National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) marks its return to Scotland’s live stages in autumn 2021 with the Company’s first national tour since the closure of venues in 2020 due to COVID-19. After preview dates at the Beacon in Greenock then at Dundee Rep, the NTS brings The Enemy from award winning writer, performer and theatre maker Kieran Hurley who has adapted Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play, An Enemy of the People, for current times.
This new production set during a public health crisis, scrutinises corruption and power amidst a changing media landscape and explores what it means to hold power to account in a post-truth political world.
Kieran Hurley says, “It is a real joy to be able to bring The Enemy to audiences at last, after this long hiatus. …What we thought was an adaption focused on quite current themes of fake news, distrust of experts, and the treacherous whirlwind of public opinion in an age of social media has now taken on a whole new contemporary relevance that we could never have predicted in a million years. It’s been genuinely surreal, and testament I suppose to the enduring relevance of Ibsen’s original. It’s been a long uncertain wait but maybe, in all of this, the play has somehow found its moment.”
Members of the original cast are reunited following the production’s delayed premiere. In this reworking of the classic drama, the roles of Dr Stockman and his brother are played by women. Hannah Donaldson and Gabriel Quigley play the Stockmann sisters and are joined by an ensemble of Scottish actors such as Billy Mack, Neil McKinven, Taqi Nazeer and Eléna Redmond.
Featuring an original soundtrack from award-winning composer Kathryn Joseph, along with live video from Lewis den Hertog, The Enemy is a contemporary Scottish take on Ibsen’s timeless work. This NTS tour marks the first time that a version of Ibsen’s classic play has been staged in Scotland for over forty years. It will be directed by Finn den Hertog who works across stage, screen and radio as writer and actor as well as director.
Jackie Wylie, Artistic Director of National Theatre of Scotland says “We are more than thrilled to be returning to live audiences and communities across Scotland this autumn with an exciting new adaption of Ibsen’s The Enemy, adapted by the brilliant theatre-making team of writer Kieran Hurley and director Finn den Hertog. It seems entirely fitting that our first post lockdown tour is the show that was in rehearsal when COVID-19 closed Scottish theatres for over 18 months. I am both joyful and relieved that the Company is back on the road taking theatre across Scotland, connecting with theatres and audiences again and sharing the unique experience of live performance that we have missed for so long.”
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rd October @ 7.30pm.
Saturday 23rd October@ 2.30pm
Age Guidance, 16+
Tickets: £15 – £33.50
Theatre for a Fiver – £5 ticket deals and discount codes for 16 – 26 year olds.
Full details booking available at Capital Theatres website
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 