An Enemy of the People (CL)

This is the story about Doctor Stockman, the manager of a health spa which is also a major tourist attraction. When the doctor discovers that the water is contaminated, placing the health of the population in peril, he faces a decision: Will he disclose what he knows – or will he succumb to the town’s financial and political interests? Somebody is pressuring him to keep the information secret …

The Chilean theatre company Colectivo Zoológico performs An Enemy of the People both live and on screen. When the curtains go down, the characters’ actions continue to be portrayed on camera. It is as if the actors are on an inner stage inside the stage, giving the audience insight into what happens behind closed doors.

Through screen and stage, the audience observes and examines a group of young adults in a realistic and sensitive production, an impressionistic image of daily life, which the audience can relate to. As if in a capsule or prototype of modern reality, the characters develop and pursue their ideas down an extreme and undemocratic road.

Play with transparency, video and projection reveals the intimate rooms where public decisions are made and power is manipulated. While the concepts of common good and public opinion are referred to as sacrosanct, in reality vested interests rule.

Ibsen’s play questions the individual’s commitment to truth in the multitude of day-to-day decisions – and in a reality where money rules.

Nicolás Espinoza, Laurene Lemaitre (directors), Pablo Mois, Sebastián Pereira, José Manuel Aguirre, Juan Pablo Troncoso, José Miguel Neira, Germán Pinilla, Viviana Nass, Esteban Cerda and Paula Pavez.