A Dollhouse Project

Audiences were bussed to three different locations for each of the acts of the play. Each act took place in a different time period. There were three consecutive performances each spaced about 45 minutes apart.  Each house had a cast that repeated their act three times.  I adapted the script, arranged the performance houses, hired the busses, cast the show (with three casts) and directed all rehearsals.  

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Act I was staged in a local historic home which was built about the time the play was written.  The costumes emulated 1880 and the dialogue was a translation of the original text.  ​Because the houses were not designed as performance spaces, audiences had to be contained to about 20, (which was ok, since that's about how many people the busses could accommodate).

 

Act II was set in 1950s. The script was adapted to include language and references appropriate for the period.  For example, instead of Torvald asking Nora to dance a "tarantella" Nora is preparing for a belly-dance routine she'll do in her Genie costume.  Middle eastern belly dance was a popular titillating dance in the fifties. 

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Set in 2020, Act III used contemporary language. Torvald is a modern guy with a man bun.  Nora's performance was a karaoke rendition of "Santa, Baby" which she performed in a sexy Santa suit.  In this image, she has changed into pajamas. She looks over Torvald's shoulder as he asks why there were two failed attempts to login to his laptop. In the original text, Torvald asks Nora about scratches on the lock of his mailbox.

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