A Doll's House: A New Version by Frank McGuinness

Nora Helmer, wife to Torvald and mother of three children, appears to enjoy living the life of a pampered, indulged child. But as her economic dependence becomes brutally clear, Nora's acceptance of the status quo undergoes a profound change. To the horror of the bewildered Torvald, himself caught in the tight web of a conservative society which demands that he exert strict control, Nora comes to see that only possible true course of action is to leave the family home.

Frank McGuinness's version of A Doll's House received its London premiere in October 1996 and opened on Broadway in 1997, where the production won four Tony Awards.


About the Author

Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen was born in 1828. His plays include Peer Gynt (1867), A Doll's House (1879), Ghosts (1881), An Enemy of the People (1882), Hedda Gabler (1890), and The Master Builder (1892). He died in 1906.

Frank McGuinness was born in Buncrana, Co. Donegal, and now lives in Dublin, where he teaches at University College. His plays include: The Factory Girls (1984), Baglady (1985), Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (1985), Innocence (1986), Carthaginians (1988), Mary and Lizzie (1989), The Bread Man (1991), Someone Who'll Watch Over Me (1992), The Bird Sanctuary (1994), and Mutabilitie (1997). His translations include Ibsen's Rosmersholm (1987), Peer Gynt (1988), and Hedda Gabler (1994); Chekhov's Three Sisters (1990), Uncle Vanya (1995); Lorca's Yerma (1987); Brecht's The Threepenny Opera (1991); and Ostrovsky's The Storm (1998).