Hedda Gabler
THe old globe
Director
Barry Edelstein
Adaptation
Erin Cassidy
Starring
Katie Holmes
Movement Director
Chelsey Arce
A Note from ChelseyHaving never worked on Ibsen before, the text felt completely overwhelming — almost too smart for me at first. I kept trying to find a way in that felt like something I knew. One thing I knew was I wanted to Hedda (Katie Holmes) to feel different then everyone in the world she lived amongst. I used Katie's passion for dance and movement as a way in to find who and how Hedda moved through the space.
The adaptation was by Erin Cassidy, who wrote the screenplay for Girl on the Train — so the script was incredibly cinematic, and there was a contemporary sensibility in the text. Erin is an incredible writer and brilliant feminist voice; getting to be in the room with her while she was rewriting things in real time as she watched Katie work was unbelievable.
Bringing movement into a very straight play meant pushing everyone's boundaries. If this transfers to Broadway as planned, it's going to go even further.
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