School of Theater faculty Bart DeLorenzo directs the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble’s Los Angeles premiere of Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts, running now through Sunday, Oct. 23 at the company theater in Los Angeles.
DeLorenzo directs Richard Eyre’s “electrifying” 90-minute adaptation of Ibsen’s provocative play for the modern stage. The main cast includes recent CalArts graduates Alex Barlas (Theater MFA 20) and Viva Hassis Gentes (Theater BFA 21), who play painter Oswald Alving and maid Regina Engstrand, respectively. Fellow CalArtians are also among the crew: Christine Ferriter (Film/Video MFA 93) as lighting designer, and Lena Sands (Theater MFA 15) as costume designer.
More about Ghosts from the official press release:
Recently widowed Helene Alving (Pamela J. Gray), desperate to conceal her late husband’s philandering, is preparing to open an orphanage in his memory with the help of Pastor Manders (Barry Del Sherman). But when her son (Alex Barlas), returns from Paris and turns his eye to the Alving family maid (Viva Hassis Gentes)—daughter of local schemer Jacob Engstrand (J.Stephen Brantley)—Helene is forced to confront the ghosts of the past and the weight of her own secrets.
DeLorenzo discussed working on on Eyre’s Ghosts adaptation:
One of the shocks of working on this play is how up-to-the-minute it is. No playwright merges the political and the personal like Ibsen does. By examining the issues of the day through the conflicts of one single family, he shows us how culture imposes its values on individuals and speaks through us, and how difficult change can be. I wonder if there is a more relevant subject for this year than how we move forward against the tides that are always pulling us back. Eyre’s striking adaptation is funny and sexy, a breathless adaptation that is as true to the original as it is to our time.
Shows scheduled on Monday, Sept. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 9 will also feature special post-performance discussions with the artists (included in ticket price). Additionally, the second Friday of each month (Friday, Sept. 9 and Friday, Oct. 14) is “Wine Night,” during which attendees can mingle with the cast after the show while enjoying complimentary wine and snacks.
