Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen at The Junction

Tall Tales Production presents three-act tragedy Ghosts by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen on August 22-24 at The Junction.

In a play written in 1881, Ibsen explores questions of morality and adherence to a moral code. Because of the sensitive issues that it raises, the play caused and continues to cause debate among the public. The play is directed by Ramachandran Shanker, the cast includes Humera Sultana (Mrs. Helen Alving), Ashleigh Adonis (Regina Engstrand), Ziyad Bangara (Oswald Alving), Greg Lunn (Pastor Manders), KAilash Nair (Jacob Engstrand).

We are not as free as we think we are! In the struggle of the present, we encounter our past. Yet, we do not acknowledge this. Human megalomania claims each Generation, each Culture, and each Belief System to be ‘complete’ and ‘authentic’. And this megalomania prompts us to discard everything that is ‘old’ – as if the ‘new’ erupted from nothing. We must learn consciously that true wisdom lies in discarding the dead conventions, the unverified premises, and repressive elements of the past – and at the same time – preserving those values and standards that can be resurrected, can be embedded into the evolving present.

Every once-in-a-while comes a production that makes you question every action you made, makes you re-think every decision you took and makes you assess what consequences shaped and defined the person you are and the environment you live in. The play was so hard-hitting that it went through its fair share of controversy. It’s a sign of the huge scandal that Ibsen’s Ghosts caused that it didn’t receive its world premiere in Norway but in Chicago. Such was the consternation that greeted its publication in December 1881 that for some time it was considered untouchable in Scandinavia and beyond – simply as a printed script let alone as a play fit for performance. Though the play was written in 1881, it is relevant even today, and audiences will be able to draw comparisons of their own lives from it.

Organized by: Tall Tales Production
Venue: The Junction
Ticket price: AED 100
Admission: 07:30 PM