Actors Theatre Presents A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2

Actors Theatre of Louisville announces the upcoming production of A Doll's House, Part 2, onstage from October 2 - November 4, presented as part of the Brown-Forman Series. Obie Award-winning playwright and Humana Festival alumnus Lucas Hnath's work takes the stage in Louisville once again with A Doll's House, Part 2, imagining protagonist Nora's return 15 years after the final, iconic moments of Henrik Ibsen's seminal masterpiece A Doll's House.

Fifteen years have passed since Nora slammed the door on her life as a wife and mother. Now she's back, with an urgent request-one that leads to long-overdue reckonings. With biting wit, award-winning playwright Lucas Hnath (The Christians and Death Tax at the Humana Festival of New American Plays) examines marriage and motherhood, love and law.

A Doll's House, Part 2 is the sequel to Ibsen's 1879 play A Doll's House. The "original" was revolutionary in its time for the depiction of a wife and mother choosing to leave her husband and family in favor of an independent life. Audiences do not have to be familiar with Ibsen's work to enjoy Part 2, as it stands firmly on its own. The work, which The New Yorker called Hnath's "strongest yet," asks questions that are as resonant today as they were when Nora first appeared onstage more than a century ago: what does a woman owe her family? What does she owe herself?

Pirronne Yousefzadeh directs the upcoming production. "The play asks essential questions about marriage and partnership, questions that profoundly intersect with our contemporary moment and issues surrounding gender equality. It asks us to examine the ways in which we assign roles to men and women, and whether, in a marriage, true equality and freedom are possible."

Yousefzadeh continues, "The audiences can expect an exciting, fresh, and contemporary take on love, marriage, and how men and women function in society. Audiences might find themselves rooting for someone they didn't expect to."

A proud alumna of the Theatre's Professional Training Company and the Humana Festival of New American Plays, Yousefzadeh's directing credits include productions with Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Ars Nova and Noor Theatre. She is a co-founder of Maia Directors, a consultancy group for artists and organizations engaging with stories from the Middle East and beyond. She was recently named the Director of Engagement and Associate Artistic Director at Geva Theatre Center.

The Acting Company includes Zuleyma Guevara as Nora, Nikhaar Kishnani as Nora's daughter Emmy, Socorro Santiago as the Helmers' loyal housekeeper Anne Marie, and Kim Sullivan as Nora's husband Torvald. Notably, this marks The Actors Theatre debut for Guevara, Kishnani and Santiago.

The production team features scenic design by Reid Thompson, lighting design by Cecilia Durbin, costume design by Valérie Thérèse Bart and sound design by Kate Marvin. Katie Shade will serve as the stage manager and Jessica Reese will be the dramaturg.

The Theatre will offer an open captioned performance on October 20 and an audio described performance on October 28. For more information on the facilities and all services offered, visit ActorsTheatre.org.

Tickets are now on sale to the public and are priced from $25. Tickets can be purchased by calling The Actors Theatre Box Office at 502.584.1205 or online at ActorsTheatre.org. Special ticket rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling 502.585.1210.

A Doll's House, Part 2 is made possible in part by series sponsor Brown-Forman, the Kentucky Arts Council and Fund for the Arts. Additionally, Actors Theatre's educational outreach for A Doll's House, Part 2 is made possible by Yum! Brands Foundation and their sponsorship of Actors Theatre's Student Matinee Series.

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