November 2000

Local director translates Ibsen play

If you've never heard of BRAND -- the 1865 work that first gave Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen worldwide recognition -- that's no surprise. Explains co-writer Thom Hofrichter, "It was written as a 5-hour poem and was never meant to be produced.

BRAND tells the interesting story of a newly-appointed pastor who is ready to change the world with his ideals. "His belief," says Hofrichter, "is that man has gotten lazy and sloppy and that the human will must change their course. They have to stop using Christianity as an excuse to behave badly."

Obviously the play has contemporary themes, and the co-adapters have tried to bring a somewhat contemporary language to their translation. Still set in 1865 Norway, the translation will nevertheless be easily understood by today's audience -- that is, if Schuler and Hofrichter achieve what they set out to.

In order to test themselves, however, the authors plan to quiz the audience after a public reading of the play on October 28. "It's not a test for them," Hofrichter laughs, "but a test for us." They will distribute a list of true/false and multiple choice questions to the audience to see whether the play made sense to them.

If not, the two writers will have some more work to do as they prepare the play to be fully produced in the 2001-02 theatre season.

The reading will not be staged, but features some of the area's most talented actors.

How does one go about translating and adapting a 135-year old poem that lasts five hours? "There are about three or four different translations," says Hofrichter, "one of which was in the public domain. Actually that one is the most literal, saying exactly what the [original Norwegian] words were. It was a great starting point."

With Hofrichter at the computer keyboard with two translations, and Schuler nearby with three additional versions, including the original Norwegian, the two of them have worked to weed out the extraneous text. "Ibsen had a lot to say about Norwegian politics and history," says Hofrichter, "which was just not germane to what we're trying to do. We tried to cut those parts out."

Another challenge was the poem's tendency to switch back and forth from a straightforward plot to sections where allegorical characters make statements about the action, the politics, or the history. "We've tried to keep the plot clear and simple," says Hofrichter.

How clear and simple the plot is will be determined in part by its test audience.

To be part of this theatre history-making process, attend the reading on Saturday October 28 at First Presbyterian Theater, 300 W. Wayne St. The reading will begin at 8:00 p.m. and is free to the public.