The Dordt University Theatre Arts Department will present Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll's House,” directed by Professor of Theatre Arts Dr. Teresa TerHaar. Performances will be held April 24 – 27 at the Fourth Avenue Black Box Theatre in Dordt’s Theatre Arts Center.
The Dordt University Theatre Arts Department will present Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll's House,” directed by Professor of Theatre Arts Dr. Teresa TerHaar. Performances will be held April 24 – 27 at the Fourth Avenue Black Box Theatre in Dordt’s Theatre Arts Center.
Tickets and details are available at www.dordt.edu/theatre/tickets.
The cast is led by Laurel Koerner, Dordt professor of theatre and a 2006 Dordt graduate, in the role of Nora Helmer; and Jason Vande Brake, a renowned voice actor and 2000 Dordt graduate, in the role of Torvald Helmer.
Nora is a pinnacle role for any actress to get to play, says Koerner. “For me, applying my training to this character is incredibly satisfying, especially under the direction of my colleague, Dr. TerHaar, and in collaboration with these exceptional actors.”
Vande Brake is enjoying being able to perform as Torvald. “It is truly thrilling to have the opportunity to return to the stage at Dordt, a place that has meant and continues to mean so much to me,” he says. “And getting to collaborate with other wonderful artists like Laurel, Teresa, and the rest of the cast is an absolute honor and pleasure.”
Other cast members include Adam Smit, a 2002 Dordt graduate; Molly Wiebe Faber, an assistant professor of theatre at Northwestern College (Iowa); Jeri Schelhaas, professor emerita of Dordt’s theatre arts department and a 1967 Dordt graduate; and Jordan Dornbierer, a Northwestern graduate.
“It was also important to us that all members of the cast would model good practices for our students and to engage them in deep conversations about the play and the discipline of acting,” says Koerner. “We owe it to our students to give them a look inside of professional processes. We’re responsible for giving them models for going about this work in a healthy way. This is a rare opportunity to glimpse experienced actors at work and engage them in conversation during an active rehearsal process.”
“A Doll’s House” is an examination of the marriage between Nora and Torvald Helmer. Beneath a polished surface are fractures that grow larger throughout the action. Nora's secret – that she forged a signature to acquire a large loan without her husband's knowledge – threatens to emerge and destroy their comfortable life.
Koerner says that Stephens’ 2012 adaptation of the play is “a fresh and streamlined approach to the original; the action moves quickly, and the language sounds familiar to today’s audiences.”
TerHaar hopes that audience members recognize that this 1879 play has much to say about relationships. “The relationships in the script, whether between husband and wife or good friends, are complicated by social ‘norms,’ upbringing, personalities, and conflicting expectations,” she says. “The journey of the main character, Nora, is both heartbreaking and heartening. The actors’ performances bring out the deep complexity of this theatrical masterpiece.”
Some performances will include a post-show discussion with the cast and director; audience members will be invited to participate.
Also, Vande Brake will offer a voice acting workshop that will be open to the public. Details are forthcoming.
“I’m planning to give participants a glimpse at what the day-to-day is like for a professional voice actor, share what kinds of voiceover opportunities are out there, and offer them a chance to perform some voiceover scripts themselves,” he says.
This production is supported by Dordt’s Theatre Arts Department, the Kielstra Center for Research and Scholarship, and the Gilchrist Foundation.
“We are grateful for this support of our professional practice as faculty and for Dordt’s continued insistence that theatre is vital for intellectual, spiritual, and communal growth,” says Koerner.
About Dordt University
As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.
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