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Production History
André Gregory’s production of A Master Builder was not done in a theater (at least, as of 2014 it has not been done), but instead it was made into a film with the following cast:
Nurse Olga: Sheilagh Weymouth
Nurse Nora: Joanna Howard
Nurse Myrtle: Winsome Brown
Nurse Ingrid: Marjorie Graham
Nurse Number Five/Hilde Wangel: Lisa Joyce
Halvard Solness: Wallace Shawn
Aline Solness: Julie Hagerty
Knut Brovik: André Gregory
Ragnar Brovik: Jeff Biehl
Kaya Fosli: Emily Cass McDonnell
Dr. Herdal: Larry Pine
Created and directed for the stage by: André Gregory
Assistant to the director: David Skeist
Norwegian expertise and wisdom: Sandra Saari
Profound thanks: George Gaynes, David Shapiro, Leslie Silva, Brooke Smith
Music for the nurses: Bruce Odland
Supplementary acting: Leigh Wade
The film was presented by The Ibsen Project/Clinica Estetico in association with Westward Productions and Scott Griffin
Costumes: Dona Granata
Music: Zafer Tawil, Thom O’Connor, Suzana Perić
Production Design: Eugene Lee
Editor: Tim Squyres, A.C.E.
Director of Photography: Declan Quinn, A.S.C.
Co-Executive Producers: Caroline Baron, Anthony Weintraub, Annette Solakoglu, Kemal Solakoglu
Executive Producers: Ron Bozman, Beau Willimon, Jordan Tappis, Declan Quinn, Scott Griffin
Associate Producer: Jacob Burns Film Center
Produced by Rocco Caruso, André Gregory, Wallace Shawn
Screenplay: Wallace Shawn
Director: Jonathan Demme
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Cast of Characters
NURSE OLGA
NURSE NORA
NURSE MYRTLE
NURSE INGRID
NURSE NUMBER FIVE (later HILDE WANGEL)
HALVARD SOLNESS
ALINE SOLNESS
KNUT BROVIK
RAGNAR BROVIK
KAYA FOSLI
DR. HERDAL
Note
Nurse Olga, Nurse Nora, Nurse Myrtle and Nurse Ingrid later become women of the town. They may also possibly serve as stage managers and stage hands, they may operate the lights, etc.
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PART ONE
Some chairs, a small table and a tall, mechanical hospital-style bed, with a footstool at the side. In the bed is a man of late middle age. He is attached by tubes and wires to an IV and a monitor. He wears a bathrobe. There are five nurses in uniforms who are taking care of the man in the bed, and for a while we watch a quiet, dimly lit tableau in which they slowly take notes on the readings of the monitor, carry in different medicine bottles and remove others, etc.
NURSE OLGA (To the other nurses): Well, I’m never wrong about these things, and I say he has hardly any time left at all.
NURSE NORA: Really?
NURSE MYRTLE: He seems so healthy . . .
NURSE OLGA: No, no. The signs are there. Look.
NURSE NORA: Oh.
NURSE MYRTLE: I see.
NURSE INGRID: I hadn’t realized . . .
NURSE NUMBER FIVE: Does he know?
NURSE OLGA: Well, no one’s said anything to him, but deep down I think he does know. Here— (She gives a glass to Nurse Number Five) —give him this if he wakes up.
(Nurse Olga exits, followed by Nurse Nora, Nurse Myrtle and Nurse Ingrid. The patient wakes up, and Nurse Number Five hands him the glass.)
NURSE NUMBER FIVE: Here.
(The patient takes the glass, drinks, looks at Nurse Number Five, then falls back to sleep. A middle-aged woman comes in and sits in a chair by the bed. Then an elderly man, a young man and a young woman come in and sit in chairs on a different side of the bed. Nurse Number Five does a couple of things around the bed and goes out. The actor who plays Dr. Herdal comes in and speaks to the audience.)
ACTOR: Good evening, friends. Thank you for coming to see us. Now, in order to prevent hours of confusion, I’m going to tell you who all these people are, before we begin the play, and I’ll start by telling you that the person in the bed is called Halvard Solness. Halvard Solness is what is called a “master builder,” which is sort of midway between being an architect and being what we would call a builder or contractor. And this is his wife, Aline. (Indicating her) Halvard and Aline Solness live in a large house in a rather small town, and Halvard Solness has been for many years by far the most successful builder in the town. He keeps his office in a wing of his house, but since he’s been ill he’s been running his business out of his bedroom. Now, these three people all work for Halvard Solness. (Indicating them) This older man is called Knut Brovik. At one time, Knut Brovik was the town’s most successful build...
