Enemy of the People

In a small Norwegian town built around curative hot springs, Dr. Thomas Stockmann discovers the waters are poisoned by nearby tanneries. He expects gratitude. He gets exile instead. His own brother, the mayor, leads the charge to bury the truth. The newspaper turns on him. Old friends become strangers. Even his daughter and his oldest companion pressure him to recant. Stockmann must choose: speak the truth and lose everything, or watch the town poison its visitors while he keeps his comfortable lies. Ibsen wrote this in 1882, but it reads like tomorrow's headline. It's a furious, precise drama about what happens when honesty threatens the bottom line, and how quickly a community can turn on the one person telling them what they need to hear. Stockmann's isolation is both heartbreaking and terrifyingly recognizable. This is the play for anyone who's ever been told to stay quiet for the good of the group.