The Norwegian actress Juni Dahr visits Singapore 11 - 12 December 2006 with her performance "Ibsen Women - put an eagle in a cage". The two-day event will take place in the Black Box, Drama Centre, National Library.
06/12/2006 :: Since 1990 Juni Dahr has travelled the world with her solo-production Ibsen Women. In December, she brings the heroines to Singapore.
“Put an eagle in a cage and it will bite the bars whether they are of iron of gold.” Taken from the role of Hjørdis in The Vikings of Helgeland, the tagline for Juni Dahr’s play is remarkably appropriate. Ibsen harboured a deep concern over societal constraints placed on women. At a time of extreme social conventions and male dominance, Ibsen let his female characters escape the collective mould, rattling, biting, and eventually breaking out of their cage.
Each suffering different dilemmas, the Ibsen characters portrayed by Dahr; Hilde, Hedda Gabler, Mrs. Alving, Nora, Ellida, and Hjørdis, all bite back for a taste of freedom. To Ibsen, freedom meant living unrestrained by false pretences and facades. He believed only free human beings could reach their full potential and find happiness, but claimed traditional gender roles were robbing women of their sense of self.
In her performance, Dahr examines each of the six women’s journeys towards independence. With visual effects confined to a tambourine, a rocking chair, and a few costume changes, she has presented the stories to rave reviews.
The idea behind Ibsen Women was first conceived in the US where Dahr was on tour with her one-woman performance, Joan of Arc. The show premiered at the Ibsen symposium at Yale University in 1989, and Dahr has since brought the play around the globe. In Singapore, Dahr is scheduled to perform Ibsen Women at the in the Black Box, Drama Centre at the National Library December 11 and December 12.