Rita Bhatia on directing A DOLL’S HOUSE
When I first said yes to directing A Doll’s House, I told myself, how hard can it be? It’s a living room in Silicon Valley. A few chairs, Diwali around the corner and a bit of shopping. Maybe a door that slams.
I was, of course, completely wrong.
Setting the play in 2011 Silicon Valley felt like a provocation at first. This was the world of startup optimism, of disruption and reinvention, of the future being built in someone’s garage. And yet here is Naina — bright, warm, resourceful, yet still navigating the oldest of constraints inside the most modern of households. The irony, it turns out, is the point.
What Ibsen wrote in 1879 turns out to be one of the most quietly explosive pieces of theatre ever put on a stage. And directing it has been one of the most rewarding, humbling, and genuinely joyful experiences of my creative life.
This production has been a journey of questions more than answers. What does it mean to go through life playing a role for the people who love you? When does "keeping the peace" become "losing yourself"? Naina’s story isn’t a period piece — it’s a mirror. And the closer we got to it in rehearsal, the more it reflected something true about all of us in the room.
I have learnt, above all, to trust the play. And to trust the people in it.
Our cast is, quite simply, wonderful. They are hardworking, generous, and sincere in every moment they bring to this story. They have asked the difficult questions, sat in discomfort, but every single time, turned up, ready to go deeper. It has been a genuine privilege to work with them.
Enormous kudos also to our extraordinary production team. The designers, stage managers, crew, and every behind-the-scenes hand that helped bring this world to life. Theatre is an act of collective faith, and this team never stopped believing.
To our audience: I hope you find something of yourself in Naina’s living room. I hope, by the end, you feel the door close. And ask yourself what you might do next.
Enjoy the show.
Rita Bhatia
Director