ARE YOU READY TO FACE YOUR GHOSTS?

G H O S T S Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts was written during the autumn of 1881 and was published in December of the same year. It was not performed in the theatre until May 1882. The play achieved a single private London performance on 13 March 1891 at the Royalty Theatre. Ghosts was deliberately sensational. What most offended Ibsen's contemporaries was what they regarded as its shocking indecency, its more than frank treatment of a forbidden topic. An English critic was later to describe it as "a dirty deed done in public". Helene Alving, the widow of Captain Alving, is about to dedicate an orphanage she has built in his memory. She reveals to her pastor that she has hidden the evils of her marriage for its duration, and has built the orphanage to deplete her husband's wealth so that their son, Osvald, might not inherit anything from him. Ghosts surprises modern audiences with some of the issues that it discusses, including out-of-wedlock children, venereal disease, incest, infidelity, and euthanasia. The ‘‘ghosts’’ in this play are the taboo topics that cannot be openly discussed. This drama is one of Ibsen’s most powerful works, but also one of his most controversial. Featuring: Kerri-Ann Head, Adrian Wood, Mike Balmer, Helen Angell & David Gregory Director: Peter Clark Where: Marloo Theatre When: 16th July till 02nd August 2008 (Wed, Fri, Sat - 9 shows) Price: $16 Bookings: Call Gwyne on: 9255 1783