A Doll's House

2017-12-01

Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts - Multi-functional Theatre

Dates: December 08-22, 2017

Duration: Approximate 135 mins (Intermission Included)

About

A Doll’s House is Henrik Ibsen’s most well-known masterpiece. The play has exerted far-reaching impact on the development of Chinese ideology, literature and drama. LU Xun and HU Shi, two Chinese famous writers, praised Nora’s thoughts on the pursuit of personality independence and individual liberation. CAO Yu, TIAN Han and other prestigious Chinese dramatists also felt inspired by the drama. Since “Spring Willow Society of Shanghai” (a drama society) premiered canovaccio A Doll’s House for the first time in 1914, the work stands out as important testimony to the development of Chinese drama history. In 2014, to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of China Premiere for A Doll’s House, the NCPA (National Centre for the Performing Arts) produced its first drama A Doll’s House in the Multi-functional Theatre, which broughts together a top-grade crew, and shifts the emphasis from feminist ideology to marriage and family contradictions that have greater contemporary significance in view of arousing people’s present-day reflections and gives greater resonance to their lives.

Synopsis

Lawyer Helmer is just appointed as the bank manager, and wishes to ride on the crest of success. His wife Nora asks him to help her classmate Christina find a job. Helmer takes the opportunity to fire the disgusting staff Krogstad, and let Cristina succeed him. Unexpectedly a few years ago, in order to cure her husband’s disease, helpless Nora held out on Helmer, forged her father’s signature and borrowed money from Krogstad. She is inadvertently guilty of fraud. Bearing a grudge against Nora, Krogstad threatens Nora with a subpoena. When Helmer looks at Krogstad’s whistle-blowing letter, he flies into a tremendous rage, curses Nora as a “bastard”, “criminal” and “menial”, and sighs that his outlook is doomed. When Krogstad is persuaded by Christina and later quashes the subpoena, Helmer shouts joyfully: “Nora, it is over. I forgive you now.” Yet, Nora refuses to forgive her husband, since she believes he is only concerned about his social status and reputation. With the so-called “love” and “care”, he treats her as a doll, so she dashes away from home forevermore.

Presenter

NCPA Drama Ensemble was established on July 28th, 2016 and the renowned Chinese actor PU Cunxin was invited to be the Artistic Director. After rounds of screening across the country, 22 members were selected out of a number of professional actors to become the first and the second batch of actors for the team. Having received professional trainings on lines, performance, vocal performance, and body shaping, they finally appeared on the stage of NCPA. As another resident performance troupe following the China NCPA Orchestra, the China NCPA Chorus, and the NCPA Octet, the NCPA Drama Ensemble will focus on rehearsing dramas and participating in other NCPA productions.

NCPA Drama Ensemble has taken part in several NCPA productions, including The Lei Family, Returning Home on a Snowy Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Jane Eyre, and the Ensemble is to present more exciting works in the future. Mr. PU Cunxin as the team’s artistic director is a celebrated actor at Beijing People's Art Theatre, and he is the Chairman of China Theatre Association as well. Moreover, Mr. PU has played important roles in many dramas, films and TV plays.

eBeijing