Burning Down The House tells the incredible story involving one of the world’s most famous playwrights, Henrik Ibsen, replicating a young writer’s private life in his most renowned play A Doll’s House, against her will, thus throwing her to the dogs, and then walking away.
Laura Kieler then spent her lifetime trying to get him to acknowledge his actions before fading largely into obscurity. Until now.
Because, thanks to Kirsten Shepherd, Professor of English and Theatre Studies at Oxford University, Breach Theatre and The Schwarzman Centre, Laura is finally being given a voice, and the chance to redress the balance, albeit nearly 250 years later, in this world premiere.
Laura Kieler is finally being given a voice, and the chance to redress the balance, albeit nearly 250 years later, in this world premiere
So what is Burning Down The House and how did it come about? The drama kicks off when Laura’s husband falls ill in 1876 and she takes out a loan to pay for his treatment, without her husband’s consent, which was illegal. When her husband finds out, instead of being grateful, he is furious, takes custody of their two children, won’t let her see them for two years and puts her in an asylum for a month.
Laura really wants to see her children so reconciles with her husband, and for the next 12 years has to pay off his loan without him contributing anything. Which, yes, is what happens to Nora in A Doll’s House, her story and friendship with Ibsen exploited for his own means.
‘Laura was essentially abused and then abandoned, all fodder for a very lucrative and successful play’
“Laura was essentially abused and then abandoned, all fodder for a very lucrative and successful play,” Kirsten explains, “and I thought I should do something about it. So I started writing a play of my own, and then in 2021 came across Breach Theatre who uncover stories with really bold and inventive devising.
“I thought they would be a great fit for this and help bring Laura Kieler‘s story to life, and Breach wholly embraced it. Five years later here we are,” she says, The Schwarzman spotting the new work’s potential early on.
‘Laura Kieler kept cropping up, albeit as a footnote. And yet there would be no A Dolls House without her’
So why the fascination? “This story just stuck with me,” Kirsten says. “I don’t know if it’s the aftermath of the #MeToo movement, but I’ve been a scholar of Ibsen’s plays for the past 30 years and Laura Kieler kept cropping up, albeit as a footnote. And yet there would be no A Dolls House without her.”
The plot thickened however when Laura complained about her life story being stolen and reenacted in the public domain, hitting back with her own play Men Of Honour which dramatises a male writer callously exploiting a young woman and a vulnerable child for his own success.Â
‘Laura’s world fell apart when A Dolls House came out’
“Laura’s world fell apart when A Dolls House came out,” Kirsten continues. “It made her private life public without her knowledge, so she wrote Men Of Honour in response. It’s a very thinly veiled criticism, but the critics were very hostile and Laura was dragged through the press again.
Ibsen eventually responded with his last play, When We Dead Awaken “which has always been seen as difficult and strange, but in terms of the Laura Kieler story it suddenly makes sense,” Kirsten adds. “It’s the missing piece of the puzzle and explores the ethical debate around exploiting those closest to them for the sake of their art.
“So Laura asked to meet Ibsen in 1891 and they had a reckoning and discussed the past for four hours. We don’t know what took place but what we know is that Ibsen broke down in tears.
‘Laura’s mantra was ‘I am not Nora’. She just wanted a public acknowledgment of that’
“Because Laura’s mantra was ‘I am not Nora’. She just wanted a public acknowledgment of that. She didn’t like Nora’s unserious nature. Nora wasn’t a writer and did not represent Laura Kieler. That was the harshest thing for her – that Ibsen didn’t take her seriously.
“It was pretty chilly after that and they never saw each other again. But despite the encounter Ibsen never acknowledged her request. He was a hugely famous playwright and author by then and he wanted to protect that.
“So Burning Down The House is about the ethical dilemma here, because these writers all have their own failings. They are put on a pedestal but they are of course flawed. And that’s what makes this so interesting – what it is to be human.”
‘Burning Down The House is about the ethical dilemma here, because writers all have their own failings. They are put on a pedestal but are of course flawed. And that’s what makes this so interesting – what it is to be human’
Does Kirsten think Laura was set on revenge then? “I don’t think Laura is vengeful, she did not want to bring Ibsen harm, she just wanted to set the record straight. So we kept going back to the fact that Ibsen never gave her that satisfaction. She did not get justice.
“And yet there is so much more to discover about Laura Kieler – she was political, an advocate of women’s rights and wrote in many formats. I absolutely respect her because she did everything on her own terms.
‘I don’t think Laura is vengeful, she did not want to bring Ibsen harm, she just wanted to set the record straight’
“But that’s the power of theatre – shaking things down – and Breach makes such incredible, innovative work. I’m really excited to see how Burning Down The House comes to life, as well as showcasing all the talent that Breach brings. It’s the full experience.”
As for criticism that Burning Down The House is trying to ruin Ibsen’s reputation, Kirsten says this is absolutely not the case: “We are not trying to tarnish Ibsen, just to bring Laura Kieler out of the shadows. This is not a vendetta. It’s about Laura and we hope Burning Down The House finally gives Laura her own space.”
‘This is not a vendetta. It’s about Laura and we hope Burning Down The House finally gives Laura her own space’
Burning Down The House runs until October 10 at The Schwarzman Centre with lots of wrap around events, pre and post discussions and Breach actors reading Laura Kieler’s A Man Of Honour on stage in English for the first time. BOOK HERE
