Hailey Gillis to Re-Team With Brendan Healy For A DOLL'S HOUSE at ​​​​​​​Canadian Stage

Canadian Stage will ring in the new year with Artistic Director Brendan Healy's bold, razor-sharp reinvention of one of theatre's most explosive classics. A thrilling and fresh adaptation of a heralded masterpiece, Amy Herzog's six-time Tony nominated adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's A DOLL'S HOUSE, on stage January 17th to February 1st is the winter production no theatre lover can afford to miss.
 
The contemporary adaptation breathes new life into this reflection on the institution of marriage and societal expectations of women as wives and mothers. with Healy brings the same piercing artistic vision that made his production of WHO'S AFRAID OF Virginia Woolf? one of the most electrifying theatrical events of the year, to another groundbreaking classic. For this hotly anticipated production, he has assembled an extraordinary line-up of Canadian acting talent including Gray Powell (Appropriate/Coal Mine, Sort Of/CBC), Jamie Robinson (Moonlight Schooner/Necessary Angel, Canadian Stage), Laura Condlln (Annie, Casey & Diana/Stratford), David Collins (Macbeth/Stratford), Elizabeth Saunders (From/MGM+), Athan Giazitzidis, Vera Deodato, and lead by the luminous Hailey Gillis (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?/Canadian Stage, Octet, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812/Crow's Theatre & Mirvish Productions).
 
“Amy Herzog's adaptation does an exceptional job of pointing the play sharply towards the current moment.” comments Healy. “And she's made it so incredibly concise; it unspools like a thriller. Her treatment facilitates a profound opportunity to consider the role of marriage as an institution and unyielding expectations placed on the lives of women.”
 
At the heart of this modern masterpiece, A DOLL'S HOUSE, lies the character of Nora Helmer, a bright, charming woman who comes to see her seemingly happy marriage as an empty gilded cage. When a long-buried secret threatens to explode, Nora is faced with the ramifications of her actions and a truth that will upend her life, her marriage, and the audience's expectations. 
 
For his production, Healy casts Hailey Gillis in the role of Nora – long considered one of the great roles of the modern theatre. He adds, “Hailey is an actor who cannot be untruthful – she simply can't do it. I think that's where her vibrancy as a performer comes from, her need for uncompromising honesty in her performances.”
 
Since it's earth-shaking 1879 premiere in Copenhagen, A DOLL'S HOUSE has provoked conversation, controversy, and change. Selling out those premiere performances, the play was a lightning rod due to Nora's eventual choice to leave her husband and children.  In some countries, alternate versions of the play were first presented to the public, though ultimately poorly received. The play was based on the life of a good friend of Ibsen's, Laura Kieler and much of what transpires in the play between Nora and Torvald happened to Laura and her husband, Laura forging a check to pursue a cure for her husband's tuberculosis.  When her husband found out about her actions, he divorced her and had her committed to an asylum, at which point Ibsen wrote the play.
 
Herzog's lauded adaptation debuted in 2023 starring Jessica Chastain as Nora in a production directed by Jamie Lloyd, reigniting the debate for a new generation. Earning widespread critical acclaim, the production was nominated for six Tony Awards and won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Adaptation.  Herzog is a renowned American playwright whose notable plays include After the Revolution, 4,000 Miles, and Mary Jane.
 
Joining Healy on the creative team for this landmark Toronto production are set and Costume Designer Gillian Gallow,lighting designer Kevin Lamotte, sound designer DeAnna Choi, and choreographer Stephanie Graham.
 
A DOLL'S HOUSE runs January 17th to February 1st (Media night: January 21st) at the Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front Street E.).  Performances take place Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30pm with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00pm.