BRATTLEBORO-The Henrik Ibsen drama An Enemy of the People will lead audiences to question "the intersection of truth, power, and society's values," according to the New England Youth Theatre, which will stage the play this weekend.
As described by Dramatists Play Service, the play centers on "a small Norwegian town [that's] just begun to win fame and wealth through its medicinal spring waters. Dr. Stockmann, resident physician in charge, discovers that the waters are poisoned."
When the doctor shares his discovery, he is "shocked to find that instead of being thanked, he is looked upon as a dangerous crank, motivated by a desire to prove that his fellow townsmen are wrong, and to bring ruin upon them," the synopsis says.
James "Jay" Gelter, who started with NEYT in a melodrama camp almost two decades ago, directs the cast of nine teen actors in the youth theater's annual senior show. He recalls that he and the production's assistant director, Ben Stockman, NEYT's artistic director, had been hearing about how this 1882 play by a groundbreaking Norwegian playwright "has come back in vogue in a really big way in the last few years [because] it's about right here, right now."
The NEYT production is not set in its original time and place. Instead, Gelter explains, "it looks very 1950s, but I was basically telling the kids not to consider any literal time or place. We are focused on this community and the rules that this community has without trying to set those rules in the context of any greater time or place."
Of Ibsen's work, Gelter adds, the challenges posed "are also opportunities."
"There's this great balance between larger social commentaries and intimate family drama," he says. "I did an adaptation of the script to cut it down somewhat" and to simplify some of Ibsen's complex diction.
He analyzed renowned American playwright Arthur Miller's adaptation which "cut the fat to get to the essence of what it is. And from what I've heard, the Amy Herzog version that just finished running on Broadway is very much the same thing."
"So I took my own stab at that [and] streamlined it to get rid of political tangents and keep it focused on what's going on among the characters," Gelter says.
"I think it's a mission of [NEYT] to show the kids a diversity of what theater can do, both in what material they do and what kind of directors they work with," he notes.
"I was most interested in learning how this coming generation would respond to what this play is saying and the conflicts it presents because they are the exact conflicts that this generation is going to have to grow up through," Gelter continues.
He says that he and the cast have had "some really good discussions [...] about what the piece itself is saying and recognizing just how complicated morality is."
Some examples? "When do you draw the line about standing up to your principles? When do you have to compromise?" Gelter says.
"I kept asking them, 'Is this the point where he should compromise?' After a lot of deliberation, the cast had to agree they really didn't know when compromise was the right route."
"The show is about water, so we introduce that as an element through a lot of the lighting [by Francesca Bourgault] and in the soundscape with music by [1950s symphonic composer Alan] Rawsthorne which matches the tone of the show quite well because he bounces back and forth between anguish and whimsy. This play does, too."
Bibi Johnson plays Dr. Thomas Stockmann. A junior at Brattleboro Union High School (BUHS), she speaks of her character as being very complicated.
"I'm finding it difficult to really get his essence because what he wants to do and the way that he goes about it [are] completely how I wouldn't go about it," she says.
She finds her character's strategies confusing.
"His motivation is pretty clear, but he does a lot of things that actually make people angrier with him," Johnson says. "And so, you're like, 'Why did he do that?' And you just have to figure that out. It's hard."
Lotte Kurowski, a BUHS sophomore, plays Stockmann's wife, Katherine, who she describes as "very anxious" and "very tightly wound."
"She wants to keep everyone together, she wants to keep the peace," Kurowski reflects. "On top of that, she's really emotional."
In the production, "we talked about how she's always on the verge of bursting into tears," Kurowski continues. "So the challenge is balancing those two things, I guess, between trying to stay composed and proper and also having large emotional outbursts."
"It doesn't help because Thomas just doesn't really understand [her] as a character," Johnson interjects. "Every sentence he says to her is constantly like, 'Are you crazy, Katherine? You must be out of your mind, Katherine.' None of it's very supportive, and it's frustrating."
"I do respect Katherine in some ways," Kurowski adds. "I think she does her best. I think she just tries to take care of her family."
Speaking of the play's relevance today, Johnson observes: "It has a lot to do with our current political state as a country [...] especially after the 2024 election."
In terms of our region, she observes, "a lot of people were devastated. And you're like, 'How could this happen? How could so many people vote for this person?'"
And who is right?
Understanding the dichotomous pull - the conflicts and tensions between characters which move a play forward - is "very complicated because neither [faction in the play] is right, really," Johnson adds. "They're right to be angry at the doctor for being like, 'You're all not as smart as I, so I should get to hold power over you.' But he's also right in saying that they have no say in what they're talking about from a scientific point of view.
"And it's also just kind of a political story of when to compromise and when to hold your ground and what happens if you don't compromise," she says.
Anika Wiltermuth, who plays Mayor Peter Stockmann, adds, "I think this show has a lot of relevance. The main premise is about the healing waters that have been poisoned. So it's this whole question of economics and taxes and how much things will cost and power of authorities. […] I feel like history repeats itself."
And Alex Brown - playing Hovstad, a news editor - points out similarities, "especially with COVID-19 a couple years ago."
Of the NEYT experience, Wiltermuth adds: "It's nice to have a community that's not who you regularly spend your time with," and given that Enemy's is a relatively small cast, "it's easier to feel more included and more part of the process."
"I'm enjoying that. I really like this play," they said. "I really like Peter. I have been wanting to play a really angry character recently and I got him and he's grumpy and he's opinionated and he's a people pleaser and he likes his money -yeah."
Brown adds, "I've been looking for a challenge in my acting for a year now," and this, for them, is that.
A first for NEYT
Renovations have been made recently at NEYT to make the space more of a true black box, a design that allows flexibility in both staging and seating.
An Enemy of the People is the first play in NEYT's history to be staged in the round, meaning that the audience will surround a central stage.
Of that staging choice, Gelter says: "When I started acting at age 6, it was in the round. It was a while before I would act behind a proscenium arch [a stage meant to be viewed straight on]."
"When NEYT told me such staging was now possible for Enemy, I jumped at the chance," he says, calling the staging "freeing" for both the actors and the audience.
"It means that wherever you sit, you see a different play than anyone else does," Gelter says.
Enemy of the People runs on Friday, April 4 (7 p.m.), Saturday, April 5 (2 p.m. and 7 p.m.), and Sunday, April 6 (2 p.m.) at NEYT's home at 100 Flat St., Brattleboro. Tickets are available at NEYT.org or by calling 802-246-6398.
This Arts item by Annie Landenberger was written for The Commons.