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Greensboro. N.C.
Hammond debuts at Guilford
Carly Perrin | Staff Writer
Scandal, love and macaroons.
These are the things that good theatre is
made of - or at least Henrik Ibsen seemed to
think so when he penned "A Doll's House"
over a century ago. Most of us know this play
from our high school English classes. Others
know it as the slammed door heard round
the world that ends both the play and Nora
Helmer's life with her husband.
Truly, "A Doll's House" is one of the first
plays that dealt with the ideologies sparked
by the feminist movement and was echoed
by the voices of Qiarlotte Perkins Gilman and
Kate Chopin. On Feb. 16, the first performance
of the Thornton Wilder acting version of the
play was performed at Guilford.
The premiere is not the only first but also
marks a number of beginnings, the most
publicized of which is the directorial debut
of David Hammond. This is Hammond's first
year teaching at Guilford, after a distinguished
career at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, and he brings with him his expe
rience as well as a freshness that only a new
professor can bring.
While talking about the premiere,
Hammond expressed a low-level hum of
excitement and possibility, especially when
he talked about teaching undergraduates and
what it has brought to his life.
"Teaching itself is very pure. It's about the
work and process. It is also the most exciting
to teach imdergraduates, because graduates
take your class almost like window-shopping.
Undergfads, you open up the door and they
leap through it."
Eliza Yeager, sophomore and leading lady
said, "I used to think that the piece was dated
and more on the prim and proper side, and I
didn't believe that I could connect with Nora.
Because of David, though, I didn't have to
struggle with her. I realized that the themes
are still relevant to women and relevant to
how you think. She (Nora) is so empowered
cmd I love that."
It is also Yeager's first leading role in the
Guilford College drama department, but she
is no stranger to the stage. She has already
been in six Guilford plays and has been acting
ever since age 12.
"I have never felt prouder of a play that I
have been involved in," Yeager said, and she
received quick agreement from co-stars Scott
Lyman (Dr. Ra^) and Bram Crowe-Getty
(Nils Krogstad).
Crowe-Getty went on to say, "The atten
tion to detail is key. Everything down to the
smallest element was planned out, the setting,
the soimd ... everything. We really worked
hard on this play. I have never felt closer to a
character."
Given the level of work that was put into
the play, "A Doll's House" does not disap
point. The set designer, Daniel Thobias, has
created an authentic Victorian scene down to
the furniture, with small surprises, like being
able to see into other rooms, that one wouldn't
often think to include in a single-setting play.
The players are all believable and they
change throughout the play. As Thorvald
Helmer (Derrick DuBois) grows more unlik-
able, Nora grows up. As Dr. Rank's love for
Nora is revealed. Nils Krogstad proves that he
has a heart. It is hard not to have affection for
all of the characters that are involved, which
really brings out the humanity of the play.
As for the director, Hammond should be
proud of his debut, and hopefully it will open
the door for many more opening nights to
come.
'A Dell’s Deuse”