Holy Cross to Present Ibsen’s “The Wild Duck”

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Jeffrey Starr, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

The Department of Theatre at the College of the Holy Cross will present a seldom-revived 19th- century Norwegian masterpiece “The Wild Duck” written by Henrik Ibsen and directed by Steve Vineberg, professor of theatre, on April 11-13 and 18-20 at 8 p.m. in Fenwick Theatre (located on the second floor of O’Kane Hall).

In Ibsen’s complex, unsettling play a prodigal son returns to confront his wealthy father with his moral failings and to enlighten the childhood friend whose family, he believes, have been grievously injured by them. But his mission — to bring into the light of truth those who live in the darkness, deluded by lies — brings disastrous results.
"Ibsen wrote a number of great pioneering realist dramas that challenged the nineteenth-century audience because of their unflinching treatment of social and psychological problems," states Steve Vineberg, Professor of Theatre at Holy Cross and director of the play.

"They have endured long after the Victorian age because Ibsen is a brilliant psychological writer whose portraits of the way people live -- specifically in The Wild Duck of marriage, father-son relationships and the clash between idealism and illusion -- are still resonant today. The only Ibsen plays that are performed with any regularity are A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler, so it's a pleasure to work on a more obscure text that is, in my opinion, as profound and multi-leveled as either of those plays."

Vineberg says he chose the play because Ibsen is one of his favorite playwrights and “The Wild Duck” is one of his favorite plays.

“I've taught it but never directed it — or, indeed, ever directed any Ibsen — and I've never even seen it performed on stage,” he says. “It's a masterpiece.”

The play features a cast of 18 undergraduate students, including Nicholas Jorgensen ’16 as Hjalmar Ekdal, Shannon LoCascio ’14 as Gina Ekdal, Patrick Simas ’14 as Gregers Werle and Nicole Williams ’15 as the Hedvig Ekdal.

They are in for quite a learning experience assures the Director.

"The part of our mission that applies to our productions is to produce challenging, worthy plays that engage our audience emotionally and intellectually. And since our plays are the laboratory for our classes, I hope the actors are learning from their interaction with a style they haven't performed in before and complex characters who call on and expand their resources," says Vineberg.

As for why potential audiences should attend, he states,

"The target audience beyond the Holy Cross community is thoughtful theatre-goers who are engaged by provocative themes and fascinating characters. I'd want them to get a little exposure to one of our great modern playwrights and to a great play that most people don't know."

Tickets are $7 for members of the Holy Cross community and $10 for the general public. Tickets can be reserved by calling the box office at(508)-793-2496.

For more information please visit the Holy Cross website.