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An Enemy of the People


By Henrik Ibsen
Directed by JC Clementz

Dates: February 24 - 27, 2010
Place: Horrabin Theatre
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Price: Public $14.00; Senior/WIU Student: $12.00
Ticket Contact: Hainline Box Office 309.298.2900 (NOON to 5:00 PM)

In this 1882 play by Norway's arguably finest playwright of the 19th century, Dr. Stockmann attempts to expose a water pollution scandal in his home town which is about to establish itself as a spa. When his brother conspires with local politicians and the newspaper to suppress the story, Stockmann appeals to a public meeting - only to be shouted down and reviled as 'an enemy of the people'. Ibsen's explosive play reveals his distrust of politicians and the blindly held beliefs of the masses.

A coastal town in Norway is on its way to becoming a major health resort thanks to its new municipal baths. In anticipation of an influx of tourists in the coming summer season, property values are rising, business is picking up, and unemployment is decreasing. Thomas Stockmann, an idealistic physician, discovers the spa is a cesspool of disease. It seems that tanneries in the town leached impurities into the water. Dr. Stockmann–promises to publish news of the discovery. In the days immediately following the discovery, Mayor Peter Stockmann discovers it will cost an enormous sum in tax dollars to make improvements, including laying new pipes to handle the leachate, which his brother says are necessary to eliminate the pollution. So he decides to challenge his brother’s findings as faulty and asks him to renounce them. The doctor–viewing himself as the guardian of the common weal, a savior–refuses. It is a story of how one man's bravery and self-respect can survive overwhelming odds.

For more information:

Call the Department of Theatre and Dance 309.298.1543