Henrik Ibsen’s theatre production 'A Doll’s House' is a literary masterpiece that captivates the audience through its complex plot that follows a struggling marriage that is riddled with dishonesty and the main character’s journey to self-discovery and empowerment. The production of 'A Doll’s House' follows the story of a young married couple, Torvald and Nora Helmer, as Nora Helmer struggles to keep the secrets of her past from arising and destroying her perfect life with her family. Nora finds herself faced with a difficult decision as her husband is promoted to the manager of the bank and is blackmailed by an employee that threatens to uncover the truth about Nora’s past to her husband Torvald; while Nora struggles to figure out a way out of her situation, she discovers darker truths about her marriage as she embarks on a journey of empowerment as she discovers her own self-worth. The production of 'A Doll’s House', written by Henrik Ibsen and directed by Colleen E. Cunningham, was put on by the Columbus State Theatre group in Nestor Auditorium. The Columbus State Theatre group’s production of 'A Doll’s House' was performed on a proscenium stage, which is a stage with an arch or frame surrounding the stage opening in a box or picture stage. The experience created by the Columbus State Theatre group’s production of 'A Doll’s House' was driven by a creative scenic design along with their unique staging techniques that were complimented by their complex costumes and the dedication of the actors to their roles in the production.
The set designer, Kyle Smith, and the stage manager, Makaela Jefferson, took into consideration the plot and character development of the production to create a creative stage that was well-developed and mirrored the events in the play. The stage was built using the realism style, which is when the playwright attempts to present the actors and events in the play as corresponding to everyday life, as it was made to resemble the inside of a common house or apartment building. Upstage, which is the farthest point from the audience, was the double doors that acted as the entrance to the house, and next to the door was a white end table. Center stage right consisted of a small kitchen table surrounded by four chairs and a bench next to an end table. Downstage, which is the closest point to the audience, contained a small rocking chair, a larger sofa, and a small chair which were made out of wood and painted white with black outlines. Center stage left was simplistic as it only consisted of a small fireplace, a bookshelf without any books, and the door to Torvald’s office. All the props on the set were white with black outlines, which created a unique look that drew the audience's attention. I found that the structure of the stage was creatively designed as the set designer, Kyle Smith, had outlines of paintings, tables, and doors drawn on the walls with thick black lines which contrasted the bright white background.
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The staging techniques used by the set manager, Makaela Jefferson, created a unique experience for the audience because as the set developed it mirrored the development of Nora Helmer. Throughout the production of 'A Doll’s House', the black outlines on the white walls were replaced with colorful props that matched the shape. In the first act of the play, the characters Helene, played by Elizabeth Petrilla, and Porter, played by Doug Morgan, placed a wooden stand in the place of a black outline and hung a painting on the wall to replace an empty space. I found it intriguing how as the play progressed and the characters developed more color came into the room as the objects that were originally white were replaced by a colorful counterpart. I found this interesting as the more objects that were replaced in the room, the more Nora became independent from her husband Torvald and began to have her own thoughts and opinions. Another aspect that of the staging technique that I found interesting was the use of lighting to create the allusion of passing time throughout the production. Finally, another example of a unique use of props in the production of 'A Doll’s House' is as the lighting slowly started to dim Helene and Porter plugged a lamp in, and as soon as the lamp turned on, the lighting instantly lit up the stage.
The costume designer for the Columbus State Theatre group, Cloe Cooper, created complex costumes for the actors in the production that was full of detail and portrayed the setting well. Nora was dressed in a variety of nice dresses throughout the play that changed as the days went past, creating a sense of time in the play. Torvald and the doctor wore a variety of nice suits which contrasted the workers who had on clothes that were weathered. I admired the attention the detail the costume designer maintained as they distressed Nora’s red dancing dress by making it look worn and tattered from years of being stored in storage. The most noticeable example of the costume designer distressing the actor’s clothing is with the seams of Nora’s red dress that were tattered as loose strings hung from the bottom of the dress. The costume designer created a division amongst the characters between those who were of a higher class as Nora, Torvald, and Dr. Rank are dressed in nice clothing while the workers were dressed in worn clothing.
The aspect of the Columbus State Theatre group’s production of 'A Doll’s House' that I found the most interesting was the acting and character development throughout the entirety of the play. Nora Helmer was the most interesting character as she changed the most throughout the production. She went from being a submissive housewife to a strong independent woman who has her own thoughts and opinions. I believe that the development of the characters in the production of 'A Doll’s House' was a key aspect that made the play so memorable. The actors at the Columbus State Theatre group were amazing as their portrayal of the characters was spot on. All of the actors were able to maintain character throughout the entire production, which strengthened the ensemble playing, or how the actors acted together. One aspect of the actors' acting that I found the most memorable was the acting of Joel Bender, playing Torvald, as he practiced emotional recall, which is a Stanislavski’s exercise, that allows for the performers to portray real emotions to the audience by recalling a past event that made them feel their desired emotion and portrayed Torvald with a lot of emotion that appropriately matched the drama in the play.
The experience created by the Columbus State Theatre group’s production of 'A Doll’s House' was driven by a creative scenic design, along with their unique staging techniques, that were complimented by their complex costumes, and the dedication of the actors to their roles in the production. I would highly recommend anyone old or new to theatre productions to go see Columbus State Theatre group’s production of 'A Doll’s House' as the play is entertaining and contains multiple levels of symbolism. Also, since the production is put on by the theatre department of Columbus State Community College, students at CSCC are able to go see the production for free. Even though the Columbus State Theatre group does not charge anything for attending the production, it does not lack the quality or level of skillful acting as a massive theatre group could provide. My only recommendation for the Columbus State Theatre group for future productions is that if a mistake is made in the printed program that the mistakes would be fixed for the other show times. However, even with this small error I overall loved the experience and would go see more productions from the Columbus State Theatre group in the future.
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