Variation of emotion - is able to portray regret as well as other emotions such as bitterness, pride, sadness and rejoice

Voice - Has a clear and strong voice. Easy to understand and articulates consistently. 

Face - Has a very expressive face ranging from subtle inner thoughts to drastic and distinct emotions. 

Ability to take directions - Follows my guidelines and trusts me in the given instructions

Dear Mr. Hnath, 

My name is Alice Pringault and I am a student in Mauritius in my first year of the IBDP studying theatre as one of my higher level subjects. One of our components for this course is the submission of the ‘Directors Notebook’ which is about our take on as director of a play of our choice. For this task I have decided to take ‘A Doll’s House Part 2’ as I thoroughly enjoyed the text and was greatly inspired by the creative ideas gathered by reading it. 

Nevertheless, as this text is relatively recent and complex in contexts I was wondering if you would agree to answer some of my questions in a written interview. The interview would be solely for academic use. This would be of great aid for me to understand the relationship between your cultural and theoretical context as well as being able to identify the elements taken from Ibsen’s contexts together as a bigger picture of ‘A Doll’s House Part 2’. 

Please let me know if you would be willing to answer my questions. If so I shall email them to you soon. Thank you very much for your time. 

Sincerely, 
Alice Pringault 

The take on Ibsen's Naturalism

The conventions of Naturalism is that they are to reflect the small details of society at a specific time period  (Cash, 2018) Ibsen in his work fully portrays this as seen through the detailed stage directions and set. Furthermore common personality traits are associated to characters with a certain status which is to reflect society. For example the contrast of Nora being an upper class woman has a nurse whereby Mrs.Lindt is a widow has to work. 

A Doll's House, Part 2 continues on the same principles which is not to denature the setting of the play from its context. Nevertheless it is not truly naturalistic either. It is seen that Hnath's context of now has greatly contributed in the creation of this play which is set in Norway of the 1800's. It is noted through a more familiar vocabulary used nowadays which does not correspond exactly to what Ibsen used. Nevertheless there are recurring in themes in both of the playwright's contexts. forms part of as per the jargon used which is more modern and familiar. Hence why Hnath's play forms part of a post-naturalisic era. 

Current political and social movements are sources of inspiration which influences Hnath for his work, especially in America itself where he grew up (Sanford, n.d.). A direct evidence of this is for his play "Hillary and Clinton". He took references from the 2008 elections (Reid, 2018) along with real life figures to create the plot of the play and what if's which dont always occur in reality. This demonstrates his awareness of politics within his country. This example therefore allows me to make assumptions as to other events which Hnath could have used to draw inspiration from when writing ‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’ as he has not clearly addressed this matter yet. 

Regarding ‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’s prominent themes I was able to identify a link with a few of them and social/political movements in the USA of 2016-2017. 

One of the current world issues which could have influenced Hnath when writing his play is the division of society and expectations of social classes. There has been in the US an increase in disparity amongst social classes (DePillis, 2017) which has caused for many services to become unaffordable. Due to this people have turned towards longer working hours or jobs which have poorer working conditions to be able to sustain and which are in increase (Maestas et al., 2017). This is reflected through Anne Marie as her backstory was created by the Hnath in his play. The audiences comes to know that Anne Marie left her child to take care of Nora. However this was against Anne-Marie’s will as she did not have another choice. She would have fell into intense working hours and conditions or into prostitution to be able to sustain on her own (Hnath, 2017). 

There has also been a rise in feminism in the USA which is the 2016 elections for presidential as one of its causes. This is due to Hilary Clinton competing and who if she won would be the first woman to do so. Nevertheless it was Donald Trump who won and his sexist remarkes has sparked women to speak about the topic (Ghitis, 2016).  Relating it to Hnath’s play I think this might have contributed in re introducing such themes through Ibsen’s play with his own take on the manner. Unlike Ibsen we were able to know the impact to feminism on society in ‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’ as Nora mentions the consequences of her book to the public along with its controversies. This mirrors the initial reactions to Ibsen’s play in the real world and also shows that after all these years the problem of gender equality remains on society. In parallel to the real life however it is not only the people but from the law itself making Hnath’s stand more powerful. Additionally, when looking from the courses in his studies such as Psychology of Marriage classes and Gender and Literature classes (Sanford, n.d.) he has the awareness regarding Gender inequality. This is in line with Ibsen's original play and the theme of feminism (Mohanty, 2016) and shows how his education also contributed to his inspiration.

Other prominent themes in the play include:

Feminism: The role of women in society is addressed by all the female characters. Hnath continues on Ibsen’s take who uses Nora to display the inequality in society between genders. This mainly concerns the way law gives advantage to men when divorcing. This is again is the reason why Nora decides to come back and obtain her divorce. Furthermore Anne Marie mentions the necessity for children to grow with a mother figure which to her is more important than a father figure. Having Nora as a character countering this idea therefore displays female empowerment against society’s traditions. 

Identity. The theme of identity unravels through Nora and Emmy’s confrontation scene. Nora is seeing the image of her younger self in Emmy which strongly denies it. To an extent I think this play shows how society at that time defines the way people are to be. Emmy’s actions are driven by the fact that if things do not turn out the way she desires them she will not be able to get married. 

1.       Anne Marie leaves her child to go and take care of Nora like a mother when she is a child

2.       Mrs.Lindt and Nora were friends. 

3.       Torvald is sick, Nora borrows money from Krogstad to save him. She fakes her father’s signature 

4.       Torvald and Nora never had a real conversation in 8 years of marriage

5.       Torvald is now promoted to head of bank 

6.       Nora was a manipulative wife

7.       Torvald and Nora confront each other. Nora did not try to solve the problem of their marriage

8.       Torvald did not file the divorce

9.       Nora was sewing to get money  

10.   Torvald, Bob and Iver saddened by Nora leaving. Anne Marie stayed, taking care of the children 

11.   People assumed that Nora was dead and pitied the Helmer’s  

12.   Emmy does not remember her mother

13.   Nora became a successful feminist novelist. She has had lovers and acts as an unmarried woman. 

14.   Torvald never remarried

15.   The judge finds Nora’s real identity under her pseudonym and threatens to reveal her

16.   Emmy is an adult, she is persuasive and wise with words. 

17.   Nora sent a letter to Anne Marie saying she will be back in town 

Overall, Hnath allow ideas to unfold in a calculated manner to shape the character's personalities and bring out the themes in his play. These are examples of how he does it.

One interesting connection Hnath makes throughout of the play is with the presentation of inequality between men and women. He plays on this with the syuzhet as there is a constant reminder of the patriarchal society set in the context of the play. This occurs as characters recall events before this play which are unknown to the audience through dialogue as well as extracts from Nora’s book which Torvald reads. One moment where this is shown is during the first interaction between Nora and Torvald as Nora justifies her old attitude saying that if she did not act a certain way, Torvald would not pay attention to her (Hnath, 2017). To the audience this forms part of Nora’s old life which they do not witness in this play. I think it is to enhance how deep rooted image of the typical woman society expected and that although time has passed through the fabula, the syuzhet displays that there has not been much progress done yet.

Another connection is whereby Hnath used the syuzhet and Emmy to give the audience an insight on what happened in between the two plays. Hnath strategically lets Emmy explain those events to Nora and the way Torvald dealt with her departure. She goes in a logical how she grew up and some bits of her childhood. He then juxtaposes Emmy’s current situation of getting married soon within the syuzhet. This clash allows for the theme of identity to be introduced as Nora is able to see herself in Emmy through this detail. However it is the past events between those years which shaped Emmy to who she is now. This shapes Emmy’s character of being stubborn and independent. 

Identify its strengths and why

Identify and explain its limitations

Although there is an exploration with different sketching ideas there is not a lot of evidence of the process of which these final sketches were obtained. Furthermore there is no direct evidence of their line of interpretation and overall effect wanting to achieve. It’s divided amongst sections of the play and their characters. 

Example 2

Identify its strengths and why

Identify and explain its limitations

There are more technical drawings than sketches of ideas. Most of the annotations could have been held during rehearsal about blocking. Intentions are only explained for a section of the play therefore it is not as clear as to what overall effect she is aiming and the significance of the scene. 

List other approaches that could be used by YOU

Torvald's way of walking could be almost one which he is dependent on a cane to support him. However if there was no physical cane this brings out some ridicule within him. This would have for effect to bring comedy to the situation which is very serious from Nora's perspective. The contrast between the two would highlight their differences and create a cat and mouse dynamic.

3. The idea of childishness could be another aspect of the pay which I picked up on while reading the play. It is an aspect of the first play which  was also present but not as straightforward which would be challenging but innovative to try.

Torvald is regressing towards a more childlike version of himself as he meets Nora again after all these years. In his movements i think he could always be facing the back of Nora as she speaks to him. A very immature approach to being back to reality from the flashback given by Nora's entrance. The two chairs could be physically in front of each other but angled for Torvald not to see Nora anymore. This would give the opportunity for Nora to find a way to get Torvald's focus to her by raising her voice or making gestures to portray impatience. Overall this would bring comedy to the serious situation giving more rhythm to the play.

The last burst of anger between Nora and Torvald should be one with underlying meaning from start to end. This last moment is one where they release the resentment and anger over the other from all the years. Their gestures should be over the top almost caricatural to reinforce the stupidity of the situation. It ressembles a children's quarrel in adult bodies which display the real and unfazed emotions both are dealing with at this moment of the play. 

1. The positioning of the chairs are very important for this moment. The purpose of having them far apart is to display the apparent tension between the two and to hint a potential conflict occurring. Where many would have chosen to place the chairs equally opposite and perpendicular to the audience I chose to place them at an angle. I want Torvald’s chair to be slightly more front stage than Nora. It would give a subtle angle to the set. This has for purpose to give the impression that Nora is restrained between the window and himself. Hence further tension is created in this moment and this would be an effective display of how Nora could have had regrets from her past actions. Regarding the audience, the created tension would push them to chose a side either the one being vulnerable being Nora or Torvald who seems to have valid points.

2. To add onto that tension I would make use of facial expressions and gesture to display Nora slowly losing confidence in herself during that moment. Her body would first be inclined to the front when speaking about her life without Torvald, it would reflect her bolder character. There would then be the gradual degradation of this persona of her as every set Torvald would make to her she would be sitting backwards almost in an intimidated way. While some would have made this intimidation more subtle through a change in tone of voice or other means I decided to work with body to display this reversal of fortune. I think it this almost childish situation would amplify Torvald’s credibility in the eyes of the audience and make it easier for them to side with him than Nora. To support this idea of conflict I would want her to have a slightly surprised expression as she would have not expected such fast reversal of fortune for her. Nora would slightly shake her head to the sides and have an incredulous stare towards Torvald. This would be a replacement for her having no comeback at this moment and thus silently admitting defeat at this point. Towards the audience it would make them want to lean more towards Torvald as Nora's strong façade is slowly breaking away as Torvald gains confidence in his attitude.

3.This proxemics is changed when Torvald decides to stand up during the silence between the two. As he moves closer to Nora and her not being able to move anymore this makes reference to a situation between a predator and a prey. For this particular moment I want his body to become straighter and more assured as he walks up to Nora as he says his last lines. His steps would not need to be very wide but rather sharp and confident. As he moves closer to Nora there is no change in projection in his voice but as he would be closer she would hear it louder making the situation more intimidating for her. The overall effect of Torvald coming closer to her would increase the tension in this moment because it would change from the beginning of the moment where the situation appeals equal to Torvald gaining the audience’s sympathy in spite of Nora’s.

4. For this moment of the play I wanted to carry forward from the previous exploration of a spookier and haunting home to create a tense and colder atmosphere. This would align with the creation of tension and would suit the negative emotions from the two characters on stage. To do so efficiently I would make use of color in this lighting design. I have chosen two similar pastel and colder colours to give more harmony in the atmosphere of the stage. Where others would have perhaps had more intense colours for the emotions to be more obvious, I did not want to have major clashing colours as the tension and conflict is mostly emphasised with the acting skills and blocking of this moment. I wanted to work on the subtlety of the different colours. For Torvald I chose green with a slightly grey tone to it. I think this color reflects his state at this moment as it shows disgust and perhaps envy to a certain extent. This is because he would be aware of Nora enjoying her life as an unmarried woman which seems to suit her more while he on the other hand did not evolve positively from her departure. For Nora I chose to use a light blue color to make reference to the colder version of Torvald she now has in front of her. I did not want a striking obvious blue as it would be too much of a literal approach to sadness which is not as evident yet in this moment of the play. I think that this would make the audience realise the difference in emotion from the characters perspective in a more literal manner. With the creation of tension from Torvald's outburst the audience would have less of a tendency to feel sad and side towards green which signifies a sense of disgust towards Nora. All in all this scene is a key turning point for the audience to starting feeling sympathy towards Torvald which may change later on in the play.

Regarding Nora’s light I wanted to have a colder light but one which could be misleading to a certain extent. While some could have chosen a neutral white light which could work as well, I decided to use the shade of lavender. Lavender is a color which still remains to look relatively neutral on stage as it adapts to the mood set on stage. As it is quite adaptable to the situation this helps to consolidate the portrayal of Nora’s obvious conflicting state caused by rapid emotion changes throughout. It brings depth and mystery as to what she could be thinking and this corresponds to the chosen shade for her light as the color purple is known to connote mystery and anger at times. Moreover the angle of the light is crucial for this moment. I could have decided to work with a flood from the front of the stage as it would have directly put emphasis on her state in a more literal manner. However I decided to make sure her shadow can be seen by the audience. This shadow would be the symbol of her being neglected at this moment of the play which would add more dramatic tension at this peculiar point. Furthermore the fact that the lighting is not white would add subtlety as I still want the focus to remain on Anne Marie, Emmy and Torvald.    

Furthermore just like in the previous moment there is a direct warm light on the door. The purpose of having this light would emphasise on the theory that Nora could always leave again at this very moment just like she did before. It would symbolise Nora having difficulties facing the reality of the situation and wanting to leave it all behind by going through these doors. Hence the light shining on it would give this an enchanted element and its warmth would connote happiness and joy which would clash with Nora’s current emotions on stage. 

When looking at the blocking I wanted for the audience to be able to empathise with Nora by seeing the situation from a similar angle to her. The literal approach of this idea which would have been to Nora sitting in the centre front stage with her back facing the audience. I on the other hand have decided to have her at an extreme corner on Stage Left to still have the wanted effect of gaining the audience’s sympathy and physically showing Nora’s exclusion. This would also create a sharper angle between the two parties which would be more effective and would give more opportunity for the audience to see Nora’s reaction to the situation and the different gestures or facial expressions she would have. 

The body language of the Torvald, Emmy and Anne Marie would reflect a family image. Having Anne Marie being Torvald whom is seated and taken care of highlights standards of the patriarchal society of the time and displays the woman, most of the time a wife figure as the one taking care of the sicker husband. This is recreated with Anne Marie which adds a layer of meaning to the situation. Anne Marie would be frantic as she opens the door with Torvald physically holding onto her for support. She would need to look obviously worried and shocked with raised eyebrows and a loud projection in her voice to attract attention for help. All of this would help in recreating a mother figure to a family which Nora left. 

For this moment although it is short I want to shed light onto its significance for Nora.  At this moment there is the clear close bond held within the members of the family which therefore brings me to the following stream of emotions and how they will be seen on stage. This is seen in the flowchart below(refer to 4.1). I think that nostalgia should be sensed from Nora due to Emmy’s attitude towards Torvald. This moment portrays Emmy is seen to be on Torvald’s side both literally and metaphorically as she is the one to leave to take care of his physical health. This was part of what Nora did before, take care of her husband as seen in “A Doll’s House”. A softer look on Nora’s face would hint this nostalgia which she could feel. The subtle light on her would give a calmer side to Nora and would be most effective to show hints of nostalgia. 

The use of the above performance and production elements are in phase with my impact on my audience for the following reasons. Firstly the set of this scene clearly demonstrates a demarcation with the family and Nora. I think that with the use of facial expressions on Nora's face this would immediately make the audience understand where her sense of regret would come through. It would create a moment of nostalgia and make the audience question at the same time as Nora that if her choice was the best one. With a clear sense of closeness from Emmy, Anne Marie and Torvald through their body language Nora's emotions come through due to the contrast in lighting colour used on both sides of the stage. Hence emphasising her exclusion and making the audience sympathise with her.

 
Figure 4.1 Author's own