Theatre Calgary’s latest production, A Doll’s House, combines 19th-century controversies surrounding gender roles with still-standing themes of self-discovery outside of marriage in a modern rendition.

After showing two preview performances on Wednesday and Thursday, opening night will be on Friday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. The almost two-and-a-half-hour-long play will call the Max Bell Theatre — located at the Werklund Centre, formerly the Arts Commons building — home until concluding its run on May 3.

Existing as a co-production with Vancouver’s Arts Club Theatre, British Columbia-based director Anita Rochon returned to Alberta for her inaugural show with Theatre Calgary after having been a part of Vertigo and Yellow Rabbit Theatre productions.

Set in the Industrial Age, A Doll’s House tells the uncomfortable, gripping story of a wife, Nora, who ponders an almost-unthinkable question for the time: What happens when a woman questions her role in society and dismisses what’s expected of her to embark on a journey of self-exploration?

The play first premiered in 1879 and blends Hendrik Ibsen’s original concept and characters with new ideas developed in Amy Herzog’s adaptation. Rochon explained that, despite Ibsen’s lengthy script seeming old-fashioned, the condensed take speaks to topics that remain relevant today. 

“It’s lean, muscular, and concise,” she said. 

“I think it really lands for a contemporary audience, and shows just how actually modern and contemporary Ibsen’s play was.”

What’s old is new again

Rochon said that the adapted version retains the same skeleton as when it was first performed but has been edited to use up-to-date language. Because of this, she said that audiences will find that they have more in common with a tale from the 1800s than they might have thought. 

“There’s a lot of themes that, sadly, still resonate,” said Rochon. 

“Like identity, financial dependence, gender roles, emotional labour, and the cost of change.”

With people navigating their own marital troubles being the obvious target audience, she said that A Doll’s House is an age-inclusive play. Thinking back to when she was a part of Vancouver’s version, Rochon said that she was surprised to see so many young faces. 

“We had student matinees, and I didn’t think that students, like high school students, would be interested in this intricate marriage story, but because, in some ways, it’s a psychological thriller, [and] it seemed like they were on board,” she said. 

“I think the gender politics in it can connect with a younger person…but I also see it really resonating with folks who maybe have had longer marriages and have had these realizations, that maybe they’ve been a smaller version of themselves within their marriage.”

Apart from the production’s ability to connect with people at all stages of life, Rochon noted the acclaimed cast members, who were hired from all corners of Canada, as another success of the play.

Great to be back in Calgary, says male lead

Playing the role of Torvald Helmer, Nora’s husband, is Daniel Briere. The Calgary-raised actor attended Mount Royal College’s now non-existent acting program before moving on to work in Montreal and Toronto for the last 20 years.

A Doll’s House will be Briere’s second production with Theatre Calgary, following his role in last year’s run of A Streetcar Named Desire. Compared to the theatre scene in other major cities, he said that it’s great to be back performing in Alberta. 

“Calgary is surprisingly thriving in a really exciting way. I feel like every show I’ve seen here in the last two years has been sold out, or nearly sold out — people in this city come to the theatre,” said Briere. 

“There’s something really exciting about Alberta, in particular. I think people have been hungry to experience storytelling in a room together, sharing that experience, and it’s such a great buzz.”

With this play set in the context of female independence, he said that his character is a product of the time period. Briere said that the husband brings a level of tension to the tale and that audiences have been quick to gauge Torvald as the indirect antagonist. 

“It’s really, in a way, modernized in the same story, in that the audience today sees the patriarchy immediately and sees those red flags that come through in a way that they may not have 150 years ago,” he said. 

Briere said studying and playing his character involved pushing and pulling against the many layers of Torvald’s identity, and that investigating these themes has been a thrilling challenge. His hope is that audiences depart from the play examining the same. 

“I’m really excited for Calgary to see this show,” said Briere. 

“It’s a piece that means a lot to me. There’s a lot of laughs, there’s a lot of crying, there’s a lot of deep thoughts and questioning about communication and morality that I think is going to make for a really exciting evening.”