Arts·Q with Tom Power

Why Rosmersholm — a Norwegian political drama from 1886 — feels so eerily timely

Director Chris Abraham sits down with Q's Tom Power to tell us what the play can teach us about the upcoming elections in the U.S. and Canada.

In a Q interview, director Chris Abraham discusses an adaptation of the play on now in Toronto

Headshot of Chris Abraham smiling and wearing over-ear headphones with a studio microphone in front of him.
Chris Abraham in the Q studio in Toronto. (Amelia Eqbal/CBC)

In Henrik Ibsen's 1886 play Rosmersholm, an increasingly polarized country leads to an increasingly polarized election that begins to tear a household apart. Now, a critically-acclaimed adaptation by Duncan Macmillan, directed by Chris Abraham, is being staged at Crow's Theatre in Toronto. Abraham sits down with Q's Tom Power to talk about the relevance of this politically-charged play today, and what it can teach us about the upcoming elections in the U.S. and Canada.

WATCH | Rosmersholm: In Their Words:

The full interview with Chris Abraham is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.


Interview with Chris Abraham produced by Cora Nijhawan.