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Doorway to A Doll’s House re-opened

Victoria’s Belfry Theatre revisits Ibsen’s classic a century later with modern sequel
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The Belfry Theatre is poised to bring an iconic character back to its Mainstage when, on Sept. 16, A Doll’s house, Part 2 opens to Victoria audiences.

It’s the continuation of Nora Helmer’s story; a story first brought to life in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”. That play, opened in December of 1879 and reflected the issues of a married woman who, at the time, lacked any reasonable opportunities for self-fulfillment in a male-dominated world.

“A Dolls house ended with Nora leaving her keys and wedding ring behind and walking out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

In that play, the question of whether Nora ever comes back is left to the audience to ponder.

With A doll’s House, Part 2, American playwright Lucas Hnath continues the story, beginning with a knock on the door.

Nora has returned, some 15 years later, with an urgent request that her husband Torvald sign the legal papers that will finalize their divorce. She is now a successful a successful feminist novelist, and her return stirs recriminations and a reevaluation of the controversy that arose as a result of her departure those many years earlier.

The play has been hailed as a brilliant contemporary classic that manages to continue Nora’s story with a decidedly modern perspective. It’s been described as “smart, funny and utterly engrossing” and managed to revisit the questions of equality and self worth that Ibsen raised more than a century ago.

The play was nominated for the 2017 Outer Critics Circle Awards: Outstanding New Broadway Play, Outstanding Actress in a Play (Laurie Metcalf) and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Jayne Houdyshell).

AS a result of that Broadway run, the play received eight 2017 Tony Award nominations: Best Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Chris Cooper), Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Laurie Metcalf), Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Jayne Houdyshell and Condola Rashād), Best Direction of a Play (Sam Gold) and Best Costume Design of a Play (David Zinn). Metcalf won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Actress.

Artistic Director for the play, Michael Shamata, described the play as being entirely within the scope of what the Belfry has always tried to achieve.

“For the past 35 years, the Belfry Theatre and its audiences have been on a journey through the best of contemporary theatre,” said Shamata.

” The Theatre has a crucial role in the cultural ecology of our region. We recognize our responsibility as an artistic leader within Victoria, nurturing and supporting many of the artists and theatre companies within our community.”

Shamata feels that this latest offering is a perfect response to that responsibility.

“It is simply stunning. The intellectual excitement is palpable, as arguments around gender, marriage and family are turned upside down and inside out.”

A Doll’s House, Part 2, opens at the Belfry on Sept. 16 and runs to Oct. 14.

It features Martha Burns as Nora, and Benedict Campbell as her husband, Torvald, Barbara Gordon as Ann Marie and Alice Snaden as Emmy.

The play is directed by Michael Shamata.