Staff Writer
Students at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics recently put on a production of “The Lady from the Sea,” a play by Henrik Ibsen, translated into English by Michael Meyer.
The play which was set in 19th century Norway, held a number of connections to life for students at MSSM, making it relevant for them according to Stefan Dreisbach-Williams, director.
Aroostook Republican Photo/Andrew Dyer
Shown here during the recent performance of ‘The Lady from the Sea’ are from left: Sarah Benjamin, playing Dr. Wangel; Katie Jimenez, playing the part of Hilde Wangel and Kiri Strack-Grose playing the part of Bolette Wangel.
“It’s antique and foreign, but nonetheless it is analogous to our own experience,” said Dreisbach Williams.
In the play, Ellida, played by Sarah Cropley marries an older gentleman, Dr. Wangel, played by Sarah Benjamin, and moves inland from her seaside hometown to a small village on the fjord. Much of Ellida’s inward struggle throughout the play deals with her homesickness for the excitement of the sea.
“As with the characters in this play those of us living here are penned in a stagnant pond, far from the roiling sea and adventures abroad. Simultaneously most of us here are separated from our homes, the things and people we love. We struggle to make a place for ourselves. Those who once knew something more exciting yearn to reconnect with it and those who have not are drawn to them as a link to the outside world,” said Dreisbach-Williams.
In the same way that students at MSSM struggle to make a place for themselves, in Aroostook County, Ellida struggled to fit into the family of Dr. Wangel. Ellida at first tries to fill the role of Dr. Wangel’s deceased, wife and mother of his two daughters.
At the time of the play she seems to have abandoned the idea. She also remains an outsider in the village, as locals are perplexed by her behavior and her daily bathing in the fjord, which she does as a reminder of the life she left behind.
Due to her daily ritual, locals begin to call her, the lady from the sea.
The play also deals with mental illness, as it was dealt with in the 19th century as Ellida’s mental condition worsens throughout the play.
“In our post-Freudian age of psycho-pharmaceuticals, when the answer to all our mental anguish can be encapsulated in a pill, Ibsen’s pre-Freudian psychological thriller takes us to an earlier era of empowerment over the ineffable. Most of us know someone taking mood-altering pills, they’re as much a part of our lives as coffee, my personal mood-altering drug of choice. The distance of more than a century gives poignancy to our encounter with Dr. Wangel’s attempts to treat Ellida’s mental distress as he ‘sometimes gives her medicines that aren’t good for her in the long run,’” said Dreisbach-Williams.
As the play continues Ellida, continues to deteriorate emotionally, and psychologically, as events from her past begin to come to light. It is discovered, that before her marriage to Dr. Wangle, she had promised herself to a sailor, who performed a simple, although not legally binding ceremony, marrying them both to the sea, by throwing two rings into the ocean. The sailor had left to sail around the world, promising to return for Ellida someday. Eventually the sailor, played by Nick Jimenez, does return, and Ellida is forced to decide, whether to stay in her current life, or go with the sailor, to find excitement and danger.
Ultimately Ellida begs Dr. Wangle to give her back her freedom, so she could decide which life she wanted without the responsibility of her marriage negating her decision. Dr. Wangle finally agrees to give her the freedom to choose. Ellida chooses to stay with Dr. Wangel and his two daughters, and to become a contributing member of the family.
One point of interest during the production included placement of the audience. The audience was placed in the last five rows of the auditorium, with the rest of the seats covered in blue tulle, representing the fjord.
The planned effect, was to give the audience the feeling of separation, which is a major issue in the play. The stage manager was placed between the audience and the performers to add to this effect.
Another interesting point was the decision to keep curtains open during set changes.
This allowed audiences to watch as one landscape was turned into another, and allowed the stage crew to become performers themselves in a way.
During one set change the stage crew performed their work without shirts on, eliciting some laughter from the audience.
Aroostook Republican Photo/Andrew Dyer
Shown during production are cast members, Harry Mickalide, playing the part of Dr. Arnholm and Sarah Cropley, playing the part of Ellida Wangel.
