Information, reviews, and miscellaneous shorts focusing on professional, nonprofit theater—from a Southeast Minnesota perspective.

Monday, April 2, 2012

2012 Ibsen Festival

The Commonweal jumps into its 2012 season with its 15th annual Ibsen Festival. The festival features the premiere of Jeffery Hatcher’s adaptation of Ibsen’s Pillars of Society. Pillars of Society is directed by Executive Director Hal Cropp, and features resident company member Scott Dixon as Karsten Bernick, a respected shipbuilder with a hidden past. The cast also includes Katie Berger, Gary Danciu, Stef Dickens, Catherine Glynn, David Hennessey, Carla Joseph, and Jeremy van Meter.


Enemy of the People, 2011. Photo Jason Undererth.
Pillars of Society is the third Ibsen adaptation created for the Commonweal by Jeffery Hatcher as part of a series of new versions of Ibsen’s plays developed for the American stage, beginning with John Gabriel Borkman, last season’s An Enemy of the People, and slated to continue through 2014 with new imaginings of A Doll’s House and Brand.
The Ibsen Festival offers events and presentations throughout the weekend to satisfy a variety of interests. Guests may attend lectures, film presentations, musical concerts, and artist displays.
The Commonweal is proud to welcome Professor Errol Durbach, Professor Emeritus of Theatre Studies at the University of British Columbia and vice-president of the Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Canada, as keynote speaker. Professor Durbach is the author of Ibsen The Romantic, A Doll’s House: Ibsen’s Myth of Transformation, and a collection of edited essays in Ibsen and the Theatre. He has also adapted Peer Gynt (2006) and The Master Builder (2009) for performance.
Building on the themes of Pillars of Society, the Commonweal Theatre will be partnering with The Lanesboro Arts Center, Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, and The Minnesota Marine Art Museum to explore the Norwegian immigrant experience in America. Events officially begin Friday evening, April 13 and run through Sunday, April 15.

Weekend Highlights:

Visit Commonweal’s website for a full and up-to-date listing of events: Commonweal Theatre (www.commonwealtheatre.org)

Friday, April 13

John Gabriel Borkman, 2010. Photo by Nyna Ramy.
Opening Reception: Maritime Art Exhibit
6:30 pm, free, Commonweal Theatre
Exhibit showcasing some of the world’s finest maritime art. These reproduction prints are on loan from the Minnesota Maritime Art Museum and include a selection of “traditional” marine paintings, Hudson River School works, and Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works that explore the ongoing and historic human relationship with water.

Over the Back Fence
7:30 pm, $5, St. Mane Theatre Theatre
This community variety show features a house band, musical guests, comedy, drama, skits, and audience participation. The theme for the evening…Moon over Norway!

Pillars of Society
7:30 pm, $20, Commonweal Theatre
The Commonweal is proud to present Jeffrey Hatcher’s world-premiere adaptation of one of Ibsen’s rarely-produced works. This final preview performance features a post-show discussion with the director and cast.

Saturday, April 14

Pastries and coffee
9:30 am. Free, Commonweal Theatre
Start your day with Scandinavian pastries and coffee at the Commonweal Theatre Events Hall.

Pannel Discussion: To America: The Immigrant Experience
10:00 am, free, Commonweal Theatre
Author of Linka’s Diary: A Norwegian Immigrant Story In Word and Sketches and head of the Luther College History Department, Professor Marv Slind will moderate a panel discussion examining the history of Norwegian immigration to the United States. Additional panel guests include a Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum guide and a participant in the Giants of the Earth Heritage Center oral history project.

Seminar: From There to Here: Finding Your Immigrant Ancestors
1:00 am, free, Commonweal Theatre
Featuring genealogical researcher Janis Martin.

Lecture: Errol Durbach. “Tragic Ibsen?: The problems of staging Ibsen in the modern theatre”
2:00 pm, free, Commonweal Theatre
Author of Ibsen the Romantic and A Doll’s House: Ibsen’s Myth of Transformation and the writer and editor of many articles on Ibsen, Professor Durbach has translated and adapted several of Ibsen’s plays for production, including Peer Gynt, which won the most outstanding production award in Vancouver for 2006. He has translated and adapted numerous works by Ibsen, most recently completing an adaptation of Ghosts. He will discuss the challenges encountered in the process, focusing on the stagecraft, the symbolism, the light, its classical affinities, and the attempt of the modern theatre to break free of the melodrama that threatens to undermine one of the greatest tragedies of the 19th Century.

Concert: Natalie Nowytski with Dee Langley
4:00 pm, free, Commonweal Theatre
Natalie Nowytski, master vocalist of traditional Eastern European folk music, is an award-winning composer and performer who sings in more than 40 languages. Natalie will be joined by internationally renowned composer and accordionist, Dee Langley, both of whom are members of the Twin Cities-based Balkan group, Orkestar Bez Ime, winner of the 2011-2012 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians. They will share their love for traditional folk music with ancient vocal styles and authentic instrumentals, recounting stories of immigration and exploring the history of “New Americans” through the music of their homeland.

Enemy of the People, 2011. Photo Jason Undererth.
Art Exhibit Opening & Reception: “Land by Hand: Fiber Artists Explore Place.”
6:00 pm, free, Lanesboro Arts Center
Opening reception for “Land by Hand: Fiber Artists Explore Place.” The Commonweal Theatre is proud to sponsor this striking exhibit which explores the concept of land and place through the medium of fiber arts.

Pillars of Society
7:30 pm, $30, Commonweal Theatre
Celebrate the opening night of Pillars of Society! After the show, join the cast and crew for an opening night reception.

Sunday, April 15

Pillars of Society
1:30 pm, $30, Commonweal Theatre
The Commonweal is proud to present Jeffrey Hatcher’s world-premiere adaptation of one of Ibsen’s rarely-produced works.
Visit the Commonweal for schedules and tickets: Commonweal Theatre (www.commonwealtheatre.org)

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