Digital Program: The Doll’s House
The Footlight Club Presents
The Doll’s House
By Henrik Ibsen
Translated from the Norwegian by Henrietta Frances Lord
Adapted by Katie Swimm
The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited
Eliot Hall, 7A Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Information: 617-524-3200
The Footlight Club is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, a program of the state of Massachusetts administered through a collaborative arrangement between MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The Footlight Club is also supported in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events.
Our newly accessible Eliot Hall, completed in February 2022, is supported by grants from the
Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Cultural Facilitates Fund, the Community Preservation Fund, and the George B. Henderson Foundation.
Director’s Note
Is it “A” Doll’s House or “The” Doll’s House?” I’ve been asked that numerous times as I have worked on this play, and since “The” is on all of our posters I guess I should provide the answer to why I have adamantly argued for “The” in our production. First, a little grammar: “A” is an indefinite article. It’s used when speaking or writing about something generally – not specific, not special. “The,” however, is a definite article. It’s used to describe something specific, something known, something recognized. “The” is seen.
The Doll’s House is about a woman who must be seen. Nora’s life is constrained by the walls of not just her home, but also by the role she’s meant to play in the life of her children, husband, friends, and community. To them, she is “A” doll. Many interpretations of Ibsen cite the moment when Nora leaves as the ultimate feminist coup; she stands up for herself, finally, and shuts the door on her marriage. As a director, however, I was more interested in Ibsen’s claim that his work broadly is about the individual versus society. For Nora, this isn’t just about escaping Torvald’s misogyny and picking up after the kids. It’s about becoming “The.”
Henrietta Frances Lord, translator of this version of the play and one of the few women who translated Ibsen at all chose “The” with intention. She was a British writer and activist who lived her life on the periphery because of her career. Women doing “men’s work” weren’t exactly given a seat at the table in the 1890’s. While there is no archival evidence to support this claim, I interpret Lord’s choice of “The” as a direct address to her readers. I will be seen, I will be heard, I will be recognized. So will Nora. Our production explores the myriad ways in which Nora becomes seen by her family and her community. I hope you enjoy this production as much as I loved adapting and directing it.
Cast
Nora Helmer – Samantha Moon
Torvald Helmer – Zach Best
Christine Linden – Kacie Kirkpatrick
Dr. Rank – Colin McIntire
Krogstad – Trevor St. Pierre
Mary Ann – Jaryn Wilcox
Understudy/Mary Ann * – Stephanie Chambers
Understudy/Krogstad * – Nick Cipriano
* The roles of Mary and Krogstad will be played by Stephanie Chambers and Nick Cipriano at 2:00pm on February 12th, and 8:00pm on February 17th
The Doll’s House runs for approximately 100 minutes and has no intermission
Time: Now
Location: A Massachusetts Suburban Neighborhood
Production Team
Director and Adaptor – Katie Swimm
Producers – Kate Bischoff, A.J. Lyman, Kathleen Comber
Stage Manager – Rachel Veto
Set Design – Zach Best
Props Design and Set Dressing – David Alger
Costume Design – Molly McGowan
Lighting Design – Paul O’Shaughnessy and Olivia Sederlund
Sound Design – Dannie Smith
Dramaturgy – Emma Futhey
Original Music (Nora’s Song) – Jeff Kimball
Marketing Design – Matthew McKee
Set Construction Crew
Zach Best, A.J. Lyman, Jay Larson, Sheila Larson, Quang Ha, Cynthia Lin, Lia Petronio, Elizabeth Carney, Vishnu Ramasawmy, Kathy Downs, Heather Jue-Wong, Denise Richard, Jennifer Cohen, Tim Hinton and Kasey Conlon
Special Thanks
Lauren Elias, Amy Meyer, Hingham Civic Music Theatre, Nathan Fogg DeSisto, Bob Mulloney, Liz Rouse, Val Tracy, , ,Katie Esser, Mark Auterio, and Bonnie Fitzgerald. Special thanks for the partnership with Mark Auterio, Director of Retail Operations, Habitat for Humanity ReStore https://habitatbostonrestore.org/
Board of Directors
Elizabeth Bean, Amanda Bedford, Chris Nadeau, Rob Guptill, Kathleen Comber, Katie Swimm, Alicia Powell, Jude Torres, Jen Ryan Gelzleichter, Val Tracy, Kate Bischoff, Michael Colford, Kara Chu Nelson, Lessie Tyson, Shana Jackson
Board of Trustees
Brian Bakofen, Zach Best, Paul Campbell, Stephanie Chambers, Shannon Daly,
Alicia Powell, Katie Taylor, Katie Swimm
COVID-19 Team
Brian Bakofen, Alicia Powell, Jen Ryan Gelzleichter, Elizabeth Bean
Special thanks to all our dedicated volunteers who continue to help keep the Footlight Club running day in and day out, from front of house, to club clean-outs, we appreciate you!
And to our loyal members and patrons, thank you for continuing to support the Footlight Club!
Cast and Crew Biographies
David Alger (Set Dresser and Props)
The Doll’s House marks David’s return to set dressing, having previously dressed the set for FLC’s The Importance of Being Earnest (DASH winner). Until recently, he has focused on costume design. At The Footlight Club, he designed costumes for Ravenscroft, Promises, Promises, Moon Over Buffalo, The Cat’s Meow, Parade (DASH winner), Ragtime (DASH winner), Hair, Gypsy and Bye Bye Birdie. Other costume design credits include: Olympus on My Mind, Amazing Things Arts Center; Bad Seed, Belmont Dramatic Club; Ruthless! The Musical, The Paisley Sisters’ Christmas Special, The Quannapowitt Playhouse; and Guys and Dolls, Our Town, Two by Two, Chicago, Lend Me a Tenor, The Secret Garden, Assassins, Pride and Prejudice.
Zach Best
Zach is glad to be returning to the Footlight Club, where recent credits include Our Town (Mr. Webb), Harvey (Director), and The Importance of Being Earnest (Set Design, DASH Award). Favorite roles at other theaters include Doubt (Father Flynn) and On the Razzle (Zangler). Zach is proud to serve on the Board of Trustees for Eliot Hall, and is excited that the Hall is newly accessible. Zach is grateful to be working with Katie and the cast and production team. As always, love and thanks to Kelley for her patience and support.
Kate Bischoff (Producer)
Kate is thrilled to be back at the Footlight working on another amazing production. This past year she tried her luck backstage co-producing and running crew for The Importance of Being Earnest. She was last seen onstage in Legally Blonde as Chutney Wyndham, and in Heathers as Stoner Girl last Spring and continues to love playing the “characters.” When she isn't gushing over being at the Footlight Club she can be found baking, imitating Julia Child, or trying to work off said pastry! Special shout out to everyone who knows the alto harmonies to everyone ensemble number from her endless practicing. Enjoy the show!
Stephanie Chambers (Understudy/Mary Ann)
Stephanie Chambers is thrilled to be a part of this production, her 9th (on- and behind-stage) with the Footlight Club, in support of this fabulous cast and crew! When not involved with theater, you might find her wrangling Kindergarteners, singing at church, dreaming of her next National Park visit, or just dreaming about seeing the bottom halves of people's faces. Enjoy the show, and enjoy the beautiful new, accessible addition to the Club!
Nicholas Cipriano (Understudy/Krogstad)
Nicholas Cipriano is happy to be back at the Footlight Club after a long quarantine! Previous Footlight Club credits include Harry in Blood Relations and Wilson in Harvey. Nicholas has a degree in theater from Providence College, and works as a Broadcast Studio Manager. Nicholas would like to thank Katie for casting him and trusting him with the responsibility of being an understudy, and would like to thank his friends and family for supporting his passion for acting!
Kathleen Comber (Producer)
Kathleen is excited to be working with the Footlight Club as we bring live theatre back to JP! She currently serves as the Artistic Planning Director for the Footlight Club. Kathleen has acted in a number of Footlight productions that include: Rent, Parade, Bat Boy, Little Shop of Horrors, and Heathers The Musical. On the technical side, Kathleen was the assistant stage manager for Big! (2017), the producer for Our Town (2018), and the technical director for Rope (2020) with Footlight. Kathleen was last seen on stage as Alison Bechdel in Fun Home with Vokes Players (2019). Thank you to Katie, Kate, A.J, the designers, and the cast for welcoming her on this project and for all of their amazing work bringing this show together.
Emma Futhey (Dramaturgy)
Emma Futhey is a theatre historian, dramaturg, and educator working in the Greater Boston area. Selected shows as dramaturg: Our Town; Desire Under the Elms; Richard III; Stop Kiss. Selected shows as director: Eurydice; Trifles; Love Letters. She received her Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance Studies from Tufts University and currently works as an Assistant Director in the Honors Program at Northeastern University. Thanks to the cast and crew for welcoming her into their production and for listening to her ramble about Ibsen, women, and syphilis. A big thanks to Katie Swimm for being the best collaborator and a great friend.
Kacie Kirkpatrick (Christine Linden)
Kacie is excited to make her return to the Footlight Club! She was previously seen (virtually) as the Countess in Women in White. When not onstage, Kacie serves as Middle and High School Theater Teacher within the Boston Public Schools. A huge thank you to our fearless director Katie and the rest of the production team, as well as our dedicated cast! She would also like to thank her mother and friends for endless love and support. The show must go on, enjoy!
A.J. Lyman (Producer)
A.J. is thrilled to be making his debut as a Producer in what will be his third show with the Footlight Club. Previous credits with Footlight include Our Town (Howie Newsome) and Legally Blonde (Grandmaster Chad). A sincere thank you to Kate, Kathleen, Katie and the entire production crew for their guidance and support throughout this process. Most importantly, an even bigger thank you to the cast for their hard work to bring live theatre back to the Footlight.
Molly McGowan (Costume Designer)
Molly is thrilled to be working on her sixth Footlight Club show! (Previously: Blood Relations- stage manager, Success/Chamber Music- stage manager, The Importance of Being Earnest- props, Legally Blonde- props, and Clybourne Park- costumes.) She would like to thank the incredible cast and crew and she sincerely hopes you enjoy the show.
Colin McIntire (Dr. Rank)
Colin is a Boston-based actor, singer, and aspiring Steve Irwin. He returns to the Footlight Club after playing Sir Percival in The Woman in White (virtual) and Captain Scott in Peter and the Starcatcher. Colin has performed with many other companies in the Boston area, including as Murph in Murph (Open Theatre Project), Macbeth in Macbeth (Gormless Theatre Company), Ben in Still, Now (Heart & Dagger Productions), and Sicinius in Coriolanus (Praxis Stage). For the past three years, he has also played colorful characters in imaginary beasts’ annual pantomime (coming this summer!). You may also run into Colin at the New England Aquarium, where he is an educator.
Samantha Moon (Nora)
Samantha is beyond excited and grateful to make her debut at the Footlight Club! Some of her past credits include: Helene Alving in Ghosts, The Countess in All’s Well that Ends Well, and Meg March in Little Women. When not onstage, she is a 3D Imagery Stylist at Wayfair as well as enjoying her days as a cat mom. She’d like to say a huge thank you to her fellow cast and crew of The Doll’s House as well as her family and friends for their endless love and support.
Paul O’Shaughnessy (Light Designer)
Paul O’Shaughnessy (Co-Lighting Designer) wandered into the Footlight Club 35 years ago and is a longtime member of the technical team, having served as Technical Director for 24 years. He has designed lighting for Pippin, Our Town (DASH nominee), Spamalot, Wait Until Dark, Hair (DASH nominee), Psycho Beach Party, Gypsy, The Wild Party and others. He has appeared onstage at Footlight in The Sound of Music, Big, The Lion in Winter, The Rocky Horror Show, Lend Me a Tenor, No Exit, Cabaret, The Crucible and others. Paul also appears as a nasty British officer in his hometown of Lexington on Patriot’s Day each April.
Olivia Sederlund (Light Designer)
Dannie Smith (Sound Designer)
Dannie is back at the sound board, Legally Blonde, Big: The Musical (Footlight Club); Spring Awakening, Avenue Q (MIT Musical Theater Guild). After spending most of the pandemic watching housewives on Bravo, she’s enjoying watching Nora, the original Real Housewife, on stage. Thanks to the cast and crew, and especially Katie and Jeff for having excellent taste in 90s music.
Trevor St. Pierre (Nils Krogstad)
Trevor is beyond excited to make his debut with the Footlight Club. You may have seen him as Vindici in Revenger's Tragedy (Theatre@First) and Tom Robinson in To Kill A Mockingbird (Mugford Street Players). During the day he is either paying his bills as a recruiter or pursing other passions like lifting and comics. Trevor would like to thank Emily Acqua for her endless support, their dog Rocky for all the doggo kisses cuddles, and to the rest of his friends and family for being so awesome!
Katie Swimm (Director)
Katie is overjoyed to be back at The Footlight Club directing live theatre, where she also serves on the Board of Directors as Director of Development (donate!). Past FLC directing credits include Big: The Musical, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Our Town, Legally Blonde, and The Woman and White (EMACT/DASH Award for Excellence in Adaptation and Direction). She also directed Peter and the Starcatcher at the Vokes Theatre and will be directing Cinderella with the group this spring. Past onstage credits include Mayor Maggie in Bat Boy and Lucy in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown at FLC, and as a member of Nasty Women, a group of activist ladies who raise money for important causes. Katie received her PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies at Tufts University and teaches acting in the greater Boston area. All my love to the production team members of Doll's House who have stuck by this project since we tried to stage it three years ago!
Rachel Veto (Stage Manager)
Rachel is new to the Boston area and so this is her first show at the Footlight Club. She was very active on stage and backstage at Macon Little Theatre and Theatre Macon in Georgia before moving here last year. She works as a French teacher at Beaver Country Day School. Rachel is enormously grateful to Katie, the production team, and the cast for allowing her to be a part of their community and support their incredible work.
Jaryn Wilcox (Mary Ann)
Jaryn Wilcox (Mary Ann) has been performing in the Boston area since 2014. She is thrilled to return to live theatre with her second production at the Footlight Club. Previously at the Footlight Club, Jaryn performed as Pixie in the virtual production of '25 for 25' in the spring of 2021. Jaryn has also frequently performed at Theatre@First in Somerville.
Thank You to Our Footlight Family
We Are So Grateful for Your Support
As you walked in this evening, you no doubt noticed the beautiful new accessible entrance to the Footlight. This project – a new exterior ADA-compliant ramp and interior elevator to all four floors of Eliot Hall – ensures that all our guests can fully access all our spaces. Along the way, extensive repairs needed to be made to the foundation and existing chimneys. New spaces in our basement and on the third floor will provide essential props storage, and we’re already feeling warmer with an upgraded furnace system.
These upgrades were only possible through the generous financial support of our community partners. We extend our thanks to the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Cultural Facilitates Fund, the Community Preservation Fund, and the George B. Henderson Foundation. Most of our funding came from donations large and small from our Footlight Family. Thank you to everyone who donated.
We are looking forward to welcoming back all members of our community for an official groundbreaking ceremony and dedication in the late spring or early fall, 2022. Keep on the lookout for a Save-the-Date coming soon.
The continued revitalization and restoration of Eliot Hall will always be one of Footlight’s top priorities. Your contributions will continue to make it possible to take on large-and-small-scale restoration projects, as well as maintaining the day-to-day operations of the building.
Every Gift Counts
If you are thinking about making your first gift, now is the time to make a gift in any amount.
Please give now at: www.footlight.org/donate
Or mail a check payable to The Footlight Club to:
Treasurer, The Footlight Club, 7A Eliot Street , Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Other Ways to Give
Email Treasurer@Footlight.org to make a gift of stock.
Become a Footlight Club Monthly Sustainer. For gift of over $500, your donation will renew, and your credit or debit card will automatically be billed each month. Please email Development@Footlight.org for more details
