An Enemy of the People Playtext

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by Henrik Ibsen, Thomas Ostermeier, Florian Borchmeyer, Duncan Macmillan

When Dr Stockmann makes a disturbing discovery about the healing waters in his local baths, he holds the future of the whole town in his hands. But doubt spreads faster than disease, and those with everything to lose refuse to accept his word. Soon, a battle is raging - and it goes far beyond contaminated water… 

Ibsen's provocative play about truth in a society driven by power and money is given a startling contemporary spin in Thomas Ostermeier and Florian Borchmeyer's acclaimed version, which premiered at the Avignon Festival followed by the Schaubühne in Berlin in 2012. It has since toured to more than thirty cities around the world.

This edition of An Enemy of the People was published alongside the first English-language production, in a version by Duncan Macmillan. It opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End in 2024, starring Matt Smith and Jessica Brown Findlay.

Thomas Ostermeier is a German theatre director, acclaimed for his innovative and often iconoclastic productions of classic and contemporary plays. He is the Artistic Director of the Schaubühne.