Public Programs
Gnit, by Will Eno, is a timely and lively adaptation and examination of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. At this unique moment in U.S. history, where we stand at a national crossroads wondering just where to turn, and why, the questions and problems raised by Gnit and its main character Peter (read by Michael C. Hall) are all-too-relevant and all-too-alive. Is the “Search for the Self” a journey we need to consciously, actively go on, or is it just something that happens by reason of being alive and trying our best? Where do “rugged individualism” and “being a good person” meet? “If ever a play made me want to be a better person, this is it,” wrote the Omaha World-Herald. But along the harsh and difficult way, there are plenty of big and serious laughs. When Gnit made its world premiere at Louisville’s Humana Festival of New American Plays in 2013, The New York Times wrote, “After climbing the craggy peaks of Ibsen’s daunting play, Mr. Eno has brought down from its dizzying heights a surprisingly crowd-pleasing (if still strange) work.” Come for the laughs, stay for the harrowing existential despair, and then stay a little more, for the visions of hope, happiness, and community.
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The Studio is supported by a leadership grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and by matching funds from the Booth Ferris Foundation.