The smell of popcorn fills the main hall of the PAC as I make my way to the W. D. Powell Theatre. I flip through the pages of the program and see a few familiar faces from the theater department, as well as some faces that I don’t recognize. The lights dim, and another Union University theater production begins.
The last few nights, November 14-19, the theatre department has put on its production of Henrik Ibsen’s play, “A Doll’s House.” Sullivan Hogan leads as Nora Helmer, sharing the stage with fellow theater veterans Jake Beals and Brielle Chambers. Starring alongside them are newcomers Steve Williams and Ben Murray as Krogstad and Dr. Rank, respectively.
From the opening scene, Hogan is wonderful to watch as she portrays the character of Nora. In fact, it is well into the second act before her character even leaves the stage.
“I didn’t expect it to feel so short,” said junior theater and digital media communications major, Sullivan Hogan. “It just kind of whizzes by and you just get in the moment and then two and a half hours have passed, and you don’t even know it.”
Some of the most dramatic moments of the play come with Nora’s interactions with the other characters. Hogan and Beals obviously have chemistry and experience working together, but it’s some of the moments with characters like Krogstad and Dr. Rank that are the most impactful and heartfelt.
As I talked with some of the cast after the play had finished, they all had similar answers for what drew them into theater and, specifically, Union’s theatre department. They all love the community that is built around a production like this. The intimacy of the theater, as well as the size of the cast and crew, contribute to the final creative product.
“They pulled something out of me that I didn’t know that I had,” said freshman Steve Williams. “They really dug deep within me and kind of sculpted the character of Krogstad.”
It’s great to see this kind of connectedness between actors, even second-hand as an audience member. Union’s theatre program rarely disappoints when it comes to stage productions, and “A Doll’s House” is no different. The final showing will be tonight at 7:30 with tickets at $5 at the door for students.