An Enemy of the People

by Henrik Ibsen
In an adaptation by Rebecca Lenkiewicz

Summary: Dr. Thomas Stockmann has made a significant discovery: the Baths that generate his town’s economy are contaminated with pollution from the tannery upstream. To combat this problem, Thomas suggests that the local paper publish his findings and proposes that the town reroute the water system. His brother Peter, the town mayor, opposes shutting off the Baths as it would shut down the driving force of the town’s economy for an indefinite period. With the support of his family and the paper, an enraged Thomas carries through with his plans to make his case public. However, Peter plays politics in covering up “watergate” by winning over the majority of the town, and the paper, and Thomas suddenly finds himself in the minority - and threatened by the people for taking a revolutionary stance against the majority. Eventually, he and his family are under siege and must contemplate starting a new life elsewhere or risk everything in order to stand up for their beliefs.

Race and Sustainability: This production of Enemy of the People recognizes that all human-created or influenced systems are intertwined. Highlighting the problems with sustainability within our environment, particularly with our water systems, cannot be done without recognizing that race is inextricably intertwined with both the problems and the solutions. In our production we hope to emphasize that issues of sustainability 1) are real and affecting all areas of contemporary society, 2) demand long-term solutions that may have short-term drawbacks, and 3) are disproportionately affecting those already being hindered by white supremacy.

 - Porter Conroy and Susan Kattwinkel