Monday 10 June, 2:15pm
Linbury Studio Theatre, LAMDA
Running time: 2 hours, including a 15 minute interval
Content warnings:
Contains strong language, references and depictions of suicide, mentions of rape, and the use of replica firearms.
• You are welcome to come and go from the theatre as you need
• There is a break-out room available, the student common room
• House lighting is on low throughout, never going to full black-out
• Loud noises are reduced in sound level
• No strobe lighting is used
• You are welcome to react to the show however you may need
• At the end of this document is a show synopsis/sensory guide
Here is a guide to sensory information symbols in this document:
Indicates potentially loud or sudden noises
Indicates bright or sudden lighting changes
Indicates a sad or potentially distressing scene
Indicates fighting, or use of guns/weapons
When you arrive at LAMDA, the entrance to the building and Linbury Theatre is the closest entrance to Baron’s Court Station. There will be a member of staff on the door who will take your name and give you a ticket.
This is the Theatre Foyer and entrance to the Linbury Theatre. You may be asked to wait here until the house is open. You will be shown how to get to the Linbury Studio Theatre by an usher.
Toilets are located right next to the bar.
LAMDA staff will be wearing LAMDA branded T-Shirts or lanyards. If you need any assistance whilst in the building, please ask them.
When you enter the theatre, an Usher will take your ticket from you. You are welcome to sit where you like. You can come and go from the space whenever you like. The house lights will stay on low throughout the show.
There is a break-out space called ‘The Common Room’ which you are welcome to use at any point during the performance.
The Common Room is accessed via a corridor that follows on from the bar and the toilets. If you aren’t sure at any point during your visit where to go, please ask an usher, who will be happy to assist you.
If you aren’t sure at any point during your visit where to go, please ask an usher.
Before the show begins, the actors will introduce themselves and the characters they are playing.
The lights in the theatre will dim and she show will start. You can come and go as you need through the doors you entered by.
At the end of the show the actors will come on and bow. You are welcome to clap at this point if you would like.
Any fighting scenes in the play have been choreographed with a fight director so that the actors do not hurt each other. There is strong language throughout the play.
There is loud jazzy music playing as the audience are entering and waiting for the show to start
The character of Berte is mopping the floorshe is visibly upset and breaks down crying occasionally, and throws the mop to the floor.
Juliana tells Tesman that his Aunt Rina is very poorly and is close to passing away. When Juliana leaves, Hedda gets visibly distressed. She cries and throws her slippers across the room.
Brack tells Tesman that the promotion he was expecting to get may not happen as easily as he thought. Tesman gets upset at this and raises his voice a little, and throws a chair over. Hedda and Tesman raise their voices at each other as they discuss not having material possessions Hedda gets out her father’s gun This is a replica weapon and is not dangerous.
Hedda is alone in the house. She is loading a pistol.
Brack arrives at the house, and upon entering Hedda says “I’m going to shoot you.” She points the gun at Brack and shoots twice. This is a loud sound effect, and the guns aren’t really shooting. Brack moves before she shoots so that he doesn’t get hit.
Brack takes the gun from Hedda and points it back at her, but doesn’t go to shoot.
Hedda is getting frustrated and her voice is raised.
Later in the scene after Lovborg has arrived, Hedda goes over to Berte to tell her to get drinks and pushes her off the chair
Tesman is happy that Lovborg isn’t going for the job, and so he gets loud with excitement. We find out that Hedda and Lovborg used to be together. As they are talking about their breakup, they are raising their voices at each other. In the past, Hedda threatened to kill Lovborg.
Hedda is pushing for Lovborg to have a drink of alcohol, even though she knows that he has stopped due to it being an addiction and makes him act in bad ways.
Lovborg gets upset that Mrs. Elvsted doubted his abstinence, and so drinks the alcohol.
After the men leave, Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted are alone. Hedda grabs Mrs. Elvsted by the hair and is hurting her - she says that she is going to set fire to her hair
After the interval the stage is dark - Berte enters with a lit candle. She lights the candles on the stage around where Hedda is sleeping. As she does this, there is loud music.
Tesman returns to the house very intoxicated and loud.
Tesman reads the letter that was delivered, and leaves the house in a rush as his Aunt Rina is dying
Lovborg arrives at the house and pushes Berte out of the way angrily to see Hedda.
Mrs. Elvsted comes in to the room. He tells her that them working together is over, pushes her over onto the bed and is quite threatening.
Lovborg tells Mrs. Elvsted that he has torn up the manuscript - she leaves the house upset, as this was their ‘child’.
Before Lovborg leaves, Hedda hands him one of her guns to take with him, saying that he can use it on himself. He points the gun at Hedda and then puts it away.
Hedda sets the manuscript on fire. The paper is a special material so that it burns really quickly and then goes out, so that nobody is hurt. The flames are very bright
There is very loud music in the change of acts. All the cast members are holding candles and wearing black to represent the funeral of Aunt Rina.
Tesman shouts at Hedda when he finds out that she burnt the manuscript. They are then shouting loudly at each other.
Tesman finds out that Hedda is pregnant and his shouting turns into shouting of joy. Brack enters the scene looking grave. He tells Hedda, Mrs. Elvsted and Tesman that he has bad news that Lovborg is dying, and goes on to explain that he shot himself.
Later in the scene, Brack tells Hedda alone how Lovborg actually died. She is angry that Lovborg went to another woman’s chambers which is where he died, and he was probably shot by her, not himself
As Brack questions Hedda, there is tense music that underscores the scene.
Hedda is getting distraught as Brack continues to question her like the police would. He is shining a bright light on her. Hedda then is upset and plays the piano. Her playing reflects her mood; the music gets faster and louder and the ends the piece by thumping the piano.
Hedda is angry and shouts at Tesman as she feels like she is being forgotten about. Hedda takes out one of the pistols. She puts the gun in her mouth and pulls the trigger and dies automatically. The shooting makes a loud noise. Blood comes from her head. As before, this is not a real gun and the actor is not injured - the blood is fake
The rest of the characters on stage are all extremely distressed and crying at what has just happened.
END