The historic company remains faithful to its purpose of performing in English theatre, at a time when its audience and members are increasingly international.

The show, performed in English with Portuguese subtitles, was adapted and directed by Miguel Jesus and stars Benedita Pereira in the titular role. Benedita joins the many renowned Portuguese performers the company has given the stage to.

Embracing the challenge of revisiting a classic play with the boldness that characterizes the company, the Lisbon Players make their debut at the Teatro Variedades with a play of unavoidable intensity and subtlety by Henrik Ibsen, "Hedda Gabler". First published in 1890, the play is considered one of the Norwegian playwright's greatest creations.

Credits: Supplied Image;

Actress Benedita Pereira plays the indecipherable, non-conformist, and fascinating Hedda in a bourgeois environment dissected by Ibsen. Rich, bored, hostage to a conventional marriage and her own conscience, Hedda manipulates destinies while trapped in her own doll's house and one step away from the abyss. The cast includes Ema Sofia Fonseca, Francisca Maria Miranda, Leonardo Proganó, Mariana Mourato, Matilde Graça, Martim Mesquita Guimarães, Mónica Belchior, and Victor Caetano.

Founded in 1947 in the English quarter of Estrela, the Lisbon Players company was created by Englishmen to serve the foreign community living in Lisbon. Alain Oulman, composer and friend of Amália Rodrigues, directed many productions at Estrela Hall in the 1960s and 1970s, and, over the years, several renowned Portuguese performers have taken to its stage. Over more than seventy years, until the building where they were based was sold in 2019, the group won over Portuguese audiences, and, with the arrival of more expats in the city, its purpose expanded. With regular activity and performances in different theatres, the group continues to perform in English and is recognized as a privileged learning space for those who want to make a career in the performing arts and as a valuable educational resource for schools and universities.

By hosting this production, Teatro Variedades reaffirms its mission to include diverse companies and projects in its program. By offering the city a continuous season of heterogeneous shows, this renovated cultural facility managed by Lisboa Cultura honours the memory and original vocation of the space and attracts new audiences to Parque Mayer, opening it up to contemporaneity.

HEDDA GABLER

An original Lisbon Players production

Performed in English with Portuguese subtitles.

Venue: Teatro Variedades, Parque Mayer, Lisbon

Dates: 19 to 29 June 2025 | WED- FRI, 20h | SAT, 21h | SUN, 16h

Tickets: On sale at MEO Blue ticket and usual local vendors.

Running Time: 110 min. | Age rating: to be classified by CCE

Accessibility: The subtitles for this show are descriptive.

Production Team

With Benedita Pereira, Ema Sofia Fonseca, Francisca Maria Miranda, Leonardo Proganó, Mariana Mourato, Matilde Graça, Martim Mesquita Guimarães, Mónica Belchior, Victor Caetano | Adapted and directed Miguel Jesus | Set Design Dora Sales and Miguel Jesus | Light Design Marinel Matos | Costume Design Sara Rodrigues | Sound Design Pedro Januário, Leo Escobar, Inês da Cruz Oliveira | Assistant Director and Costume Design Support Manuela Sampaio | Directing Support and Portuguese Translation Inês da Cruz Oliveira | Set construction Vítor Santos, Timo Vessels | Production Bruno Águas | Production Assistant Rita Silva | Wardrobe Assistant Elizabeth Day | Poster João Leal

Synopsis

Rich and married. Poor of spirit and full of reason. Playing with everyone else's fate and trapped inside her own doll's house. Hedda is bored and wants to glow.