Play director and WSU theatre professor Terry Converse describes Norwegian playwright Henrik Isben’s “Hedda Gabler” as a partial exposé of rigid social and sexual codes of the late 19th century that still resonates today.
Converse said, “The issues raised in ‘Hedda Gabler,’ including those of gender stereotyping, power dynamics in relationships and creativity versus destruction, are being discussed today. People still find themselves caught in vicious cycles of expectation and disappointment as they try to fulfill societal requirements as well as their own needs.”
The play is the story of a young aristocrat, Hedda Tesman (played by Christie Stordeur), who returns from her honeymoon with aspiring academic Jörgen Tesman (Patrick Harris) to find herself trapped in a respectable but tedious marriage and a middle-class existence.
Bored, frustrated and fearful of scandal, Hedda heads down a path of devious meddling and subtle manipulation of her well-meaning husband, an old schoolmate (Elinor Gunn) and a brilliant but unstable old flame (William “Cole” Stevens) that leads to violence, blackmail and death.
Tickets are available at the Daggy Hall box office from 2 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. Tuesday through Friday the week of the play and one hour prior to the 7:30 p.m. curtain. General admission tickets are $10 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and $5 for students. WSU graduate/professional students and their partners are admitted free of charge w/valid ID. Group rates are available. Call 509-335-7236 for reservations or email reservations@wsu.edu.
