Why We Do Ibsen
COMMONWEAL THEATRE COMPANY
WHY WE DO THE WORKS OF HENRIK IBSEN
By Harold N. Cropp, Executive Director
In the fall of 1996, when the Commonweal Theatre Company Core Artists were discussing the possibilities for a year-round producing schedule, we ultimately chose the plays of Henrik Ibsen as the centerpiece for our expansion. In retrospect, that decision has significantly informed the aesthetic and the identity of the Commonweal.
This should surprise no one familiar with Ibsen?s work or his place in the development of modern drama. After all, the existence of non-state sanctioned theatres performing a repertoire of works both familiar and experimental would not have become a reality if Ibsen?s plays A Doll?s House and Ghosts had not been written. The desire to produce these two masterworks led to the establishment of small private theatre clubs across Europe, and ultimately to many of the theatre practices we?ve come to accept as standard.
Similarly, Ibsen?s plays were groundbreaking in the way that Shakespeare, Einstein, Darwin, and Freud were groundbreaking: they put forth a vision of the world and how it functions that totally revolutionized human thought. It can be argued that without Ibsen there would have been no O?Neill, Joyce, Beckett, Miller, Williams, or Albee; in fact the theatre as an art form may never have discovered its ?modern? seriousness of purpose.
Historically, then, there is great precedent for keeping the works of Henrik Ibsen alive. Were this the only reason, however, it would not be sufficient. Theatre is a living, breathing, totally consumable art form ? last night?s performance no longer exists except in the memories of the audience and the artists ? and as such the work needs to have a relevance to today?s world.
Ibsen?s plays have this timelessness. His quest to answer the great questions of life (Where does one find spiritual fulfillment and at what cost? How is a human being defined? What does it mean to truly be alive?) is the quest every modern, thinking human engages in. His exploration of the nexus between intellect, emotion, and spirit, and the paradoxes and contradictions that sit in this place, is the undiscovered country, the Holy Grail of modernity (and post-modernity).
In seeking to bring these plays to life, we must call upon the techniques of blending physical tools, emotional reservoirs, and intellectual rigor to successfully embody the deep mysteries that Ibsen sought to reveal. Directors, designers, and actors are challenged to bring the finest they have to the process. And that pursuit, when applied across the spectrum of world drama, elevates our company to artistic achievement on a yearly basis that builds on what has gone before.
Finally, then, the decision to commit to the works of Henrik Ibsen is a collectively selfish decision, for it enables us to continue striving to be the best artists we can be ? and to bring our audience along for the ride.