During the late 1880s, two well-known plays emerged that engaged in social taboo for the female sex. “A Doll’s House,” written by Henrik Ibsen, and “Miss Julie,” written by August Strindberg, were edgy and seen as absolutely appalling when they were first released. Both of these plays address the ever-present “family” structure in society, or lack thereof.
These two plays were the inspiration for “Nora” and “Julie,” which open this week at Quirk Theatre.
This show comprises two one-act plays: “Nora,” directed by professor Terry Heck Seibert, and “Julie,” directed by professor Lee Stille.
“Terry was interested in doing Nora and they were paired together in a recent show,” Stille said. “I said I’ll do Julie and will make a night of it.”
“This version called ‘Nora’ fascinated me. It was a deconstruction and based down to relationships, money and equality in marriage,” Seibert said. “I want to make it more relevant to today’s audience. I was drawn to the literature.”
To the plays more relevant to today’s thinking, both “Nora” and “Julie” take place in the 1940’s and 1950’s. During this time, World War II was just beginning and women were taking a more prominent stance in our workforce and society.
“It is amazing to watch how the character of Julie changes throughout the entirety of the play,” said Elizabeth Dieterich, who plays Julie. “The transformation she goes through is astounding, considering that whole act takes place in one night.”
“Nora” takes place in 1950s Savannah, Georgia, while “Julie” is set in an English country manor of the 1940s.
Both of these plays are based in a very different mindset and social obligation than what exists today. Because of this, cast members had to be knowledgeable of the social norms and behaviors. They had to remember that with the class system, people had to talk to the elite completely differently than to a servant. Servants would speak when spoken to and be invisible the rest of the time.
“It was difficult digging into all the layers within the play as well as the character of Nora,” said Maggie Waid, who plays Nora. “And then projecting those layers on to the audience with the hopes that the audience relates to the characters and understands that there is no actual antagonist in the play. There is an equal understanding behind each character’s actions.”
Theater and drama classes have read these plays for years because of the questions they raise when it comes to gender rolls and societal expectations.
“We are excited because, though these plays were written over a century ago, they are both still very timely,” Stille said. “We’re hoping they will still want to promote discussion because of the issues they raise, our not-yet-dead issues in society.”
“Nora” and “Julie” will be showing at 7 p.m this Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. on Sunday and 7 p.m. Feb. 18, 19 and 20 at Quirk Theatre.
