Royal Exchange Theatre invites you to step inside A Doll’s House

From the 4th of March, a contemporary adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play, A Doll’s House, will be playing at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre.

Written by the acclaimed Norwegian playwright in 1879, A Doll’s House is a world-renowned play that has been adapted and performed countless times since its initial publication. It follows Nora Helmer, a middle-class woman, who struggles mentally while trying to meet the societal expectations requiring her to be the perfect wife, the perfect mother, and the perfect homemaker. The play’s universal theme of a feminist awakening of mother and wife makes it as relevant nowadays as it had been when first published.

The adaptation coming to The Royal Exchange Theatre, written by award-winning writer Stef Smith and directed by Bryony Shanahan, follows three Noras across three decades. Set in 1918, 1968, and 2018, the story is deeply rooted in the women’s rights movement, and explores how patriarchal society and social conventions still make it impossible for women to become fully free and independent.

The three main characters are played by Jodie McNee, Kirsty Rider, and Yusra Warsama. Jodie McNee returns to the Royal Exchange Theatre after having performed in The Night Watch, Hamlet, Orpheus Descending, and A Taste of Honey. Kirsty Rider, whose theatre credits include Macbeth at the Shakespeare’s Globe and The Great Wave at the National Theatre, makes her Royal Exchange Theatre debut. Yusra Warsama is a Manchester-based actor who has performed in a number of Manchester’s theatres. Her credits include Future Bodies and On Corporation Street at HOME, and The Sound of Silence at the Royal Exchange, to name a few. The supporting cast includes William Ash, Naeem Hayat, and Andre Sheridan.

Nora: A Doll’s House plays at the Royal Exchange Theatre from 4th March until 2nd April.