07 May 2025
A powerful, contemporary version of Ibsen’s classic, An Enemy of the People, is coming to the main stage of the Abbey Theatre from Company of Ten.
An entertaining adaptation by Oscar and BAFTA winning television writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Small Axe. Ida), the play is an intense tale set in a world grappling with an environmental crisis, fake news, and whether truth can hold power to account.
Dr Teresa Stockmann is a medical officer working in a town’s spa baths that are the mainstay of the local economy. When she uncovers evidence that the waters are dangerously polluted, Teresa is determined to bring the truth to light. At first hailed as a hero, she soon meets fierce resistance from those who put profit above public health, including her brother, the mayor. As the community turns against her, Teresa’s fight for transparency and integrity becomes a personal battle. Determined to hold on to her principles, she discovers the personal cost of dissent.
Director Angela Stone who brings a bold, contemporary vision to the production, said: “This timeless play tells of the consequences of speaking truth to power. There are contemporary parallels, with water companies’ sewage pollution of rivers, lakes and seas, while the malign power and influence of the press hang over the play.
“By reimagining Dr Stockman as female, Lenkiewicz adds the struggle of a woman fighting for a voice in a male-dominated society to the dramatic conflict. Teresa joins the honourable company of real life ‘Difficult Women’ such as Erin Brockovich, Greta Thunberg, Rosa Parks and Malala Yousafzai.”
The play contains strong language.
Dates and times
Friday–Saturday May 16-17, 8pm
Sunday matinée May 18, 2.30pm
Tuesday–Saturday May 20-24, 8pm
To book tickets please go to www.abbeytheatre.org.uk or call the box office on 01727 857861.
