For several years, Mr. Hischak wanted to present A Doll's House, but the play was too long and talky for most groups. So he wrote a 1-act version that utilizes six actors, one simple interior set, and a running time of about an hour. Each character has only one costume, and the time period is flexible. The first production was presented without intermission, but one can easily be inserted. This new version of A Doll's House was very well received when presented at State University of New York College at Cortland, N.Y., in 2002.

All of Ibsen's major characters, situations, and themes are in the short version, and the dialog has been made very accessible for both actors and audience. And, of course, the ideas presented in the play are as potent and fascinating today as they were 130 years ago when Henrik Ibsen won world-wide attention with this play in which he showed that a husband and wife should live together as equals.

Also by Hischak: Jane Eyre, Little Women, Murder by Membership Only

See also: Classics