A Director's Approach to Ingmar Bergman's Nora Cason Warinner
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ABSTRACT Opening the Door: A Director’s Approach to Ingmar Bergman’s Nora Cason Warinner Murphy, M.F.A. Thesis Chairperson: Marion D. Castleberry, Ph.D. In 1981, Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman radically adapted Henrik Ibsen’s classic stageplay A Doll’s House in order to create his own theatrical work, Nora. Through cutting much of Ibsen’s text and many of his characters, Bergman focused his adaptation on the figure of Nora Helmer, a naïve 19th-century wife and mother desperately trying to avoid the consequences of her past actions. This thesis examines the process undertaken in bringing Bergman’s play to its November 2015 performance run at Baylor University, with explorations of playwright and playscript histories, of directorial analysis and production concepts, and the creative collaborations established between director, designers, and actors. Opening the Door: A Director's Approach to Ingmar Bergman's Nora by Cason Warinner Murphy, B.A. A Thesis Approved by the Department of Theatre Arts Stan C. Denman, Ph.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts Approved by the Thesis Committee Marion D. Castleberry, Ph.D., Chairperson DeAnna M. Toten Beard, M.F.A., Ph.D. Stan C. Denman, Ph.D. David J. Jortner, Ph.D. James Kendrick, Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School May 2016 J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School. Copyright © 2016 by Cason Warinner Murphy All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures vi Acknowledgments vii Dedication viii Chapter One: The Playwright and Play 1 Introduction 1 Bergman’s Biography 2 Bergan’s Theatrical Work 5 The Bergman Project 10 Ibsen and A Doll’s House 11 Adapting Ibsen 15 Revisiting A Doll’s House 18 Children in Bergman’s Work 21 Conclusion 25 Chapter Two: Analyzing an Adaptation 27 Introduction 27 Analyzing A Doll’s House 28 From Et Dukkehjem to Nora 34 Analyzing Nora 39 Structure 40 Characters 48 Nora Helmer 49 Torvald Helmer 51 Nils Krogstad 53 Christine Linde 53 Dr. Rank 55 Conclusion 57 Chapter Three: The Design Process 58 Introduction 58 Bergman’s Vision of Nora 59 The Performance Space 61 Conceptual Approach 62 Approaching Collaboration 66 Scenic Design 68 Costume Design 76 Hair and Make-up Design 82 iv Prop Design and Management 83 Lighting Design 86 Sound Design 89 Design Presentation 92 Conclusion 93 Chapter Four: The Rehearsal Process 94 Introduction 94 Auditions 95 First Read-Through 97 Blocking Rehearsals 99 Working with Emmy 104 The Designer Run 108 Negotiating “The Slump” 110 Finding the Ensemble Spirit 114 Conclusion 117 Chapter Five: Production Assessment 119 Introduction 119 The Actor-Director Collaboration 119 The Designer-Director Collaboration 122 The Production Concept 124 Conclusion 125 Appendices Appendix A: Selected Production Photographs 128 Appendix B: Comparison Chart of A Doll’s House and Nora 138 Bibliography 154 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1: Chart of the chiastic structure of Nora 44 Figure 3.1: Research image: Ground plan of Munich’s Residenztheatre 60 Figure 3.2: Research image: Nora scenic design at Royal Dramatic Theatre 61 Figure 3.3: Ground plan of Baylor University’s Mabee Theatre 62 Figure 3.4: Concept image: Young girl at play with dolls and dollhouse 65 Figure 3.5: Concept image: Alexander at play in Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander 65 Figure 3.6: Initial scenic sketch for Nora 70 Figure 3.7: Scenic design rendering for Nora 72 Figure 3.8: Scenic model for Nora 72 Figure 3.9: Production image of final Nora scenic design 72 Figure 3.10: Mrs. Linde and Krogstad in costume, seated 73 Figure 3.11: Dr. Rank and Torvald in costume, seated 73 Figure 3.12: Initial lighting rendering for Nora 88 Figure 3.13: Production image for final Nora lighting design 88 Figure 4.1: Actors during a blocking rehearsal 101 Figure 4.2: An example of cinematic composition onstage 104 Figure 4.3: Torvald and Nora during a final polishing rehearsal 111 Figure 4.4: The exchanging of the rings in rehearsal 115 Figure 4.5: The exchanging of the rings in performance 115 Figure 4.6: Preliminary technical rehearsal with lighting 117 Figure A.1: The Helmer family–Torvald, Emmy, and Nora 128 Figure A.2: Emmy finds a prize in Nora’s shopping bags 129 Figure A.3: “Oh, what a marvelous feeling it is!” 129 Figure A.4: “You’ve changed so much, Christine!” 130 Figure A.5: “Oh god, isn’t it a glorious thing to be alive and be happy?” 130 Figure A.6: “I have an awful desire to say—kiss my ass!” 131 Figure A.7: Emmy playing with her dolls 131 Figure A.8: Emmy’s dolls, designed to look like cast members 132 Figure A.9: Krogstad figures out Nora’s secret 132 Figure A.10: “No, you mustn’t take your letter back.” 133 Figure A.11: “Torvald had lots of champagne this evening.” 133 Figure A.12: Torvald and Nora get intimate on the couch 134 Figure A.13: Nora prepares to leave 134 Figure A.14: Example of cinematic composition in production (1/3) 135 Figure A.15: Example of cinematic composition in production (2/3) 135 Figure A.16: Example of cinematic composition in production (3/3) 135 Figure A.17: Coup de théâtre–the doors burst open 136 Figure A.18: Nora’s exit 136 Figure A.19: Emmy in the doorway 137 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Good theatre is not made alone, nor is good scholarship. This thesis is the result of three years of study, growth, experimentation, camaraderie, and collaboration as a part of the Baylor University Theatre Department. To Dr. DeAnna Toten Beard, whose passion for theatre and knowledge inspires me everyday, to Dr. David Jortner, who never let me settle for anything less than my absolute best, to Dr. Stan Denman, who always knew the right thing to say at the exact right time, and to Dr. Marion Castleberry, who has given me the gifts of his wisdom, respect, and friendship. I am a better theatremaker, scholar, and person because of you all. To John Michael, Rob, and Adam—your guidance through the trials of graduate school has been invaluable. To Heidi, Laura—your brilliant minds have kept me on my toes. To Aaron and Josh—your positivity, hopefulness, and encouragement remind me why I came here. And to Nick—the best other half I didn’t know I had. I’m honored to call each of you my colleague and friend. As for the rest of the Baylor University Theatre faculty, staff, and students, thank you for the kindness, love, and generosity you have shown me and my family. To my family near and far, your love and support have made this adventure worthwhile. To my mother, for her right brain, and my father, for his left brain. And most importantly, to my wife, Tiffany—you are my best friend, my most trusted confidante, my greatest collaborator, my theatrical muse, and the love of my life. I could not have survived this without you, nor would I have wanted to try. vii To Finnegan— Being your father is my favorite role yet. viii CHAPTER ONE The Playwright and Play Introduction Ingmar Bergman is so recognizable as perhaps one of the greatest auteur filmmakers of the twentieth century that his even more prolific career in the theatre is often considered to be of secondary importance. However, Bergman once claimed that “between my job at the theater and my job in the film studio it has always been a very short step indeed.”1 Leif Zern, one of Bergman’s most prominent critics, once observed that “no other film director after the breakthrough of the sound film has been so influenced by the theatre.”2 Bergman’s work in the two media remained intertwined until 2003, when he directed both his last film, Saraband, and his final theatrical production, Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts. Thus, Bergman the filmmaker cannot, and should not, be considered in isolation from Bergman the theatremaker. While film allowed Bergman to exercise his independence, the theatre required him to function as a collaborator. In Scandinavian playwrights August Strindberg and Henrik Ibsen, the Swedish Bergman found kindred spirits to whose work he often returned. Over time, however, Bergman’s iconoclastic nature began to affect his theatrical endeavors. One of the most notable examples of this was in 1981 when 1 Ingmar Bergman, qtd. in Stig Björkman, Torsten Manns, and Jonas Sima, Bergman on Bergman (New York: Touchstone Books, 1973), 99. 2 Leif Zern, qtd. in Birgitta Steene, Ingmar Bergman: A Reference Guide (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2005), 714. Original text in Zern, Se Bergman [See Bergman] (Stockholm: Norstedts, 1993), 59. 1 Bergman adapted the text of Ibsen’s classic play A Doll’s House in order to create his own play, Nora.3 This thesis considers Nora in terms of Bergman’s adapted script, Ibsen’s source text, and the theatrical performance they inspired at Baylor University Theatre. This is accomplished in part through application of the field of adaptation theory, coupled with historical appreciation for the work of Ibsen and Strindberg. This thesis seeks to explore the process undergone by director and collaborators in pursuit of a unified, entertaining, and artistic presentation of Bergman’s work for the Baylor community. The following chapter will give careful consideration to the interplay between Bergman’s theatrical and cinematic body of work, his childhood inspirations, and the means by which they contributed to the creation of Nora.