WWU Theatre and Dance to Present ‘A Doll’s House’ Oct. 26 Through Nov. 4

Western Washington University Department of Theatre and Dance will present “A Doll’s House” in the DUG Theatre of the Performing Arts Center on from Oct. 26 to Nov. 4; performances are nightly at 7:30 p.m. and with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Nov. 4.

The story, originally written in Norwegian by Henrik Ibsen, follows Nora Helmer, a typical housewife secretly hiding a debt in order to save her husband’s life. Her debtor, now an employee to her husband, threatens to reveal her secret to her husband in order to save his own job. Nora finds herself faced with a difficult moral dilemma between the sacred values of her marriage and family versus her independence. The show will have a modern translation done by Simon Stephens and will be directed by Evan Mueller.

 

Learning the Process

Grace Heller, a junior majoring in Theatre with a concentration in theatre management and dramatic writing, is the student assistant director for the show.

 “I am learning about the process of casting, callbacks and how to run a rehearsal,” said Heller on her role as the student assistant director. “I am also responsible for running the understudy performance, which is performed the Monday between the two show weekends.”

The cast of the show has had one month to prepare for the performance. The process of this play started on Sept. 26 with two full days of auditions in order to cast the seven characters of the show along with their understudies. The student actors were told to come to the audition prepared with a short monologue that they had already practiced in their acting classes.

Once the casting process was complete, the rehearsal process began. Rehearsals are ongoing every weekday night from 6-10 p.m. and on weekends from 10-3 p.m. The show also utilized a dramaturge in order to help give the historical context of what is going on when the show was happening; the dramaturge makes sure that the actors and the audience understand the context of the play.

 A week before the show debuts, the rehearsals transform into technical rehearsals, when all the technical elements of the show are added in, such as the lights, sound, costumes and other designed stage details. Each of these design elements is done collaboratively by faculty and students who are studying to specialize in one of these elements as a part of their studies.

“The weekend before a show opens, we are in the theatre from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday doing a tech rehearsal, because that’s how long it usually takes to get everything worked out,” Heller said. These long hours are attributed to ensuring all the actors and technical elements are in the perfect place for the duration of the show.

The show’s director, Evan Mueller, said the preparation for this play teaches students valuable lessons that they can use moving forward in their careers.

“Something that’s exciting about theater at Western is the way our productions give students the opportunity to work closely with faculty in a process that mirrors the professional world,” said Mueller.

Tickets are $12, and $7 for students, and can be purchased at the WWU Box Office or by calling (360) 650-6146. 

 

Photo caption: Lauren Senechal (center, playing the main character Nora) and Aubrey Sage (far left, playing Kristine Linde) work through a rehearsal.  Grace Heller (assistant director), Mary Foster (stage manager) and Naomi Williams (assistant stage manager) are at right. WWU photo by Val Cubillos.