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Shooting Hedda Gabler
29 September – 21 October 2023
Rose Theatre
By Nina Segal
After Henrik Ibsen
Directed by Jeff James
When offered the lead part in a Norwegian film adaptation of Hedda Gabler, an American actress seizes the opportunity to escape Hollywood – and gain some artistic credibility. She’s running away from her past as a child star, from her present as a tabloid punchline, and from an unfortunate collision between a self-driving Tesla and a member of the paparazzi. But most of all – she’s running away from herself.
What awaits her in Norway is Henrik, the brilliant and demanding director – and a film set where reality and fiction are blurred, not least by the arrival of one of her real-life exes. With every moment being filmed, she becomes unmoored and paranoid. As the atmosphere on set becomes increasingly claustrophobic, Henrik becomes fixated on how to end the movie with a bang.
Shooting Hedda Gabler is a radical and affectionate adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler written by Nina Segal and directed by Jeff James (Persuasion). Ibsen’s classic is reimagined in a brand new play about doing whatever is necessary to get the shot.
Supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a donor advised fund held at The London Community Foundation