opened on Broadway, after a highly successful out-of-town run, with a cast of four major stars led by Ruth Gordon as Nora. Both plays were directed and produced by the legendary Jed Harris, and both productions found enormous success with audiences and critics.
What then happened to Thornton Wilder’s first hit on Broadway and his most successful translation-adaptation? The play vanished from sight. This first-ever publication of the script, issued alongside its first production since 1937, by Theatre for a New Audience, returns Wilder’s A Doll’s House to life.
In 1997, at the time of the Thornton Wilder Centenary, Theatre Communications Group issued two volumes composed of Wilder’s published and unpublished one-acts, playlets and miscellaneous dramatic pieces, volumes still very much in print. To the Wilder collection, TCG now adds this third, significant, new title. May its run be as long and exciting.
Finally, we hope the brief Afterword will satisfy reader curiosity about the story of where Wilder’s first success on The Great White Way came from, how it unfolded before audiences, then disappeared, and is now back “in play.”
This volume and its accompanying revival production could not have come about without the enthusiasm, care and feeding provided by Terry Nemeth and Kathy Sova of TCG, and Jeffrey Horowitz and Arin Arbus of Theatre for a New Audience. The Wilder family salutes these gifted theater practitioners, and also thanks Barbara Hogenson, Thornton Wilder’s literary agent; Rosey Strub, who manages Thornton Wilder’s work; and Martha J. Wilson, who oversees the Ruth Gordon archive, for their invaluable contributions. Plaudits aside, I take full responsibility for errors of fact or emphasis, and welcome corrections and comments.
—A. Tappan Wilder
April 2016
PRODUCTION HISTORY
A Doll’s House was presented in New York City by Mr. Jed Harris at the Morosco Theatre on December 27, 1937, under Mr. Harris’s direction. The costumes and single set were designed by Mr. Donald Oenslager. Miss Gordon’s “Tarantelle” dance was arranged by Miss Martha Graham, offstage music was arranged and played by Miss Bernice Richmond, women’s costumes were by Helene Pons, men’s costumes were by Eaves, shoes were by I. Miller, the scenery was built by Vail Construction Company and painted by Robert W. Bergman, Inc., the electrical equipment was by Century Lighting; the technical assistant to Mr. Oenslager was Isaac Benesch, the general manager was Joe Glick, the press representative was Emanuel Eisenberg, the assistant on production was Harold Johnsrud, the master carpenter was Frank Dwyer, the master electrician was Thomas Connel and the master of properties was Max Davis. The cast was:
| THORWALD HELMER | Mr. Dennis King |
| NORA HELMER | Miss Ruth Gordon |
| EMMY | Miss Lorna Lynn Meyers |
| IVAR | Master Howard Sherman |
| DOCTOR RANK | Mr. Paul Lukas |
| CHRISTINA LINDEN | Miss Margaret Waller |
| NILS KROGSTAD | Mr. Sam Jaffe |
| ANNA | Miss Grace Mills |
| ELLEN | Miss Jessica Rogers |
| PORTER | Mr. Harold Johnsrud |
A Doll’s House was presented by Theatre for a New Audience (Jeffrey Horowitz, Artistic Director; Henry Christensen III, Chairman; Dorothy Ryan, Managing Director) at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Brooklyn, New York, on May 22, 2016. The production was directed by Arin Arbus, the scenic designer was Riccardo Hernandez, the costume designer was Susan Hilferty, the lighting designer was Marcus Doshi, the choreographer was Sam Pinkleton, the composer/co-sound designer was Daniel Kluger, the co-sound designer was Lee Kinney, the hair and makeup designer was Dave Bova, the properties supervisor was Jon Knust, the dramaturg was Jonathan Kalb, the fight director was J. Allen Suddeth, casting was by Deborah Brown, the production stage manager was Diane Healy, the assistant stage managers were Anne Ciarlone and Tori Sheehan, the press representative was The Bruce Cohen Group and the general manager was Michael Page. The cast was:
| THORWALD HELMER | John Douglas Thompson |
| NORA HELMER | Maggie Lacey |
| EMMY | Jayla Lavender Nicholas |
| IVAR | Ruben Almash |
| DOCTOR RANK | Nigel Gore |
| CHRISTINA LINDEN | Linda Powell |
| NILS KROGSTAD | Jesse J. Perez |
| ANNA | Laurie Kennedy |
| ELLEN | Kimber Monroe |
| PORTER | Christian J. Mallen |
CHARACTERS
THORWALD HELMER
NORA HELMER, Helmer’s wife
EMMY, their daughter
IVAR, their son
DOCTOR RANK
CHRISTINA LINDEN
NILS KROGSTAD
ANNA, the nurse
ELLEN, the maid
PORTER
SETTING
The action takes place in Helmer’s house.
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