A door once slammed now opens
wide: Nora is back.
Tampa Repertory Theatre presents a who’s-who of
Tampa Bay theater with A DOLL’S HOUSE PART 2 at
Stageworks. Tampa, FL – September 26, 2022
In the season opener for TampaRep, freedom, choice, and responsibility are on
display. Playing four shows a week through Nov 20, 2022 A Doll’s House Part 2
by Lucas Hnath will open wide the door to Nora, who famously left her husband
and children in the original play by Henrik Ibsen. One doesn’t need to know
“Part 1” to enjoy this funny and compelling new look at divorce in the modern
age.
A special Opening Night celebration will take place on Friday, November 4th,
with a pre-show open bar, catered bites, and a meet & greet with the cast and
creatives.
This production will be a celebration of top Tampa Bay Artists finally coming
together in a relevant and well-crafted sequel to the 1879 play by Ibsen. Award
winning playwright Lucas Hnath delves deep into the aftermath of Nora’s
harrowing decision. She took her future into her own hands during a time when
wives were under direct supervision of their husbands. According to TampaRep
Producing Artistic Director Emilia Sargent, “The sequel is rife with fast-paced,
intelligent humor and thought-provoking questions about gender inequality,
marriage, and human rights, as well as the conflicting ideas of personal freedom
and responsibility.”
Director Stephanie Gularte, former Producing Artistic Director of American
Stage in St. Petersburg, has been fascinated by Ibsen’s plays for years. So much
so that she wrote her own adaptation of A Doll’s House, set in the post WWII
era. That is why she is excited to encounter A Doll’s House Part 2 with all its
fresh truths about the realities of committed relationships. “The psychology of
the characters is so intelligently crafted – Hnath has keyed into it so well.”
Gularte sees the characters as human beings being human beings, in all their
strengths and weaknesses.
This collaboration has been a long time coming since these artists have been
“circling each other for years,” says Gularte. She is excited to be directing
longtime collaborator L. Peter Callender, the Artistic Director of San Francisco’s
African-American Shakespeare Company, in the role of Torvald. Additionally,
this extraordinary cast includes two other regional arts leaders who also tread
the boards as actors. Emilia Sargent will play the famed independent Nora, and
Karla Hartley, Artistic Director of Stageworks, will play the trusted nanny, Anne
Marie. Rounding out the cast is newcomer Bria Matthews as Nora and Torvald’s
intelligent daughter, Emmy.
“I am thrilled to be able to bring together this incredible team of artists and
creatives for the first time at TampaRep. A Doll’s House Part 2 kicks off
TampaRep’s exciting season exploration of responsibility: social, familial, and
individual. The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance will run February 2 – 19,
2023 at HCC Ybor City, followed by Arthur Miller’s All My Sons at USF Tampa
June 1 – 18, 2023. These plays are a celebration of our capacities, our
vulnerabilities, and the challenges of being human – together,” says Sargent.
The creative team consists of renowned local artists. Stephanie Gularte will
direct, Steve Mitchell designs the set, costumes by Trish Donnelly, lights by Joe
Oshry, sound by Matt Cowley, original music composed by Igor Santos, and stage
management by Heather Krueger.
The cast of A Doll’s House Part 2 includes professional regional actors Emilia
Sargent, L. Peter Callender, Karla Hartley, and Bria Matthews.
For this season’s first production, TampaRep is thrilled to partner with another
esteemed company in the Bay Area’s thriving arts scene, Stageworks. The Season
Sponsor is The Gobioff Foundation and the Production Sponsor is Frank Taylor.
Supporting Sponsors include Hal Freedman & Willi Rudowsky, Alfred T. May, Brian
Reale & Fred Wilcox, Andrea Graham, and Chris & Briget Hart. Ticketing Sponsor
is Russell Buchan, Opening Night Sponsors are Victor & Sharon Gardner and Hal
Freedman & Willi Rudowsky, and the Artist Sponsors are Gail & Bob Hetler, in
honor of L. Peter Callender.
A DOLL’S HOUSE PART 2
by Lucas Hnath
directed by Stephanie Gularte
with Emilia Sargent as Nora and L. Peter Callendar as Torvald
November 3-20, 2022 @ Stageworks
As a door slams in 1879 Norway, a young wife and mother leaves behind her family, freeing
herself from the shackles of traditional societal constraints. Now, 15 years later, that same door
opens to reveal Nora, a changed woman with an incredibly awkward favor to ask the people
who she abandoned. Lucas Hnath’s bitingly funny sequel to Ibsen’s revolutionary masterpiece
unfolds in a series of bristling stand-offs that reveal in Nora’s world, much like our own, behind
every opinion there is a person, and a slamming door isn’t just an end, but also the chance for a
new beginning.
Performance Times/Dates
Preview Performance Thursday Nov 3 at 8:00pm
Friday, and Saturday evenings at 8:00pm (Nov 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19)
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:00pm (Nov 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20)
Passes
The RepPass
● A convenient-to-use punch card of five (5) flexible use tickets
● each punch may be redeemed for a single admission to any* show in the
20221-20232 season
● $150
The Season Ticket
● 3 shows, 1 ticket per show
● $37 per ticket (a $7 savings per adult ticket)
● $111 total
Individual ticket sales begin October 1st.
Purchase tickets or passes by visiting http://www.tamparep.org
Performance Venue
Stageworks Theatre
1120 E Kennedy Blvd, Suite #151, Tampa, FL
Parking information can be found here: https://stageworkstheatre.org/plan-your-visit/
Health & Safety
TampaRep will follow all local and CDC-suggested COVID safety guidelines at the time of the
performances.
Show graphics and media link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ej4CE2nwkLPaDswLUo3lFwwSrYPASJsV?usp=sharing
Digital Version of press release:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yIYkID8QEMotV3zQFTk47TmG0Yz64mM4/view?usp=sharing
About The Tampa Repertory Theatre:
Mission: TampaRep creates transformative, relevant, and compelling professional theatre that
connects our diverse audience and artists through meaningful and inspiring shared
experiences.
Vision: TampaRep’s vision is to be a thriving regional theatre, built on creative excellence and
inclusivity, which enhances Tampa as a cultural destination and enriches and reflects our
community as an artistic home for all to discover, share, create, and experience meaningful
stories.
Artistic Intent: TampaRep produces theatre with an emphasis on American drama. We
create an experience — one that the audience completes — in productions that are
innovative, provocative, and classic.
The Tampa Repertory Theatre operates as a non-profit professional theatre and is a 501(c)(3)
charitable organization registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services, registration # CH43726. A copy of the official registration and financial information
may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling toll-free (800-435-7352)
within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the
state. U.S. Federal Tax ID number is 45-2408329.