Students scare up modern Ghosts

Duke Theater Studies’ student production of Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts fleshes out the absurd idea of everyday spirits on campus. “We are all battling ghosts, ‘the dead among us,’ and that is timeless,” said student director senior Amit Mahtaney, who was awarded the Brenenson Award, which allowed him to research at the Center for Ibsen Studies in Norway this summer.

Originally a highly controversial play because of its open discussion about bohemian lifestyles and sexually transmitted diseases, Ghosts was first produced in the 1880’s. In the play, both the reputable and disdained characters face up to the secret ghosts that plague them. The two relatable younger characters combat ghosts of which they are not aware. They are left to use science and reason to deal with the spirits only to come to realize that “the sins of the fathers are visited on the children.”

Mahtaney was motivated to stage this non-contemporary play by his belief in the ever-present reality of pasts that haunt us indiscriminately. He compares the piece to a Greek tragedy in that the conflicted protagonist finally breaks free from the restrictions she has lived under all her life, but not without paying dearly for the liberation.

With this production, he makes stylistically bold choices to bridge the gap of time and location from the 1880s to the modern day. A minimalist set containing a few chairs, a bench, a couple tables and modern costumes are artistic choices intended to draw attention to the acting within the play. Portrayals of the societal values of public opinion and the spirit of law and order resisting the truth are crisply executed. The ideals and spirits can be densely perceived lurking behind symptoms that the characters understand as the illness itself.

Despite its deeply dark and solemn content, the play still contains moments of humor. The intimate space in which the play is staged as well as the actors’ willingness to venture into the audience allows the viewer to participate in the cathartic experience of the play. Essence of the rain that never stops can be felt, as well as the oppression of living with “never a glimpse of the sun.” The 1971 remake of “Here Comes the Sun” by Nina Simone that closes the last scene lets this one-of-a-kind theater experience trickle into our private lives, allowing us all to declare with the characters, “Now I can speak.” The production brings together mystery and suspense with humor to create a harmonious message challenging us to confront the ghosts that haunt us all.

Ghosts will be running from Nov. 3 to 5 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. in East Duke 209.