PlayMakers Repertory Company presents Henrik Ibsen’s dramatic masterpiece “An Enemy of the People,” in a searing adaptation by Arthur Miller, Feb. 25 through March 15. PlayMakers is the professional theater in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Special events associated with the show begin Feb. 9.
When a man discovers an environmental threat to his community, challenged by city fathers and fellow citizens more concerned with the financial health of the town than its physical well-being, he is forced to stand alone. He courageously exposes corruption and lies threatening to destroy the home he loves. A dramatic classic from two masters — Ibsen in the 1880s, then re-told in the 1950s by Arthur Miller — “Enemy” is a story that resonates today, exploring politically charged topics such as how environmental issues flow into public disputes, how money begets morality and the cost of free expression.
London’s Financial Times called the timeless drama “provocative, startling, breathtaking.” The Associated Press agreed, saying Miller “paces [it] like a thriller, with the heat steadily rising.” Entertainment Weekly’s reviewer added that the play “tackles more hot-button election-year issues than an average hour on MSNBC.”
“Enemy” will be directed by Tom Quaintance, artistic director of Cape Fear Regional Theatre in Fayetteville. At PlayMakers, Quaintance has directed “The Little Prince” and co-directed “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby” with producing artistic director Joseph Haj. He also helmed PlayMakers Summer Youth Conservatory productions of “Sweeney Todd,” “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Music Man” and “Oliver!”
Performances will be in the Paul Green Theatre in UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of Dramatic Art on Country Club Road. Show times will be 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays and Saturday, Feb. 7.
For more information and to purchase tickets, call (919) 962-PLAY (7529) or visit www.playmakersrep.org. Ticket prices start at $15.
In conjunction with “An Enemy of the People,” PlayMakers will host “The Vision Series-Directors in Conversation,” a behind-the-scenes preview with Quaintance Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Paul Green Theatre. The event is free and open to the public. Participants share coffee and hors d’oeuvres provided by series sponsor Jujube Restaurant, learn about the vision for the show and get a sneak peek at the sets and costumes in progress. Reservations are appreciated. Call PlayMakers’ box office at (919) 962-7529 to RSVP.
Other special events will include:
- Feb. 9, 6 p.m.: a discussion with the director and cast at McIntyre’s Books, Fearrington Village, Pittsboro;
- Feb. 25, 26 and 27, 7:30 p.m.: preview performances;
- Feb. 27 and 28: “An Enemy of the People: Theater, Environmentalism, and the Meaning of Water” in partnership with UNC-Chapel Hill’s Program in the Humanities, http://humanities.unc.edu/programs/adventures-in-ideas/enemy-of-the-people/.
- Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.: opening night performance;
- March 3: an all-access performance for attendees with special needs, with sign language interpretation and audio description;
- March 4 and 8: free post-show discussions with members of the creative team;
- March 7, 2 p.m.: open captioned performance;
- March 14, 7:30 p.m. and March 15, 2 p.m.: free post-show “Mindplay” discussions sponsored by the North Carolina Psychoanalytic Society.
UNC-TV is corporate co-producing sponsor for the play.
PlayMakers’ main-stage season concludes with the Obie Award-winning “4000 Miles” by Amy Herzog (April 1-19) followed by PRC2 finale “Mary’s Wedding” by Stephen Massicote (April 29-May 3), a tale of young love on the eve of World War I.
Based in UNC-Chapel Hill’s College of Arts and Sciences, PlayMakers has been named by The Drama League as one of the “best regional theatre companies in America.”
