MOUNT VERNON — Ohio Arts Council awarded the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County an ARTStart grant of $4,546 in support of the Library’s presentation of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People.
The project is a collaboration with Theater of War Productions, the Kenyon College Department of Dance, Theater and Film, and the Office for Community Partnerships.
Theater of War Productions will present dramatic readings from the play, featuring a diverse group of community members cast alongside acclaimed professional actors.
Each performance will be followed by a moderated, interactive town hall conversation that fosters open dialogue in response to the performance. As with all Library programs, these events will be free and open to the public.
An Enemy of the People is a 19th century play, but it has contemporary resonance. The story follows a doctor who discovers the water supply in his rural town has been poisoned by a tannery — just as the town is poised to open a spa dependent on tourism.
In Ibsen’s play, the doctor’s sanctimony and zeal prove to be his own worst enemy when he attempts to share what he knows to be true with a populace that doesn’t want to hear it.
The doctor fails to save the town from disaster and is ultimately scapegoated for his whistleblowing. First performed in Norway in 1882, the play speaks to the present moment in America, raising issues of challenges in public health, the corrosive influence of power and money in politics, and the distortions of social media and yellow journalism.
The Library is excited to partner with Bryan Doerries and Theater of War Productions, whose presentation of “community-specific, theater based projects that address pressing public health and social issues” has garnered international acclaim. Theater of War Productions previously completed a virtual residency in Knox County in 2020-2021, and the company will deepen its ties in Mount Vernon with this in-person production.
Kenyon College’s Jonathan Tazewell is a vital community partner from the Department of Drama, Dance and Film, and the Office for Community Partnerships’ Interim Director Noelle Jordan has directed additional grant funds to the project.
The project timeline is still evolving, but casting and rehearsals are slated to begin in February 2024, with performances scheduled for April 4-6 at Knox Memorial Theater.
Local cast members will perform alongside professional actors affiliated with Theater of War Productions, anchoring the show with both familiar community members and widely recognized theatrical and film talent.
The Library thanks Governor Mike DeWine, Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, and members of the Ohio General Assembly for acknowledging the importance of public funding for the arts through the state budget. For more information about Ohio Arts Council grants and programs, visit https://oac.ohio.gov/.
For more information about this project and other Library programs, please visit the www.knox.net, call (740) 392-BOOK, extension 259 or email knoxwrites1@gmail.com.
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