DAVENPORT, IOWA (February 7, 2019) — A knock on the door has rarely been as suspenseful, or as funny, as it is in the QC Theatre Workshop's latest presentation: The 2017 Broadway comedy A Doll's House, Part 2. Running February 15 through March 3, author Lucas Hnath's ingenious Tony Award-winner will make its area début with the Davenport-based stage company, treating audiences to a work that the New York Times called “smart, funny, and utterly engrossing,” and that Deadline called “the sharpest play of the year.”
A Doll's House, Part 2 will be presented at the QC Theatre Workshop (1730 Wilkes Avenue, Davenport, Iowa), February 15 through March 3, with Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30PM and Sunday performances at 3PM. Doors open a half-hour before each performance, and the play's adult language makes it appropriate for mature audiences only.
A Tony nominee for Best Play and winner for lead actress Laurie Metcalf, A Doll's House, Part 2 is a comedic continuation to Henrik Ibsen's groundbreaking classic that ended with its heroine Nora walking out on her children and husband Torvald in search of independence. Now, 15 years have passed, and Nora has become a successful feminist writer. Torvald, meanwhile, continues to work at the bank, having raised their children with the aid of housekeeper Anne-Marie. Nora, however, has learned that she and Torvald were never actually divorced, and returns to her old home to request that the man make their parting official. But after all that’s happened, will Torvald give her what she wants? And is Nora prepared to face everything she left behind, including her now-grown daughter Emmy?
The Hollywood Reporter raved that A Doll's House, Part 2 “delivers explosive laughs while also posing thoughtful questions about marriage, gender inequality, and human rights,” and the QC Theatre Workshop's Artistic Director Aaron Randolph III says he's thrilled that the company is staging the area debut of this engaging and hilarious play.
“I'm really excited to bring this play to the Quad Cities,” said Randolph, “because it pays wonderful tribute to Ibsen, one of the great playwrights of the past, but does so in a way that's engaging, hilarious, heartbreaking, and completely accessible to a modern audience.”
Serving as director for A Doll's House, Part 2, and making his directorial début with the Workshop, is Dave Bonde, whose previous Davenport credits have included You Can't Take It With You for St Ambrose University and Glengarry Glen Ross for the Curtainbox Theatre Company. Bonde is also a comedian with the area's Comedy Thingy brigade that airs monthly All You Care to Eat podcasts, and says he's delighted to be returning to the director's chair after a long hiatus.
“I couldn't have asked for a better cast and crew with whom to make my return to directing after six years,” said Bonde. “Their talent and passion is paralleled by their work ethic and it's made the process pure pleasure.”
With four actors composing the A Doll's House, Part 2 cast, Bonde's production boasts two talents making their first appearances with the QC Theatre Workshop, and two familiar from previous Workshop shows. Performing in their company debuts are Kitty Israel (Nora), a classical-theatre veteran of the Prenzie Players' Henry VIII and Genesius Guild's The Merchant of Venice, and Jackie Skiles (Anne-Marie), whose many credits at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre include California Suite, Busybody, and Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike. In their respective roles as Emmy and Torvald, Workshop veterans Laila Haley (Broken, The Big Meal) and Mike Schulz (Dead Man's Cell Phone, Peter & the Starcatcher) round out the cast, and Bonde says he can't wait for audiences to enjoy his entire ensemble's comedic and dramatic gifts.
“This show is full of heart-rending moments and smart, fast paced comedy,” said Bonde. “This cast handles both equally well, and with such grace and aplomb that they make it look effortless.”
A Doll's House, Part 2 will be presented under the QC Theatre Workshop's “Pay What It's Worth” pricing policy in which guests see the play first and then pay afterward, allowing viewers to determine what the experience was worth to them personally. This innovative strategy was designed to create a wholly-accessible theatrical experience for patrons regardless of financial means, and the policy's great success has allowed it to continue for A Doll's House, Part 2.
For reservations and more information on A Doll's House, Part 2, please call (563) 823-8893 or e-mail QCTheatreWorkshop@gmail.com, and visit QCTheatreWorkshop.org and Facebook.com/QCTheatreWorkshop.
A Doll's House, Part 2 performance schedule
Friday, February 15, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 16, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 17, 3 p.m.
Friday, February 22, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 23, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 24, 3 p.m.
Friday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 2, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 3, 3 p.m
