Stage Left Theatre Presents An Enemy of the People, Opens 3/1

Stage Left Theatre announces its upcoming production of An Enemy of the People, by Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Arthur Miller. This production, the company's first revival since the 2002 production of The Good Woman of Setzuan, marks the beginning of an effort to deepen the level of debate at the heart of its mission, by offering historical context for modern political and social questions.

An Enemy of the People is the second production of Stage Left's 29th season. It opens Tuesday, March 1st at 7:30 PM, and runs through April 3rd.

OUR PRODUCTION

Should the majority rule? Who is responsible when the majority is wrong? Arthur Miller asks these timeless questions in his powerful adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic, An Enemy of the People. When Dr. Stockmann makes a poisonous discovery about the town's water, his brother, the Mayor, draws him into a battle for public opinion that threatens to tear their family-and their community-apart.

That the issues of Arthur Miller's 1950 adaptation of Ibsen's 1882 play feel so current is probably more a testimony to quality writing than to the particulars of our political climate. Nevertheless, this drama resonates in the contemporary debate over climate change, our country's bitterly divided political landscape and the ways in which the media's 24 hour news cycle exacerbates this divide. According to director Jason A. Fleece, "Like the US today, the town in this play faces a complicated issue - with an environmental crisis on one hand, and an economic one on the other - but the ‘winners' and ‘losers' of the argument are determined less by their merits and their ability to solve the problem, than by how they mold public opinion through the news media."

As soon as he read it, Artistic Director Vance Smith knew he wanted Stage Left to tell this story, but as he said, "we felt that setting our production in the Norway of 1882 would distance contemporary audiences from the issues. We wanted our version to feel fresher." Details of the plot demand an environment where the local newspaper still wields great influence over public perception, which is implausible in the internet age and rules out a present-day setting. Fleece's original proposal set the production in mid- twentieth century America. Arthur Miller wrote his adaptation in response to the political climate surrounding McCarthyism, so we knew the political themes would resonate, and this era was one of great power and influence for the newspaper industry. But again, the details of the story seemed to demand a more isolated setting, where the rise of television had not already begun to alter people's access to information. Dramaturg Zev Valancy discovered that the 1950's in Norway were a period of significant economic growth and prosperity following the extremely negative financial and social effects of Nazi occupation in the 40's, creating the same tensions between business and government that existed in the US. But the relative isolation of a small Norwegian town at the time (Norway did not even get television until 1960), allowed for an environment where the local paper would carry as much weight as it does in the play. In finally settling on Norway, 1959, we find it fitting that our production takes place in the country that Ibsen wrote it and the era that Miller adapted it.

THE DEBATE

Stage Left will continue its Sunday Symposium series with community speakers to engage the audience on a variety of social and political questions raised by the performance. The series immediately follows Sunday performances with community representatives to be announced in February. An Enemy of the People will spark discussion about topics such as the use and manipulation of the media by public figures, the politics of climate change, and journalistic responsibility.

TICKETS, DATES & INFORMATION

An Enemy of the People runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM, Sundays at 2:30 PM from 3/3/11 through 4/3/10. Tickets start at $22, and will be available through the Theater Wit box office. Opening Night is Tuesday, March 1st at 7:30 PM and tickets are $28. Previews are February 25, 26 and 28 at 7:30 PM. Preview tickets are $10. An Enemy of the People will be performed at Theatre Wit at 1229 W. Belmont in Chicago. The theatre is handicapped and CTA accessible via the Belmont El (Red & Brown).

Media comps, photos, videos and interviews are available by contacting Laura Blegen at 773.883.8830 (office), 312.371.6471 (cell) or laura@stagelefttheatre.com. Hi-res photos, this release and archived releases and photos will soon be available at www.stagelefttheatre.com/press.html.

THE PEOPLE

Jason Fleece (director) is a freelance director and theatre educator based in Chicago. Previously at Stage Left, Jason directed Anna is Saved by Jessica Cluess and The Meaning of Lunch by Dan Aibel in LeapFests 6 and 7, respectively. Jason has a particular interest in musicals and in new play development. Some favorite recent productions include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn (Wilbur Wright Community College), and Jesus Hopped the A Train by Stephen Adly Guirgis (Village Players Performing Arts Center, Oak Park, IL). Jason holds a BA in Theatre from Point Park University in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, and an MFA in Directing from the Theatre School at DePaul University.

The cast includes SLT ensemble members Anita Chandwaney as Catherine Stockmann, Melanie Derleth as Petra, Cory Krebsbach as Peter Stockmann, and Brian Plocharczyk as Hovstad, as well as William Watt (Dr. Stockmann), Tony Bozzuto (Billing), James Eldrenkamp, (Aslaksen) Sandy Elias (Morten Kiil), Kevin Scott (Horster), Juan Lozada and Kenneth Martin (Morten and Eijlif Stockmann). The cast also includes Tania Negron Flores, Anna Danielson, Lee Wichman, Andy Quijano, and Kurt Conroyd as citizens of the town.

The staff includes SLT ensemble members John Kohn III (lighting design), Adam Smith (sound design), and Zev Valancy (dramaturgy) with guest artists Alan Donahue (scenic design), Jess Fike (stage management), Elizabeth Flauto (costume design), Amy Gilman (properties design), and Jayme McGhan (technical direction), Robin Plocharczyk (production management), and Jordy Williams (assistant direction).

ABOUT STAGE LEFT

Founded in 1982, Stage Left Theatre is committed to developing and producing plays that raise debate and challenge perspectives on political and social issues. Through a full subscription season and Downstage Left, one of Chicago's most prolific new play development programs, Stage Left strives to ask provocative social and political questions by producing a mix of new works, regional premieres and timeless classics.

 

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