A Doll's House, Part 2

A Doll's House, Part 2 

By Lucas Hnath

Originally produced at South Coast Repertory, Costa MESA, CA

April 9 – April 30, 2017

About the Premiere Production

Synopsis: At the end of Ibsen’s 19th-century classic, A Doll’s House, housewife Nora makes the radical decision to walk away from her marriage and her children to pursue an independent life.  Ibsen’s play concludes with the resounding door-slam that announces Nora’s shocking departure.  Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2 begins with a knock on that same door, fifteen years later, and then offers a decidedly modern take on the aftermath of Nora’s choice, distilling the story to its central characters and allowing them to talk to one another in ways not unlike men and women grappling with similar questions today.  A stylized exploration of power struggles in marriage and relationships, and the difficulty of reckoning with long-held grudges.  What happens when Nora is forced to confront the people she chose to leave behind?

Artistic Statement: At a time when gender roles and marriage are undergoing radical re-examination, Lucas Hnath uses a 19-century classic to ask contemporary questions about life choices and their repercussions on ourselves and the people we love.  Hnath is one of the smartest, most adventurous playwrights in today's theatre, and we're thrilled to be able to premiere this commissioned play as part of our 2017 Pacific Playwrights Festival.

Grant Statement: The Edgerton grant will allow us to add one week of rehearsal for A Doll's House, Part 2.  Hnath plans to continue refining the play between now and its nearly simultaneous openings at SCR and on Broadway; the extra week will give him more elbow room to do so while he's in residence with us.  Of equal importance, director Shelley Butler and her cast will have more time to explore the tricky nature of Hnath's deceptively familiar, deceptively naturalistic language and theatrical style and home in on the right way to deliver the play.

Director: Shelley Butler 

Additional Funders: SCR's Playwrights Circle

Award Wins and Nominations

Tony Award®
Best Play
2017 Nominee
Produced by Scott Rudin , Eli Bush , Barry Diller , Carole Shorenstein Hays , Universal Stage Productions , The John Gore Organization , James L. Nederlander , Ambassador Theatre Group , Len Blavatnik , Peter May , Seth A. Goldstein , Heni Koenigsberg , Stephanie P. McClelland , Jay Alix & Una Jackman , Al Nocciolino , True Love Productions , Diana DiMenna , JFL Theatricals , Barbara Freitag & Patty Baker , Benjamin Lowy & Adrian Salpeter and John Mara, Jr. & Benjamin Simpson
Written by Lucas Hnath
Executive Producer: Joey Parnes , Sue Wagner and John Johnson
 
Best Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role In A Play
2017 Nominee
Chris Cooper

Best Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role In A Play
2017 Winner
Laurie Metcalf
 
Best Performance By An Actress In A Featured Role In A Play
2017 Nominee
Jayne Houdyshell
Condola Rashad
 
Best Direction Of A Play
2017 Nominee
Directed by Sam Gold
 
Best Costume Design Of A Play
2017 Nominee
Costume Design by David Zinn
 
Best Lighting Design Of A Play
2017 Nominee
Lighting Design by Jennifer Tipton

Drama Desk Award
Outstanding Actress In A Play
2017 Nominee
Laurie Metcalf
 
Outstanding Featured Actress In A Play
2017 Nominee
Jayne Houdyshell

Subsequent Productions: