NNE Rep's Cast Preps for HEDDA GABLER, Beg. 5/30

For its ninth season, the Northern New England Repertory Theatre Company (NNE Rep) presents Henrik Ibsen's powerful drama, Hedda Gabler* on the Sawyer Center stage at Colby-Sawyer College.

For the actors, the importance of the text as starting point is paramount. Playing the title role, Katrina Ferguson** writes "Preparing to play any role propels me into detective mode, looking for clues to help me discover the emotional journey of my characters. One of the main sources is, of course, the text and I hope to make Hedda, such a psychologically complex character, identifiable as a real human being, whether villain or victim."

Mark Irish** (Jorgen Tesman): "The first thing I always do is read and re-read the script. When one is working with a writer of any note - which of course Ibsen is - those words become the tools that create the character's rhythm, the way they think, and the way they view the world around them. I learn my lines by saying them out loud. I want to feel them in my mouth and in my body. I want to not only get inside my character's head, but also inside their world."

Gleaning new clues and insights with each new reading, Milan Dragicevich** (Eilert Lovborg) also begins by re-reading a play many times. "Great plays by great playwrights always provide this 'layering' process, never more so than in the psychological landscapes of Hedda Gabler. Surfaces in this play are deceptive and one has to carefully peel back the layers to reach a better understanding of what drives these people, especially Hedda, Lovborg, and Judge Brack."

Carefully peeling back the layers is also a consideration for John Goodlin** (Judge Brack) for whom the play is "replete with innuendo and insinuation. The question and the challenge becomes: How do I, as Judge Brack, treat the innuendo and insinuation so that it becomes relevant to the action and the outcome of the play."

Evening performances of Hedda Gabler begin at 8 PM on May 30, 31, June 1, 6, 7, & 8, with a matinee on June 2 starting at 2 PM. Tickets are $28, with student and group rates available. For tickets, call NNE Rep's Box office at (603) 526-4112: Toll-free: 1- 855-526-4432; in person: Tatewell Gallery (Mon-Sat, 10-5), New London Shopping Center; online: www.NNERTC.org, and at Sawyer Center Theater (for 2 hours before curtain). For more information, email: info@NNERTC.org.

* "Hedda Gabler (Rudall, trans.)" is produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. ** Member of Actors' Equity

The Northern New England Repertory Theatre Company, Inc. is dedicated to the enrichment and entertainment of theatre audiences in Northern New England with stellar performances of the classics. It is our mission to produce the vital and enriching works of such playwrights as Moliere, Ibsen, Shaw, Brecht, Chekhov, Hellman, Williams, Coward, O'Neill, Pinter, and, of course, Shakespeare.

PIctured: Katrina Ferguson, seen here as ANNA CHRISTIE, will play the title role in HEDDA GABLER.