, Ibsen created stage characters that undermined the certainty of society.
“Ghosts remains the great historical example of a single play’s power to disturb.” – The New York Times
Director / Designer: Michael Beh Featuring: Warwick Comber, Tom Coyle, Lisa Hickey, Lauren Roche, Patrick Shearer Lighting Designer: Bethany Scott Sound Designer: Brian Cavanagh Sound Technician: Nick McMillan Voice Consultant: Helen Howard Wardrobe: Jan Mandrusiak Stage Manager: Elizabeth Wherrett Assistant to the Director: Matthew Hodgson Installation Realiser: Design Bordello
Ghosts
The Curators Vintage Pop Up Theatre, 28 St Barnabas Place, Red Hill (Brisbane)
Season: 20 July – 4 August 2019
Information and Bookings: www.curators.com.au
Image: Ghosts – courtesy of The Curators