GHOSTS 

by Henrik Ibsen 

Directed by Marcus Giamatti

January 13 - 15, 2022 (7:30 pm)

Stage Manager: Sam Cashion

Helene Alving is so haunted by the death of her abusive, philandering, husband that she has kept the secrets of his depraved life from everyone — even their son, Oswald. Now, with the young man coming home from France, Helene is determined to escape the ghosts of her past by finally letting her son know the truth. Tragically, the homecoming will prove a bitter one as Oswald reveals just how much of his father he has already inherited. 

When it premiered in 1882, Ibsen’s GHOSTS was positively scandalous, calling into the bleak light of day shockingly indecent themes like incest, euthanasia, and sexually transmitted disease. Now revered as a classic, the play’s taboo subject matter still hits home as it wrestles with the question of how to liberate oneself from the ugliest legacies of the past. 

Note: This show contains discussion and depictions of sexual abuse, physical abuse, disease, suicide and incest.

Located on the northern edge of the Avenue of the Arts, Temple Theaters, the production program of the Department of Theater, has established itself as one of the finest nationally-ranked theater training programs in the nation. Temple University’s Department of Theater offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in acting, design, directing, musical theater, playwriting and theater education. As part of Center for Performing and Cinematic Arts, the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts offers hallmark programs in theater, film and media arts that engage students with nationally and internationally recognized faculty and fuse the high-quality training with rigorous scholarship and artistry.