Cast And Creative Team Set For AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE At San Jose Stage Company

Dr. Thomas Stockmann discovers that the water in his town’s therapeutic spa is contaminated. The polluted spa has created prosperity for the town but is also making people sick. The play examines how a scientific expert becomes “an enemy of the people” when he threatens to expose an ecological human disaster. Will he be silenced by those who seek to protect their personal financial gains? Thomas Ostermeier’s scorching adaptation successfully pulls Ibsen’s play out of a small Norwegian town in 1882 and into a modern day global theatrical debate about corruption, climate emergency, and inequality.
 
“Henrik Ibsen’s 143-year-old An Enemy of the People feels more relevant than ever,” says Artistic Director Randall King. “The term ‘enemy of the people’ has a dark history—first declared by the Roman Senate against Marc Antony, later weaponized by Robespierre during the French Revolution, and subsequently used by Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler to mislead and manipulate. Why has this phrase returned to the mainstream? What is the cost of moral integrity, and what are the consequences of standing for truth?
 
Through Thomas Ostermeier’s modern lens, Ibsen’s play challenges us to confront these questions. Ultimately, AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE asks: Can you live with the truth, and are you willing to make the sacrifices it demands—as an individual, a community, or a nation?”
 
“AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE challenges us to confront a vital question: Does the individual have a duty to safeguard the majority's interests, even when their actions are deemed dangerous, subversive, or at odds with the will of the people? Can we trust the individual’s motives, or should we rely on the competence of our officials and media? Ostermeier’s adaptation of Ibsen’s play deepens this inquiry, asking whether we have become a society unwilling to embrace radical change—fearful of the bold, or even arrogant, whistleblower who declares that urgent, immediate action is essential for the community’s vitality,” states director Kenneth Kelleher.
 
The cast of AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE  will feature Coleton Schmitto as “Dr. Thomas Stockmann,” Christine Capsuto-Shulman*  as “Katharina Stockmann,” Johnny Moreno* as “Mayor Peter Stockmann,” Randall King* as “Morten Kiil,” Brandon Leland* as “Hovstad,” Katie O’Bryon-Champlin as “Nina Aslaksen,” and Nick Mandracchia as “Billing.”
 
In addition to Kenneth Kelleher ✝, the creative team includes Christopher Fitzer (Scenic Design), Lauren Suiter (Costume Design), Maurice Vercoutere (Lighting Design), Steve Schoebeck (Sound), Shaun Caroll (Props Design)), and Iliana Karbowski* (Stage Manager).
 
*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
✝Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the union professional stage directors and choreographers.