On Sunday, April 17th, a group of students enrolled in the department’s “Henrik Ibsen and Norwegian Literature” course made the drive to picturesque Lanesboro, Minnesota, to attend a performance of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, which the class had read a few weeks earlier.
First-year student and Scandinavian Studies major Zachary Blinkinsop commented: “The Commonweal Theatre’s production of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People was really fascinating and wonderfully executed. The adaptation in the Commonweal’s intimate space drew me in and kept me entertained. It was also quite interesting to mark the differences between the written play and the staged version the troupe performed. By moving off stage and into the space where the audience was seated, the cast made the audience feel as if we were witnessing real events.”
The performance was part of the Commonweal Theatre’s annual Ibsen Festival, which showcases a different work by Ibsen each year. It is the only theater in North America devoted to doing so.