Episode 108: The Lady from the Sea by Henrik Ibsen

Host: Douglas Schatz
Guests: Professor Kirsten Shepherd, Tzen Sam

Welcome to The Play Podcast where we explore the greatest new and classic plays. Each episode we choose a single play to talk about in depth with our expert guest. We'll discuss the play's origins, its themes, characters, structure and impact. For us the play is the thing.

When Henrik Ibsen's lyrical play The Lady from the Sea premiered in 1889, the critics were bewildered. On the surface it is a conventional drama of marital strife and the constrained social position of women, but the play is enriched by its acute portrait of psychological trauma and mystical undercurrents. I was prompted to explore the play having seen Simon Stone's modern adaptation at the Bridge theatre in London in the Autumn of 2025, and I am delighted to welcome Ibsen expert, Professor Kirsten Shepherd, back to the podcast, to discuss this intense and mysterious work. Kirsten and I are also joined by Oxford PHD student, Tzen Sam.