BWW Q&A: Brendan Healy Talks A DOLL'S HOUSE at Canadian Stage

BroadwayWorld spoke with Brendan Healy about Canadian Stage's production of A Doll's House. Nora appears to be the perfect wife, but beneath the surface she harbours a secret that threatens to unravel her seemingly happy world. As the truth emerges, Nora gradually awakens to her own desires, and the play builds toward a radical act of self-liberation.  

In this crisp, strikingly modern adaptation, Artistic Director Brendan Healy (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Inheritance) revitalizes another groundbreaking classic, making it more immediate, intimate, and electrifying than ever with an extraordinary ensemble of Canadian acting talent. 

Brendan Healy is the Artistic Director at Canadian Stage. As a director, his work has been presented across the country. His productions have garnered multiple Dora Mavor Moore Awards and he is a recipient of the Ken McDougall and the Pauline McGibbon awards for directing. Notable productions include Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Matthew López’ The Inheritance, Sarah Kane’s Blasted, Martin Crimp’s Fewer Emergencies, Jean Genet’s The Maids, and Daniel MacIvor’s Arigato, Tokyo. Brendan is a graduate of The National Theatre School of Canada,  where he is a regular instructor, and holds a Masters in International Arts Management. Prior to coming to Canadian Stage, Brendan was the Artistic Director of Buddies in  Bad Times Theatre.

What inspired you to direct A Doll's House at this particular time?

The recent and outrageous reopening of the debate in the political arena about a woman’s agency over her body/destiny/personhood led me to think about important theatre works from the past that presented the lives of women in ways that challenged the social norms of their times. A Doll’s House quickly emerged as one of the most important plays in this genre. It’s central character, Nora, does not easily fit the bill of a “feminist heroine” and yet her actions in the play are extraordinary given the time she was in. It felt like the right time to confront the ways in which a woman taking control of her life continues to disturb and disrupt our social order by revisiting this 150-year-old play.

How does Herzog's adaptation of A Doll's House resonate with modern audiences?

Herzog has created a streamlined and contemporary adaptation that places the audience right in the centre of the action. Gone are all the Victorian trimmings that we associate with Ibsen. We’re left with a condensed, action-packed, one-act, shocker of a play.

Can you discuss your approach to revitalizing this groundbreaking classic?

As with all plays that I direct, my approach is through the psychology of the characters. I am fascinated by the psychological make-up of Nora - in particular, how a woman from her time and place finds the resolve to take the actions that she takes. I tend to understand people from a psychological lens – i.e. people are engaged in the conscious and unconscious pursuit of psychological needs and encounter internal and external obstacles in this pursuit – which, in turn, creates conflict. This is the essence of drama to me.

How does this production of A Doll's House fit into the wider programming at Canadian Stage?

I believe that it’s important for Canadian Stage, as an anchor theatre company in the city that wishes to reflect the current times, to tackle the canon in interesting and innovative ways. This adaptation is a perfect example of this: a classic story revisited through the lens of a contemporary writer.

What elements of A Doll's House do you believe will resonate with Canadian audiences?

I think all its elements will resonate: the difficulties of maintaining a marriage, the social constructs (such as wife, mother, daughter) that prevent women from fully taking ownership over their lives and identities, the difference between our personal morality and society’s morality, the social pressures to conform and to do what is expected of us… There is not a theme in this play that is not relevant to lives of people today.

How do you hope the audience will react to your modern adaptation of A Doll's House?

My hope is that they find the play as fascinating, illuminating and challenging as Ibsen intended it to be.

Why must audiences come and see the show?