Shooting Hedda Gabler

I can do it. I can be her. Hedda Gabler.

When offered the lead part in a Norwegian film adaptation of Hedda Gabler, an American actress seizes the opportunity to escape Hollywood - and gain some artistic credibility. She's running away from her past as a child star, from her present as a tabloid punchline, and from an unfortunate collision between a self-driving Tesla and a member of the paparazzi.

What awaits her in Norway is a film set where reality and fiction are blurred by Henrik, the brilliant and demanding director. As the atmosphere on set becomes increasingly claustrophobic, she becomes unmoored and paranoid - and Henrik becomes fixated on how to end the movie with a bang.

Nina Segal's Shooting Hedda Gabler is a radical and affectionate adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, about doing whatever is necessary to get the shot.

This edition was published to coincide with the Rose Original Production in association with The Norwegian Ibsen Company at Rose Theatre, London in September 2023.


About the Author
Nina Segal is a playwright and producer based in London and New York. Writing credits include Big Guns and In The Night Time (Before The Sun Rises), in development through the Soho Young Company. In The Night Time (Before The Sun Rises) was developed in July 2023 at New Works Lab, Connecticut, directed by Kate Attwell, with Gabe Levey and Emily Davis. Fin was recently shortlisted for the Adrian Pagan award at the King's Head Theatre. Producing credits include I Heart Catherine Pistachio at the Berlin 100 Grad Festival and the Soho Theatre, with a European tour in 2016; Leveret by Matt Jones, directed by Alex Thorpe, at the Yard Theatre, Hackney Wick, 2016; Swingers, a dance-theatre piece for older performers about sex, ageing and intimacy; and Lucas Hnath's The Christians for the Gate at Traverse 1.