Conversations with Creators: Caleb Gordon

Next in our series of Conversations with Creators we talk to Caleb Gordon. A Dolls House: Wild Rose’s leading man.

Three words to describe Caleb’s artistic practice:

Dream, Labyrinth, and Duality.

Caleb: How's that for a conversation starter after the show!

What about this play/character challenges you?

Caleb: Henry Helmer challenges me to look at the words I speak in real life, and how they affect those around me. My character will frequently speak his mind without a filter, only to be reprimanded moments later. Specifically, I'm interested in making him relatable, so that audience members can either see themselves in his shoes, or know someone in real life who wears them. Henry is not a caricature, but a living, breathing human that has lived through similar experiences to ourselves.

What about this play/character freaks you out a little?

Caleb: This adaptation was written just this year, but the original was penned by Ibsen in 1879. A Doll's House is not infused with the questions regarding humanity that Shakespeare's plays are; rather, it is a question of marital responsibility and role. How strange (and disappointing) that this is to be considered a 'timeless' story.

The part that 'freaks me out a little' is that it's been almost 140 years, and Western thought regarding marriage is still caught in the same problems. Instead of partnership and Duality, we have subservience and abuse. Instead of dealing with reality and truth, we rely on 'what should be', and place that upon a pedestal. 

Well, that got real -- thank you for coming to my TED Talk. 

One thing you wish the audience could know about this show that would make them excited to see it?

Caleb: If you're new to theatre, or afraid of classical pieces, this show is for you -- it's understandable, the characters are relatable, and it has a good message. PLUS it takes place a week before Christmas, so if you're missing the holiday cheer, now's the time to get your fill!