June 2003 2003 Spring Season

Cecily Brown , Figure in a Landscape, 2002

BAM Spring . ENe DiR E Season sponsor: Altna BAM 2003 SorioQ

Brooklyn Academy of Music Alan H. Fishman William I. Campbell Chairman of the Board Vice Chairman of the Board

Karen Brooks Hopkins Joseph V. Melillo President Executive Producer

presents Ghosts A family drama by Henrik Ibsen Approximate BAM Harvey Lichtenstein Th eater running time: Ju ne 10-14, 2003 at 7:30pm 2 hours and 35 minutes with one Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden intermission Translation, adaptation, and di rection by Ingmar Bergman

Scenic design by Giiran Wassberg Costume design by Anna Bergman Lighting design by Pierre Leveau

Cast Mrs. Helene Alving Pernilla August Osvald Alving, her son Jonas Malmsjii Pastor Manders Jan Malmsjii Jacob Engstrand, the carpenter Orjan Ramberg Regine Engstrand, his daughter Angela Kovacs

Performed in Swedish with simultaneous English translation

BAM 2003 Spring Season is sponsored by Altria Group, Inc.

Leadership support for Ghosts is provided by Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation with additional support from the Consulate General of Sweden, Swedish Institute, The American-Scandinavian Foundation, and The Heimbold Foundation.

The official airline for Ghosts is Scandanavian Airlines and the official hotel is New York Brooklyn Marriott.

Leadership support for BAM Theater is provided by The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation with major support from The Shubert Foundation, Inc., The SHS Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust, Francena T Harrison Foundation Trust, and Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. Ghosts

Angela Kovacs, Pernilla August, Jan Malrnsjo, Jonas Malrnsjo. Photo, Bengt Wanselius

The Royal Dramatic Wigs and makeup Leif Qvistrom , Jan Kindahl Theater production Music Arvo Part (For AI/ina, piano Kabi Laretei) credits Sound designer Jan Eric Piper Stage manager Tomas Wennerberg Technical coordinator Kaj Forsgardh First carpenter Bjorn Almqvist Stage technician Benny Widjestam Prop master Anders Olausson Props Pia Gustafsson Lighting technicians Stefan Berglund , Jens Thiman , Per Johnson Dresser Anna Hedstrom Prompter Hanna Pauli Assistant director Ulph Bergman Dramaturg Ulla Aberg Press manager Ingela Roos Producer Sofi Lerstrom Deputy managing director Staffan Ryden Artistic and managing director of The Royal Dramatic Theatre Staffan Valdemar Holm English translation Charlotte Barslund

Simultaneous Eva Engman English translation Klaus Hassel Bjorn Olsson Tana Ross Coached by Ulla Aberg Svnoosis

The play is set in Helene Alving's house in the Captain's undeserved good name. She is Norway. Mrs. Alving's late husband, Captain shaken when she overhears Osvald flirting with Alving, was revered locally for his good works, Regine-he does not realize that the young and she is founding an orphanage in his woman is his own half-sister. memory. Their son, Osvald, has been working as an artist in Paris, and has recently returned Act Two Manders is shocked at what he has home. As the characters discuss past events, a learned about the Alvings' marriage and more complicated version emerges. Captain Regine's parentage. Mrs. Alving wishes she Alving was not the respectable husband he had not been persuaded to leave the pastor appeared; early in their marriage, Mrs. Alving (although they loved one another) and that she ran away to Pastor Manders, who exhorted her had told Osvald the truth about his father's to return home. Alving's affairs included a character. She claims that they are all haunted servant, Johanna, who became pregnant. by ghosts-by dead beliefs, dead conventions. Johanna pretended that the father was a Engstrand arrives, and Manders blames him for visiting Englishman, and the carpenter Jacob concealing the identity of Regine's father, but Engstrand was persuaded to marry her and realizes that even Engstrand doesn't know the claim the daughter, Regine , as his own. Regine full story. Engstrand mentions the proposed now works for Mrs. Alving. It also appears that sailors' guest house, and leaves to light the Osvald has returned because he has been candles for an evening service at the orphanage. suffering the symptoms of syphilis; he blames Alone with his mother, Osvald confesses that himself, but probably inherited the illness from he is seriously ill, in both body and mind. He his father. cannot understand how he has contracted syphilis. A doctor suggested the disease must Act One It is the day before the official opening be inherited from his father, but Osvald is sure of the orphanage. Jacob Engstrand asks his that cannot be true and blames himself. He daughter Regine to join him in setting up a thinks that Regine might represent a form of guest house for sailors. She refuses, and hustles salvation for him. Regine tells Mrs. Alving that Engstrand out. Pastor Manders arrives; Regine if Osvald asked her, she would marry him. As suggests to Manders that she might work for Manders returns, they realize that the orphanage him. Manders is distressed at Mrs. Alving's is on fire, and is burning to the ground. radical reading matter, but the two of them Engstrand suggests that Pastor Manders may finish off the paperwork connected with the be responsible, as it happened during the orphanage. Mrs. Alving mentions a recent fire service. Manders can't remember handling a in the workshop where Engstrand is employed­ candle, but is relieved when Engstrand offers to he is notoriously careless, especially when take responsibility, in return for support for his drinking. Osvald joins them, and Manders guest house. questions his bohemian lifestyle in Paris. Osvald angrily responds that those unconven­ Act Three Mrs. Alving tells Osvald and Regine tional relationships demonstrate more true love about the Captain-that his joy of living soured and affection than apparently respectable in this cold, dutiful atmosphere. She also tells households. He leaves, and Manders reminds Regine that the Captain was her father. Regine Mrs. Alving of the night she ran away from decides to leave immediately rather than nurse home, distressed at her husband's excesses. an invalid. Like Engstrand , she hopes to profit He says that just as she then failed as a wife, from the pastor. Osvald asks his mother to help so she failed as a mother by sending Osvald him if the disease's effects on his mind worsen. away as a child. She discloses that the He has been told that there is no hope of full Captain's behavior never reformed, but was recovery from any future attack, so he has merely kept behind closed doors. When their obtained a fatal dose of morphine. He wants servant Johanna became pregnant, Mrs. Alving Mrs. Alving to promise to assist his death. Very took control of the household, sending Osvald reluctantly, she agrees. It becomes apparent away for his own protection. All of the Captain's that Osvald's condition is indeed deteriorating. money has gone into the orphanage-she does Alone in the house, Mrs. Alving must decide not want Osvald to inherit anything from his what to do. father, and hopes the orphanage will preserve 2Jc Program note Ingmar Bergman on his translation of Ghosts

After working with drama for more than 60 years I have dared to attempt to translate a play for the first time. It started like this: I had been reading one translation of Ghosts after another while following the original text line by line. I listened to and I noticed the volcanic anger erupting in the play and how this was related to another anger, which registered similarly on the dramatic Richter scale. Approximately 25 years after Ghosts August Strindberg wrote a chamber piece f~r five actors featuring a gigantic maternal monster, a dead father who haunted the living, a truth-teller, a terminally ill student, a tough girl, a pathetic lover, a damaged young woman, and a fire. He intended to call his 'family drama' The Sleepwalkers, but reconsidered and it became known as The Pelican and was premiered at the disastrous opening of the Intimate Theatre. It was not long before The Ghost Sonata suffered the same brutal fate. Ibsen was smarter in 188!. confused human being. Osvald has been He put the anger of his play into an iron corset granted more space. Regine likewise. Engstrand, and supplied it with a couple of crude carica­ the carpenter, whom the author had such fun tures whose function was probably to make the creating, has been left as he is and Mrs. audience laugh in the midst of all the turmoil. Helene Alving is a Nora who never slammed And besides, A Dol/'s House was an articulate, the door: victim as well as executioner global success, not least financially (which sophisticated liar, and merciless truth-teller at mattered a great deal to Ibsen: 'One must pitch the same time (she is thus closely related to the screaming according to one's audience' other dangerous women such as Hedda Gabler as he has Peer Gynt saying in a moment ' and Rebecca West). I have adhered to Ibsen's of cheerful self awareness) . After a long decision never to name the terminal illness. professional life where I have been passionately As a metaphor it is equally unsurpassable. And devoted to what the Germans ironically called the architecture, the construction itself, is the werktreue (being faithful to the original), I have master's work. taken out a pair of big metal scissors and cut Ibsen's iron corset into pieces without altering Ingmar Bergman the basic themes. F!!ro, May 2001

Ghosts is Ibsen's Ghost Sonata. I have, by the (This note was originally published in the Royal way, also taken the liberty of stealing some Dramatic Theatre's program which included lines from The Pelican and The Ghost Sonata the text of Ingmar Bergman's Swedish and planting them in Ghosts. As far as I can translation of Ghosts.) see they have settled well and are blossoming. I ditched an intense debate about this so-called free love. Pastor Manders is no longer a clerical parody. He is a frightened and emotionally PrOQram note

"But your Majesty-I HAD material.' One reviewer claimed, "It is as though Ibsen has indulged himself in th e to write Ghosts." pleasures of saying out loud all the bad things he can think of, and in as outrageous a manner During the celebrations for Henrik Ibsen's 70th as possible." The first performance was even­ birthday in 1898, he attended a banquet in tually given in Norwegian in Chicago in 1882. Stockholm where King Oskar presented him The young Swedish actor and director August with the Great Cross of the North Star. The king Lindberg staged the play and played Osvald also scolded him for writing Ghosts, remarking in its Scandinavian premiere in Halsingborg, that it was not a good play. After a pause, Sweden in August 1883. As part of his Ibsen blurted out, "But your majesty-I HAD to preparation, he visited a Copenhagen hospital : write Ghosts." Ibsen was born in Skien in Norway in 1828. Initially studying medicine, "I went to Copenhagen one day to visit Ward 4, he soon turned to the theater. He had an the 'Osva ld ' ward at Copenhagen General illegitimate son with a housemaid in Grimstad, Hospital-the ward for disabled children born and later married Suzannah Thoresen, a pastor's to syphilitic parents. As I walked down the long daughter (they had a son). In 1864 he went corridors looking for a doctor, I started to feel to Rome, and continued to live mostly in Italy uneasy. The doctor appeared and I stated the and Germany until 1891, when he settled nature of my visit. in Christiana (now Oslo). The verse plays Brand and Peer Gynt made his name, but "Ward 4-yes, they're just being moved now. in 1869 Ibsen dedicated himself to prose. Listen out for the bells, that'll be them. You can Between 1879 and 1899 he wrote A Dol/'s just wait here, they'll be here shortly. House, Ghosts, An Enemy of the People, The Wild Duck, Rosmersholm, The Lady from the "Soon a procession of the living dead appeared Sea, Hedda Gabler, John Gabriel Borkman, at the foot of the magnificent stairs. Tiny and When We Dead Waken. In 1900 he children, two in each bed lying side by side, suffered the first of a series of strokes that playing mechanically with little bells, which destroyed his memory, and died in 1906. they held in their hands. The procession Ibsen , then aged 53, wrote Ghosts in summer passed me, bells ringing. Some of the children 1881 while staying in Sorrento. It was pub­ were carried by nurses, some skipped along, lished in December. The Norwegian title, but most were curled up in their prams. I Gengangere, means 'something that walks bowed to the doctor, ran down the stairs faster again,' a past that continually repeats itself. It than I had walked up them on my arrival and reflects Ibsen's fascination for the clammy grip hurried back to Halsingborg. But I will never of the past upon the present: 'We sail with a forget the sight of those children. It proved to corpse in the cargo.' me that Ghosts had a mission."

"Ghosts will probably cause some disquiet in In fact, the play affected Lindberg deeply, certain quarters," Ibsen warned his publisher causing him recurring nightmares. Audiences "but if it weren't to do so, I shouldn't have responded eagerly: "The excitement in the needed to write it." The unflinching content auditorium," wrote Lindberg, "rose as though in (including syphilis, euthanasia, free love, and small cyclones." Elsewhere in Europe, the first incest) did indeed raise a storm of protest and performances of Ghosts took place in private debate. Leading Scandinavian theaters shied theaters. Freie BLihne, an independent Berlin away from such 'pathological and titillating theater society dedicated to new drama, chose PrOQram note

Angela Kovacs, Jan Malmsjo, Pernilla August, Jonas Malmsjo. Photo, Bengt Wanselius

Ghosts as its opening production in 1890, I won't play at moving chessmen. while the Theatre Libre in Paris staged it the Knock over the board: then I'm with you. same year, persuaded by the novelist Zola. In You furnish the deluge for the world: Britain, it was the first production of the I'll gladly torpedo the Ark. Independent Theatre Society in 1891, the single performance receiving a hysterical critical The Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden was drubbing. However, by 1897 both Queen founded by King Gustaf III in 1788. His Victoria and the Archbishop of Canterbury ambition was to "establish a national stage, attended a production in London. In 1906, the where the works of Swedish dramatists will be artist Edvard Munch designed Ghosts for Max performed by Swedish actors to the benefit of Reinhardt in Berlin. His set's dispiriting colors language, taste, and public mores." Today emphasized the dismal confinement of the "Dramaten is probably the best repertory the­ action. As the lights faded, the darkly dressed ater in the world" (John Lahr, The New Yorker). characters themselves appeared as ghostly The present building was inaugurated in 1908. figures. Ghosts has since remained in the Today the Royal Dramatic Theatre performs on repertory throughout Europe. five different stages: the Main Theatre, Little Theatre, Painter's Workshop, Lions Pit, and the Although Ibsen would later insist that "in no Power Station, as well as performing on tour. play of mine is the author so completely With such possibilities the theater can cherish absent, so absolutely not present, as in this both classical heritage and modern drama. one," Ghosts resonates with his sense of the Amongst the past and present members of the hold of the past and of his desperate attempt to ensemble are Greta Garbo, Bibi Andersson, overturn it. In his writing, he was not an artist Peter Stormare, Lena Olin, Gunnel Lindblom, of half-measure, as in his bracingly destructive Max von Sydow, Erland Josephson, Lena short poem, To My Friend the Revolutionary Endre, and Pernilla August. In 2002 the Orator (1869): theater presented 900 performances for an audience of nearly 250,000 people. Who's Who

Ingmar Bergman was born in Uppsala in Variations, Yvonne, The Image Makers (all 1918 and graduated from Stockholm University directed by Ingmar Bergman), Arthur Miller's College in 1940. Between 1944 and 1946 his The Death of a Salesman (directed by the posts included production assistant at the Royal author), and The Taming of the Shrew (dir. Swedish Opera, scriptwriter and director for Hans Klinga). Wassberg has also designed sets Swedish Film Industry, and theater manager of for opera productions abroad in cities such as Halsingborg Theatre. He directed plays at Munich and Chicago. Wassberg designed several different theaters in Sweden and his Ingmar Bergman's TV production In the first production for the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Presence of a Clown and recently Liv Stockholm, was in 1951. In 1954 he was Ullmann's film Faithless written by Ingmar appointed artistic director of Malmo Theatre. In Bergman. Wassberg also designed the set for 1960 Bergman returned to the Royal Dramatic Ingmar Bergman's most recent TV production, Theatre and worked as the theater's manager Saraband. from 1963 to 1966. In 1975 he went to live in Germany and directed plays at the Anna Bergman (costume designer) studied Residentztheater in Munich. Bergman returned fashion design in Paris . She returned to to the Royal Dramatic Theatre in 1984 where Stockholm in 1985 and worked as assistant to his productions have included King Lear, A set designers Lennart Mark and Goran Wassberg Dream Play, Long Day's Journey Into Night, at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. Her designs The Goldberg Variations, The Bacchae , Ghosts include Strindberg's The Great Highway, Brian (a co-production with the Royal Swedish Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa , Strindberg's The Opera). A Winter's Tale, A Dol/'s House, Pelican , Red by Anna Reynolds, and Helen by Hamlet, Madame de Sade, Miss Julie, Peer Euripides. She designed the costumes for Gynt, The Image Makers, The Ghost Sonata, Strindberg's Ghost Sonata directed by Ingmar and Maria Stuart have been presented at BAM. Bergman and the costumes for Twelfth Night Bergman is one of the world's most famous directed by John Caird, which premiered last film directors, whose films include Smiles of a autumn. Anna Bergman has also designed Summernight (1955), The Silence (1963), productions for the Royal Swedish Opera and Persona (1966), Cries and Whispers (1972), Swedish television. The Autumn Sonata (1977), and Fanny and Alexander (1982). His TV productions include Pierre Leveau (lighting designer) has designed Scenes from a Marriage (1972) and Face to the lighting for several productions at the Royal Face (1975), He wrote the scripts for Private Dramatic Theatre including George Tabori's The Confessions (1997) and Faithless (1999, Goldberg Variations (1993), The Bacchae by directed by Liv Ullmann). He has also written Euripides (1996), P.O. Enquist's The Image Laterna Magica , an autobiography. Bergman Makers (1998) and Strindberg's Ghost Sonata, has just finished directing his latest TV produc­ all directed by Ingmar Bergman. tion Saraband, starring Erland Josephson and Liv Ullmann, for which he also wrote the script. Pernilla August (Mrs. Helene Alving) made her debut at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in 1986 Goran Wassberg (set design) trained at the in Strindberg's A Dream Play directed by Royal Swedish Opera studios and has worked Ingmar Bergman. Since then she has played as a set designer both in Sweden and abroad many classical roles including Ophelia in since 1964. He has worked as a set designer Hamlet (directed by Ingmar Bergman), at RiksteaternfThe Swedish Touring Theatre for Adolphine in The Queen's Jewellery (directed 20 years on more than 120 productions such by Peter Oskarson), Nora in A Doll's House, as Richard III, Little Shop of Horrors , and and Hermione in A Winter's Tale (both directed Cabaret. In 1986, he became a resident set by Ingmar Bergman). Recently she appeared in designer at the Royal Dramatic Theatre , designing Arthur Miller's The Last Yankee (directed by productions including Hamlet, The Goldberg Bjorn Melander). Her film and TV work Who's Who includes Fanny and Alexander (directed by Tatooed Widow by Lars Molin. His roles for the Ingmar Bergman), Best Intentions (directed by Royal Dramatic Theatre include the title roles in Bille August), Private Confessions (directed by Holderlin and Hamlet (in 1974), Trigorin in Liv Ullman), Jerusalem (directed by Bille The Seagull, and the Captain in Dance of August), In the Presence of a Clown (directed Death (1993, directed by Lars Noren) . He by Ingmar Bergman), The Last Contract (direct­ played Billy Flynn in Chicago, and Hummel in ed by Kjell Sundvall), Star Wars Episode 1 and Ghost Sonata directed by Ingmar Bergman in 2 (directed by George Lucas), The 2000. Glassblower's Children (directed by Anders Gronroos), and Where the Rainbow Ends, Jonas Malmsjii (Osvald Alving) took up acting and The Birthday (directed by Richard Hobert). while studying creative writing in the U.K. in In 1992 Pernilla August received an award 1991. He returned to Sweden and appeared in from Swedish Fi lm for Best Actress and in Soderberg's Gertrud (1993). In 1994 he joined 1999 she won the Swedish Film Award for the Royal Dramatic Theatre where he has per­ Best Supporting Actress. August first performed formed in A Winter's Tale and Ghost Sonata as Ophelia in Ingmar Bergman's production of (both directed by Ingmar Bergman), The Glass Hamlet in 1987. She played the title role in Menagerie and Goldoni's The Venetian Twins. Maria Stuart last spring. She has recently fin­ He has also appeared as Lysander in A ished filming Details by Lars Noren , which will Midsummer Night's Dream (directed by John open in Sweden this autumn. Caird), Wilhelm in The Black Rider by Robert Wilson and Tom Waits and Parmeno in Angela Kovacs (Regine) trained at the Theatre Celestine by Fernando de Rojas directed by Academy in Gothenburg from 1987 to 1990. Robert Lepage. I n Sweden he recently Since then she has appeared in King Lear and appeared in Strindberg's Playing with Fire Three Tall Women at Gothenburg Theatre. At the directed by Staffan Valdemar Holm, who is the Royal Dramatic Theatre she has appeared in current artistic director of the Royal Dramatic David Hare's The Blue Room and Strindberg's Theatre. Easter. Most recently she appeared in Crimes and Crimes by Strindberg. Kovacs has also brjan Ramberg (Jacob Engstrand) started his worked in TV and film. career in musicals such as Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. He joined the Royal Dramatic Jan Malmsjii (Pastor Manders) trained at the Theatre after completing his training at Malmo Royal Dramatic Theatre from 1950 to 1953. School of Drama in 1977 and has been with He then joined Gothenburg Theatre, where he the ensemble ever since. He has appeared in appeared in many productions. During the numerous productions and roles including The 1960s he appeared in a number of musicals Master and Margarita (1988), Mercutio in -including Stop the World, I Want to Get Off Romeo and Juliette (1991), Toms in Summer at the Scala- and played the Emcee in Cabaret by Lars Noren (1992), Jason in Medea at Malmo Theatre in 1970. Malmsj6 was a (1996), Pompey in Measure for Measure, member of the first ever television theater Petruchio in The Taming ofthe Shrew (1997), ensemble in Sweden. He continued working in the King and Knight Kato in Mio My Mio musicals where his roles included Zaza in La (1997), Peter Stockmann in An Enemy of the Cage Aux Folies at Malmo in 1985, Danilo in People (1998), Malvolio in Twelfth Night The Merry Widow , Professor Higgins in My Fair (directed by John Caird in 2002), and Lady, and Tevje in Fiddler on the Roof. Johansson in Ghost Sonata (directed by Ingmar Malmsjo also works as a lyricist and has Bergman). Ramberg has appeared in several recorded several songs that appear regularly on film and TV productions. the Swedish Music Chart. His film and TV work includes Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from A Marriage, Fanny and Alexander, and The