Kenan Theatre Company tackles issues like independence and identity through their upcoming production of Henrick Ibsen’s play “Hedda Gabler.”
The play centers around a young woman named Hedda who struggles between what society wants for her and her personal wishes, while also dealing with mental illness.
“To me, she’s a very sick person and she’s doing her best to keep it together,” Genna Crites, the assistant lighting designer, said.
Tori Jewell, a senior starring as Hedda in the production, said that the play explores some very dark topics, including death, mental illness, societal pressure and suicide. Jewell said the major takeaway of the show is to live truthfully.
“The only way to live happily is to live truthfully, even if it’s in antagonism to the world around you,” Jewell said. “Hedda would say that’s an act of bravery.”
The play has been in production for the past several months and has undergone major content cuts, a change in directors and frequent conversations on how the actors can conceptualize the dark and complex characters.
“Hedda Gabler” is a 19th-century play that typically involves old, unfamiliar vernacular. For this reason, Jared Bowen-Kauth, a student producer, said the production team tried to reimagine “Hedda Gabler” for their audience.
“We were really interested in bringing together a classic play that everyone knows but making it more fresh,” Bowen-Kauth said.
Bowen-Kauth also said that the directors worked very closely with actors to develop characterization and movement that best fit this reimagined formed of the classic production.
