By Henrik Ibsen

Translated by William Archer

14-26 August 2000, Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Venue 124, Kirk O'Field Church Hall

"As disagreeable a product of wayward wickedness as the morbid imagination... ever conceived." (Observer 1890)

Hedda Gabler sent shock waves through the European theatres when first performed in 1890 with its portrayal of a complex and independent female protagonist and a plot encompassing prostitution, alcoholism, pregnancy and suicide. Described as the first modern tragedy, Ibsen's play focuses on the deception, jealousy, desire and manipulation inherent in the lives of outwardly respectable middle-class families.

The ambiguities and tensions of the relationships between the characters, their fully developed psyches, the universality of the themes and Ibsen's wicked black comedy make it equally gripping today.

Director: Felicity Amswych

Producer: Jill Coles

Cast: James Anthony, Jessica Boyd, Jill Coles, Richard Galazka, Tom Mansfield, Siobhan Quinn, Ellen Stratton