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opening

this run marks an evolution.

after a successful initial Equity Approved Showcase run, 
an enemy of the people now premieres at 
Theater for the New City for a limited engagement.

our focus is on clarity.
on listening.
on allowing a classic work to unfold without force.

we believe the most urgent plays of our time
were written hundreds of years ago,
and that our task is not to reinvent them,
but to stage them with care, precision, and trust.

these performances are an opening gesture
an invitation into the work,
and into what may continue beyond this room.

thank you for being here at the start.

duse productions

duse productions is a new york–based theatre company
dedicated to the clear and truthful staging of classical works.

our practice begins with listening
to the text, to the actors, and to the room itself.

we observe reality and heighten it just enough
to reveal what is already present.

we value process as much as product,
and presence as much as polish.

this work is built through trust,
rigor, and shared attention.

our lineage

our work is guided by artists who believed
that theatre does not need excess to be powerful,
nor volume to be heard
and whose ideas actively shape how this production is made.

eleonora duse sought truth through restraint,
natural presence, and deep humanity.
from her work, we take a commitment to acting
that is lived rather than performed
where the actor does not play for the audience,
but allows the audience to witness something real.

this commitment is why we chose to name the company in her honor,
as an acknowledgment of her lasting contribution
to theatre and to humanity.

yevgeny vakhtangov embraced theatricality
without abandoning sincerity,
allowing imagination and realism to coexist
what he called fantastical reality.
from this lineage, we permit play, scale, and contradiction,
while remaining grounded in truthful behavior.

henrik ibsen wrote plays that refuse instruction.
he presented systems under pressure
and trusted the audience to listen, question, and decide.
in this production, the text is offered without excess guidance,
placing responsibility for meaning not on the page,
but in the encounter between actor and audience.

we return to this lineage not to imitate it,
but to apply it
here, now, and in this room.

a note

this production is the second step in a longer life for the play.

it is shared here in close proximity,
as a work still unfolding,
shaped by the presence of those in the room.

we are grateful for your attention,
and for the time you bring with you tonight.

about the play

an enemy of the people centers on a community built around a shared success — and the cost of preserving that success when the truth threatens it.

dr. tomas stockmann discovers that the water supplying the town’s public baths is contaminated. what begins as a scientific finding quickly becomes a social crisis. as economic interests, political power, public opinion, and personal relationships collide, the question shifts from what is true to what can be tolerated.

ibsen does not offer heroes or villains. he presents people under pressure — each acting from fear, loyalty, ambition, or conviction. the play asks how truth functions inside a community, and what it costs to stand alone when the majority decides otherwise.

the characters

(listed in the order they enter the world of the play)

katrine stockmann
dr. stockmann’s spouse. attentive, grounded, and deeply human, katrine navigates the tension between private life and public consequence, holding the family together as pressure mounts.

billing
a young journalist and lodger in the stockmann household. energetic, idealistic, and eager to belong, billing is drawn to big ideas but still learning the cost of standing by them.

the mayor (peter stockmann)
dr. stockmann’s brother and the town’s chief authority. practical and strategic, he prioritizes stability, reputation, and control — especially when truth threatens order.

hovstad
editor of the local newspaper. initially receptive to dr. stockmann’s discovery, hovstad becomes increasingly shaped by public opinion and political risk.

dr. tomas stockmann
a physician driven by conviction and faith in reason. his discovery of contamination sets the play in motion, placing him in conflict with the systems he believes should protect the public.

captain horster
a sea captain and ally to dr. stockmann. independent and quietly principled, he represents moral clarity unburdened by social ambition.

the boys (ejlif and morten)
the stockmann children. their presence reminds us what is at stake beyond politics and debate — the future shaped by the choices of adults.

petra stockmann
tomas and katrine’s daughter. independent, clear-eyed, and unafraid to question authority, petra reflects a younger generation testing inherited values.

morten kiil
katrine’s foster father. a businessman with a direct stake in the contamination, he embodies self-interest, calculation, and survival within a compromised system.

aslaksen
printer, property owner, and civic voice of “moderation.” aslaksen values consensus, caution, and the authority of the majority, even when compromise obscures truth.

the townspeople
neighbors, voters, and voices of the majority — collectively shaping the social climate in which the truth must survive or fail.

the artists behind the work

eleonora duse (1858–1924)

actor, innovator, human being

eleonora duse was an italian actor, one of the most influential figures in theatre history and a quiet revolutionary of performance. at a time when theatrical acting favored projection, gesture, and display, duse pursued restraint, interior life, and truth. she believed acting should be lived rather than demonstrated, and that the audience should be invited to witness something real rather than be persuaded. 

duse rejected makeup, exaggeration, and theatrical artifice in favor of presence and humanity. her work shifted the center of acting away from technique alone and toward inner necessity. the company bears her name in recognition of her insistence that theatre, at its best, is an act of honesty.

did you know: duse famously refused to be photographed in costume and often performed without makeup, believing it interfered with truth.

yevgeny vakhtangov (1883–1922)

director, teacher, bridge between worlds

yevgeny vakhtangov was a russian director and teacher whose work bridged realism and imagination. a student of konstantin stanislavski, vakhtangov believed that truthful behavior and theatrical play could coexist. he called this balance fantastical realism — a style in which heightened theatricality remains grounded in sincerity.

vakhtangov encouraged actors to embrace contradiction: seriousness alongside humor, discipline alongside freedom, realism alongside invention. his work reminds us that theatre can be bold without becoming artificial, and playful without losing truth. while developing his ideas, vakhtangov helped push stanislavski’s system forward, expanding its possibilities beyond realism alone.

this production draws from vakhtangov’s permission to imagine — to allow scale, rhythm, and theatricality to emerge from truthful behavior rather than imposed effect.

did you know: vakhtangov’s ideas influenced lee strasberg and helped shape the method, which remains relevant today and continues to acknowledge vakhtangov’s contributions.

henrik ibsen (1828–1906)

Playwright of Systems, Not Answers

henrik ibsen was a norwegian playwright, often called the father of modern drama, though his work resists easy categorization. rather than instructing audiences what to think, ibsen constructed social systems under pressure and allowed their contradictions to speak for themselves. his plays are less about heroes and villains than about people navigating power, loyalty, fear, and responsibility. 

an enemy of the people was first written in 1882. this production works from ibsen’s 1897 norwegian second edition — the final version approved by the playwright before his death. the text is presented in full, not to preserve tradition, but to trust its endurance.

ibsen believed the audience was capable of thought. we share that belief.

did you know: ibsen lived much of his life outside norway and wrote many of his most “norwegian” plays while in self-imposed exile.

Meet the Company

cora riechert

the mayor

cora riechert is a graduate of the neighborhood playhouse school of the theatre in new york city. her stage credits include lady diana in 'a rose from england', martha in 'book of days', helena in a crossover production of 'a midsummer night’s dream' and 'the rocky horror picture show', gwendolyn in 'the importance of being earnest', and several nontraditional roles. raised in the washington d.c. area, cora has also lived in germany and taiwan and has been a new yorker for the past four years. in addition to acting, she plays the piano and flute and creates her own films. cora is thrilled to play the wily mayor.

nina becker

katrine

nina becker is an actress based in nyc. born and raised in germany, she moved to nyc in 2023 and graduated from the new york conservatory for dramatic arts in 2025. nina speaks english, german and spanish.

samantha campbell

captain horster

samantha campbell is a new york city based actress. she has trained at numerous schools including the barrow group, Circle in the square theater school and the new york conservatory for the dramatic arts. she appears in a variety films and off broadway productions.

molly mcdermott

dr. stockmann

molly mcdermott is a proud alum of northwestern university currently based in queens, nyc. credits include the national tour of “daniel tiger’s neighborhood live: king for a day” and “matters of the heart” at the green room 42. molly is a supporting artist at co_lab theater group and an accessibility advocate both inside and outside of the arts. thank you to duse productions and the rest of the team for making this possible! www.molly-mcdermott.com.

char jones

ejlif

char jones is a new york city–born and bred actor, dancer, and collaborator who is thrilled to make her debut at theatre for the new city. recent credits include as you like it (celia, shapiro theatre), twelfth night (olivia, prague shakespeare company), the script in the closet (zoey, la mama), as well as appearances on snl (nbc), fbi (cbs), and the playboy murders (hbo). training: northwestern university, juilliard extension, t. schreiber studio, and katie cappiello. endless thanks to sanio and zaynep for the chance to explore her inner child (and to her mom for the norwegian heritage).

jamie lien

billing

jamie lien is a new york based actress and model originally from minnesota. with 12+ years of formal dance experience, jamie went on to receive her bfa in theatre performance from michigan state university in 2021. jamie now lives in brooklyn, where she teaches ballet at tutu school and has studied acting with the barrow group. recent credits include starring in the indie feature film when we get there alongside alfred molina, and playing the role of daisy in the new play flower power written and directed by caitlin mayernik. she is so excited to be making her theater for the new city debut and would like to thank the whole cast and crew for making this such a lovely experience!

lindsey rae root

aslaksen

lindsey rae root is a physical theatre artist, actor, and director with an mfa in physical theatre from accademia dell’arte in italy. her work is rooted in movement-based storytelling, informed by training in commedia dell’arte, lecoq-based technique, clown, and more. she is thrilled to return to the stage and grateful to the artists and collaborators who made it possible.

dani grace nissen

randine/townsperson

dani grace nissen (she/her) is excited to be making her new york city theatre debut! she is a new york based actor hailing from cincinnati, ohio who specializes in shakespeare and classical texts. her most recent credits include: love's labour's lost, rms. dalloway: a new musical, the tempest, macbeth, romeo and juliet, the comedy of errors (cincinnati shakespeare company). as you like it (nashville shakespeare festival). the comedy of errors, measure for measure (hoosier shakespeare festival). romeo and juliet, much ado about nothing (commonwealth shakespeare company). danigracenissen.com. tt/ig : @dani.niss

luna vintner

petra stockman

luna vintner (dolunay kocabağ) is a legally blind actor from turkey and multidisciplinary artist based in new york. she is excited to portray petra stockmann in this production of an enemy of the people. her recent credits include the feature film a scream in the dark. theatre credits include originating the role of sally in Lilly camp’s all eight with the third year company at the american academy of dramatic arts, as well as the tempest and william inge’s picnic. she regularly performs with a sketch of new york and releases original music, also scoring work for movement-based art forms, including her short films. luna trained at the american academy of dramatic arts and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a music minor. outside of performance, she loves pole dancing, salsa and reading literary fiction.

veronika kindred

townsperson

veronika kindred is thrilled to make her stage debut with theater for the new city. a classically trained ballet dancer, she brings a strong foundation in movement and physicality to her work as an actor. her screen experience includes background work on succession, your friends and neighbors, and one night only. she trains at t. schreiber studio.

johnny gottsegen

morten kiil

johnny gottsegen (he/they) is delighted to be exploring the humor and pathos in henrik ibsen’s work! he is a new york-based actor, model, and dramaturg who specializes in shakespeare and in new queer works. recent credits include twelfth night (barefoot shakespeare), a midsummer night’s dream (barefoot shakespeare), the winter’s tale (staten island shakespeare company), and the debut production of missionary woman, written by meg rosensweet. in the summer he can be found performing non-traditional improv at the new york renaissance faire. thank you so much to the cast and crew for their incredible work! johnnygottsegen.com

olivia roselli

hovstad

olivia “vi” roselli (she / they) is an nyu tisch graduate who trained at both the atlantic acting school and stonestreet studios. you might recognise her from her work in “karaoke rex” (dir. by jake beckhard) or as the librarian from atlantic’s production of “middletown” (dir. by jake beckhard). in film, she’s had the opportunity to work with cara ronzetti on “imy” and malcom mills on “no parties II”. they are an actor who puts a focus on creating sapphic / lesbian, satirical, darkly comedic, and psychologically provoking pieces with fellow creatives who find a similar purpose in the making of art that incites important conversations. she has been incredibly honoured to have found a place amongst this ensemble of highly talented and intelligent artists who are excited to be raising gender, social, and political questions on this historic stage.

anastasia mirabelle

townsperson

anastasia mirabelle, a miami beach native and trained ballroom dancer, brings a dynamic physicality and global perspective to her work. raised in a multicultural household, she is fluent in english and russian, and also speaks spanish and german. her on-screen credits include law & order: organized crime and brilliant minds. she is a proud alumna of new york university.

lauren nicole bryant

morten & katrine (understudy)

lauren bryant is a bronx-based actor and playwright. her recent credits include the chain theatre’s winter one-act festival and balm in gilead (terry). she studied acting at marymount manhattan college and rosie lou acting studio, and is currently developing her original play, burnt. lauren is excited to bring morten and katrine to life in this production.

mia grichendler

townsperson

mia is thrilled to be making her stage debut at theater for the new city! she is a french-american actress based in new york city and has trained as a ballet dancer at pre-professional schools including houston ballet, the school of american ballet, and the university of north carolina school of the arts. she is currently studying the strasberg method with katie cappiello.

scotto mycklebust

technical director

scotto mycklebust is a new york–based artist and playwright contributing to the new york theater community through his work on duse productions’ staging of an enemy of the people by henrik ibsen. his multidisciplinary practice spans theater, performance, music, and visual art. mycklebust’s original stage works include frankenstein & gaea: a high-tech tribal opera and metallic dog ballet, which explore narrative through experimental and multimedia forms. he has collaborated with influential figures in contemporary performance including robert wilson, john cage, laurie anderson, and philip glass. his work continues to focus on original theatrical projects that integrate innovative form with socially engaged storytelling.

zeynep altinbas

stage manager

zeynep is an electrical hardware engineer who has spent years in r&d labs and startups. a longtime lover of the performing arts, this production marks her next step after her first showcase experience, taking on full stage management responsibilities. she is thrilled to bring her organizational expertise to the creative world she admires.

jacob goldbas

stagehand

stagehand jacob goldbas worked as a production assistant for art market productions art fairs for 8 years and during that time as a background actor for central casting and gwci. in 2025 he appeared in the bob dylan timothy chalamet movie.

sanio kurtesevic

director

sanio kurtesevic is a new york–based actor and producer, aea-affiliated, with nearly a decade of experience in film and theatre. born and raised in bosnia and herzegovina, he brings a deep respect for language, ensemble, and classical storytelling to his work. sanio has studied the lee strasberg method since 2018 under the guidance of david gideon in new york city. his recent stage credits include black sheep at theater for the new city (ny) and the trojan women at jersey city theatre center. recent work includes producing and performing in an enemy of the people with duse productions, the company he founded to create clear, truthful productions of classic plays that speak directly to the present moment.

Photos

Multimedia

closing

thank you for being here tonight.

this extended run marks the next chapter in the public life of this work
and it exists because of the care, trust, and generosity
of many people.

we are deeply grateful to our cast and creative team
for their rigor, patience, and commitment to the process.
to our collaborators and supporters
for believing in the work at its beginning.

and to our audience
thank you for sharing your attention,
your time,
and the room.

with Gratitude

duse productions extends heartfelt thanks to American Theatre of Actors (ATA) and James Jennings for their early support and introduction, and to Crystal Field and Theater for the New City (TNC) for championing and producing this expanded engagement.

this play continues beyond tonight.
we look forward to what comes next...