Family relationships at center of Black Curtain production

The Whitefish Theatre Co. presents its second Black Curtain Theatre production of the 2019-2020 season with the award-winning play “A Doll’s House, Part 2” at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish.

This sharp and deliciously well-written play has performances on Nov. 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Remember when Nora walked out and slammed the door behind her in Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 revolutionary masterpiece, “A Doll’s House?” Well, she’s back in Lucas Hnath’s powerful, Tony-nominated sequel, “A Doll’s House, Part 2.”

It’s 15 years later and Nora has come home to request an incredibly awkward favor from Torvald, the husband whom she abandoned. As long-simmering resentments boil over, she must navigate some taut and harrowing negotiations with her husband, their daughter Emmy, and their nanny Anne Marie, as we watch the woman who once upended the rules of marriage return to set the record straight. Called “smart, funny and utterly engrossing” by the New York Times, “A Doll’s House, Part 2” is a must-see for theater-lovers and anyone who has ever tried to be married.

“It’s not hard to see why ‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’ was the most often produced play in the U.S. this year,” said Director Nancy Nei. “Each of the four characters, Nora, Torvald, their daughter Emmy and their nanny Anne Marie, are richly drawn. Each has high stakes in the outcome of the plot and each deserves our sympathy as they wrestle with the challenges of really ‘seeing’ the people they are closest to.”

Cast members include Kristin Ellingson as Nora, Andrew Matulionis as Torvald, Gail Cleveland as Anne Marie, and Amy Galt as Emmy.

“It’s been rewarding working with the fine actors in ‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’ to discover the fullness and rich humanity of these characters that the young playwright Lucas Hnath has created in homage to Ibsen’s groundbreaking original,” said Nei.

Viewers are reminded that as a Black Curtain production, there will minimal staging, no set or props, and actors may reference their scripts. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students with general seating.

Tickets can be purchased at the WTC Box Office, online at whitefishtheatreco.org or at the door on the evenings of each show. The Box Office, located at 1 Central Ave. in Whitefish, is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and at 6:30 p.m. on the night of each show. For more information, call 862-5371. This show is sponsored by Meg Wolfe and Steve Lull and Bet and Doug Wise.