Hassan Al Rawas has been named as director for Philadelphia's Quintessence Theatre’s virtual reading of Rosmersholm by Henrik Ibsen. The reading is part of Quintessence’s “Shout into the Void” Festival, a virtual play reading series scheduled to run from October 12 to November 9. Rosmersholm is the second reading of the festival, scheduled to be presented live on Monday, October 19, 2020 at 7pm EST. Ticket holders to the event will be able to stream the reading until Friday, October 23.
This 1886 Norwegian masterpiece takes place on the eve of a major election. The country is on the verge of upheaval over a battle between progress and tradition. The press will stop at nothing to influence the result. Challenged by friend and activist, Rebecca West, John Rosmer is the last descendant of the Rosmer dynasty, and his family estate and private life become the epicenter of the national debate. A political thriller about love, privilege, and radicalism, this play asks if our ideals and hopes for the future can escape our ghosts from the past.