Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) is often regarded as “the father of modern drama.” He is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world, after Shakespeare, and was a pioneer of theatrical realism. His plays addressed difficult subjects in ways that were scandalous to Victorian Era audiences. In February we will read Hedda Gabbler (1891), whose manipulative lead role is considered one of the greatest for women actors. A newlywed trapped in a loveless marriage to a university professor (!), she struggles with an unexciting existence. The play features alcoholism, adultery and suicide as plot elements – an incendiary mix with tragic results.