May 2, 2018
The East Texas Baptist University Theatre Arts Department concluded its 2017-2018 production season with the performance of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler on Thursday, April 26 through Sunday, April 29. The full-length play, featuring Payton Weinzapfel as student director, focused on Hedda Tesman's hardships with the societal conventions of the late nineteenth century.
"This play was chosen for several reasons including its depth of content, different time period for our department to work in, playwright that is well-known and acclaimed, and challenging directing, acting, and technical elements," Weinzapfel said. "Hedda Gabler displays life without faith or hope: desperate and dead-end. It allows audiences to realize the impact of their words and actions, while reminding them of the responsibility of believers to show Christ's love."
Weinzapfel is a junior with a double major in Theatre Arts and Speech Communication. She serves as the vice president of the ETBU collegiate chapter of the National Theatre Honor Society, Alpha Psi Omega. The production is a part her Honors Project, "The Effects of Societal Expectations on Interpersonal Communication in Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler: A Director's Approach."
"Payton has diligently worked for almost a full year to prepare for the performance of Hedda Gabler. I'm proud of her vision and dedication to bring this play to life," ETBU Artistic Director Traci Ledford said. "The most rewarding aspect of training students is seeing them grow as professionals and individuals. In addition to the practical skills they learn, producing a play teaches them about the human condition and empathy. Their worldview is opened and they are enabled to see effort, struggle, pain, loss - whether in the characters they bring to life or the lives of their collaborators. That is Christ at work, and it is a beautiful process to be a part of."
Written and performed in 1891, the play was initially received unfavorably by audiences. Ibsen's work was one of the first pieces to deal primarily with subtext and the psychological life of the characters. The show reveals human nature and presents realistic and relatable problems such as the desire to be loved and valued, the struggle to provide, the hope of a having a life worth living, and the battle against a dark society.
"In my role as Hedda Gabler, I was reminded of what I stand for, why I believe in God, and the power of His healing power," sophomore Audrey Staples commented. "Much of what Hedda does is reflective of the fallen world. Through my performance, I have gained confidence in my freedom from sin and shame through Christ and learned how to glorify God with my talents even in a secular show."