Suzannah Digital Program

HERE FOR NOW THEATRE

August 19 - 30, 2026

CANADIAN PREMIERE www.herefornowtheatre.com 519.272.4368

WELCOME TO OUR 2026 SEASON I am thrilled to As the Executive welcome you to Director of Here an extraordinary For Now year of theatre.

Theatre, I am so Our 2026 season genuinely celebrates excited to be on curiosity, this journey with you. I have sat where you are courage, and the exhilarating sitting now, watching this artistry of taking bold creative company create something truly leaps. Each play in this year’s special, and I have felt the magic lineup is united by fearless that unfolds on this stage. imagination. These remarkable playwrights embrace risk in ways that feel fresh, daring, and deeply Together, we will continue our commitment to great actors, resonant. Their stories challenge thoughtful directors, strong expectations and invite us to see scripts, and performances that the world - and ourselves - from move us, now within this new perspectives. beautifully re-configured, intimate thrust space that brings As a company devoted to artists and audiences closer than developing new work, we believe ever before. theatre should be alive with possibility: a space where Thank you for believing in this work. Your support has made all boundaries are pushed, of this possible. With all of us narratives are expanded, and gathered here, sharing this space discovery happens night after night. This season embodies that and this moment, I know we will continue to create bold, powerful spirit. theatre in the Rose McQueen Performance Space, work that is I cannot wait to share these alive, daring, and deeply human. powerful stories with you.

Welcome to 2026.

Fiona Mongillo Artistic Director

Crystal L. Spicer Executive Director

SUZANNAH

by Jon Fosse (In English translation by Dr. May-Brit Akerholt) From Norwegian master playwright, poet, novelist and Nobel Laureate Jon Fosse comes Suzannah, an intimate and lyrical portrait of Henrik Ibsen’s remarkable wife.

Three Suzannahs (young, middle-aged, and old) share the stage, weaving memory, longing, and wit into a haunting exploration of love, art, and the cost of genius.

A rare English-language premiere and a coup for Here For Now audiences, Suzannah invites us inside the mind of a woman history nearly forgot.

A Note from the Artistic Director When I first read Suzannah, the thing that struck me most about it is this meditative, deeply intimate quality to the writing that feels like being invited into the most intimate part of a person’s internal world, in all its fractured complexities. The writing is quiet but incredibly evocative, and it stays with you.

The story centres on that all too familiar experience of a woman whose life has been spent in service of her husband’s genius. In generations past, women were not allowed to follow their own vocations, so highly creative and brilliant minds were often left to funnel that energy into supporting their husband’s work. The play asks a simple but profound question: what is she left with after a lifetime in service of someone else’s greatness?

This is not a world premiere, nor is it a new play, but I decided to program it because it is not the kind of production we typically see on Canadian stages. In fact, Nobel Prize winning playwright Jon Fosse has never been professionally produced in Canada and I feel honoured, and thrilled, that it is happening at Here For Now. Fiona Mongillo Artistic Director Here For Now Theatre

Show Sponsor: Claire Bickley and Mark Yakabuski Production Supporters: Brad Douglas and Tong Zhou, Edith and Marcel van Hulle, The Leonor and friends

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM Cast Rosemary Dunsmore* The Old Suzannah

Brianna Rodrigues The Young Suzannah

Jon Fosse Playwright

Peter Hinton-Davis* Director

Dr. May-Brit Akerholt Translator

Gerry Altenburg Hair and Wig Dressing Creator

Louise Guinand** Louise Designer

Christina Poddubiuk** Designer

Maev Beaty* The Middle-Aged Suzannah

Creative Team

Sam Snyders Stage Manager

Running Time: Approximately 70 minutes, with no intermission

Because of the close, immersive nature of our theatre, we’re unable to seat latecomers once the performance has started. For the same reason, we can’t offer re-entry if you step out during the show. We invite you to arrive early, settle in, and enjoy the full experience with us.

For more information about the show and to see production photos scan the QR code:

*The participation of these Artists is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance-Opera-Theatre Policy (DOT). **Indicated designers on this production are represented by the Associated Designers of Canada, Local ADC659

DIRECTOR’S NOTE Jon Fosse’s play, Suzannah, was inspired by the life of Suzannah Thoreson, who married Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. In the glare of Ibsen’s literary fame and influence, and in relation to her son Sigurd Ibsen, who would later become Prime Minister of Norway; Suzannah’s identity has long been in the shadows; variously portrayed as the neglected and abused victim, or the stable and nurturing hand behind the ‘father of modern drama’. Sometimes she is acknowledged as an intellectual and spiritual life force, deserving of independent attention. However, her link to the man she married would always predominate her history. An irony, given Ibsen’s most famous play exposes the systemic oppression inherent in the institution of marriage. A few days before her death, Suzannah reportedly said, " Ibsen had no steel in his character but I gave it to him.”

In Fosse’s play, three Suzannah’s are brought into the light and given voice; ‘A Kind of Monologue for Three Actors’ he calls it.

Perhaps Fosse was inspired by the book, The Three Ibsens; memories of Henrik Ibsen, Suzannah Ibsen and Sigurd Ibsen by Bergliot Bjørnson, (who married Sigurd in 1892 and was Suzannah’s daughter in law.) The book chronicles the lives of three distinct but interconnected family members and how they might also be considered as triplicate selves of the playwright, where one persona might illuminate an aspect of another kept hidden from public view. Suzannah, invites audiences to question the stability of the singular narrative. It provides the opportunity to challenge the status of historical figures and the viewpoints through which they are presented and others erased.

In the years following Ibsen’s death, Suzannah burned much of her personal correspondence, claiming it was ‘private’. The act of burning these letters is also the premise for Fosse’s imaginings and has strong similarities with Hedda Gabler’s act of destroying Løvborg’s manuscript in Ibsen’s play. Hedda’s act makes it possible for others to rewrite Løvborg’s history. In Suzannah, Fosse takes on a similar act of destruction and re-invention.

Since it is impossible to know the truth behind the marriage, Fosse explores its contradictions by using Suzannah’s assessment. The play dispenses with linear timelines and presents Suzannah in three times of her life simultaneously: the years of grieving him after his death, the years of struggle and poverty and betrayal in the midst of their marriage, and the young years of anticipating him before their engagement.

The memory of Ibsen is the core event.

It is a play about Ibsen in which Ibsen never appears.

Cont.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE CONT. Ibsen isn’t given the right to speak for himself; that right is given to Suzannah.

It was said that Suzannah was not only the wife of Ibsen’s genius, but its architect.

In her influential essay, ‘When We Dead Awaken: Writing as ReVison,’ Feminist poet Adrienne Rich analyzes Ibsen’s work to explore how male artists use women as artistic fodder, while simultaneously documenting a woman's slow, painful awakening to her own life. ‘We need to know the writing of the past,’ she writes, ‘but know it differently than we have ever known it; not to pass on a tradition but to break its hold over us.’

Peter Hinton-Davis Director

LIVING SECRETLY Paintings by Randi Helmers An exhibition in dialogue with two plays by Jon Fosse The Art-Show, now currently hanging in our lobby, draws its inspiration from contemporary Norwegian perspectives and specifically the plays of Jon Fosse. Living Secretly is the title of one of Fosse’s one-act plays; its theme of how we live ‘secretly’ and direct our lives from both being seen and not being seen, features centrally in all of Fosse’s writing and Suzannah in particular. The exhibit has been curated to complement our production.

As Randi says, “Painting, for me, is the main route into the deeper layers of my being, or my ‘secret heart’. The continuous conversation between Art and Life is cyclical, surprising, confounding, at times absurd, yet always meaningful.”

The exhibition features work culled from the artist’s 50 years of painting. Echoing the play, Randi gives us paintings from her younger, middle aged and older selves together. During this lifespan of painting, her work merges and transforms from realist portraiture, to abstract expressionism to mixed media works.

While so often we look for the similarities and connections as we pass through life; Randi’s work celebrates the differences. Her painting reveals how we depart and, in some ways, return to ourselves, through our art.

We invite you to explore Living Secretly either before or after the performance and experience a shared meditation on memory, identity, and the lives we keep hidden.

This art show is generously sponsored by Lily Delina Stinson.

SUZANNAH THORESEN - A BIOGRAPHY Suzannah Daae Ibsen (née Thoresen) was born 26 June 1836. After her mother, Sara’s, death in childbirth, her father, Hans Conrad Thoresen, married Danish-born governess, Magdalene Kragh, who was a poet, novelist and playwright. Suzannah lived in Bergen, where her father was dean of the historic Holy Cross Church.

After Henrik Ibsen’s first successful drama, The Feast at Solhaug, he was invited to one of Magdalene’s literary salons. It was there, he first met and fell in love with Suzannah. At this time, Ibsen was the stage director at the Norwegian Theatre. Suzannah became engaged to Henrik Ibsen in 1856 and they were married in 1858.

Suzannah spoke and translated into 6 languages, and was known for her deep literary knowledge and skill. Rather than pursue a career of her own, she channelled her knowledge and creativity into her husband, and is said to have "put the pen" in Ibsen's hand.

Their only child, Sigurd, was born in 1859. Sigurd later married Bergliot Bjørnson, the daughter of Ibsen’s great rival, Norwegian playwright Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. Curiously, Suzannah and Bergliot's mother, Karoline Bjørnson, had promised one another as girls that if one should have a son and the other a daughter, the two would marry.

Driven out of Norway by heavy debts, professional failures, and frustration with Scandinavian politics, the Ibsen's spent nearly three decades moving between Italy and Germany. This period of displacement allowed Ibsen to write his greatest masterpieces. In 1891, they permanently returned to Norway, ending 27 years of self-imposed exile. They left as impoverished outcasts and returned as international celebrities.

After Ibsen died in 1906, Suzannah lived as a widow, disabled from chronic rheumatism for nearly eight years until her own death in 1914, at the age of 77. During these final years, she managed her late husband's legacy, with her son, who served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1903 to 1905.

Suzannah was the inspiration for many of Ibsen's famous characters, including Mrs. Alving from Ghosts, Nora from A Doll's House, and Solveig from Peer Gynt. Her spirit and indefatigable intellect appear in almost every play.

SPECIAL THANKS TO Roger Greenwald and Ragna Sofia, Haui The Fashion History Museum Flowers donated by Anu McIntosh Murray and Michael Murray And we would like to dedicate this production to the memory of Marti Maraden.

COMPANY BIOGRAPHIES DR. MAY-BRIT AKERHOLT - TRANSLATOR Dr May Brit Akerholt has extensive experience as translator of drama, prose and poetry, as well as production dramaturg of classic and contemporary plays. More than 20 of her play translations, mainly but not exclusively from Norwegian, have been produced by leading theatre companies around Australia, and some overseas. Her published translations include several plays by Ibsen and Strindberg; plays by Jon Fosse: four volumes of plays (Oberon Books, London); two novels: The Boathouse; Trilogy; Essays; (Dalkey Archive Press/ Deep Vellum); and Poems, Shift Fox Press. Her most recent publications are translations of Ruth Lillegraven’s poems Sickle (Seagull Books), Mantra Contra Mantra a book of poetry by Ivar Orvedal and reprints of Jon Fosse’s novels Trilogy and The Boathouse. A number of her critical articles have been published in various books and journals.

GERRY ALTENBURG - HAIR AND WIG DRESSING CREATOR Gerry has been working with hair, wigs and makeup for more than 40 years.

His experiences spans to prominent theatres across North America, as well as many award winning film and television productions.

Since retiring in 2024 as the head of Wigs and Makeup at the Stratford Festival, Gerry continues to work on many projects provided there is fun and creativity to be had.

Thanks to Here For Now Theatre for the opportunity to work on this production.

MAEV BEATY - THE MIDDLE-AGED SUZANNAH Maev is thrilled to return to Here for Now after premiering Mark Crawford’s Ruby and the Reindeer, directed by Irene Poole, last holiday season. Maev’s played theatres across Turtle Island including Soulpepper, Canadian Stage, Tarragon, LaMama in NYC, and ten seasons at the Stratford Festival, most recently associate directing Graham Abbey on Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has starred in many classics and has originated roles in over two dozen Canadian premieres: Hannah Moscovitch’s Bunny, Michael Healey's Proud, Kate Hennig’s The Last Wife, and her co-creation Secret Life of a Mother, and is a multiple Dora Award winner & fifteen-time nominee. This winter she will premiere Erin Shields’ adaptation of All’s Well a novel by Mona Awad, at Crow’s Theatre. Films: Mouthpiece (Patricia Rozema); Beau is Afraid (Ari Aster), Dream Scenario (Kristoffer Borgli) and Black Phone 2 (Scott Derrickson).

COMPANY BIOGRAPHIES ROSEMARY DUNSMORE - THE OLD SUZANNAH Rosemary is an award winning actress, director and teacher. It’s a long beautiful blur of a career. Recent stage appearances in Stratford were The Saviour at Here for Now and at the Festival A Little Night Music, Tartuffe, Bakkhai ,The Front Page and in Toronto Wildwoman ( Soulpepper) and Public Enemy( Canadian Stage). Recent tv series work includes recurring roles in Orphan Black, Chucky, Three Pines, Fellow Travelers, Street Legal(2019), Scaredy Cats, and Good Sam. Recent feature films are To Catch a Killer, Catering Christmas, The Story of Love, The Baby Formula (Actra Best Actress Award). She appeared online in three award winning web-series- Guidestones,Ruby Skye P.I. and The Plateaus. She happily records the popular cartoons Paw Patrol and Netflix’ Unicorn Academy. She is well known as Katherine Brooke in the Anne of Green Gables series and as Mom P.I in the self-named CBC series. She directs theatre.

She has taught at the NationalTheatre School and independent workshops across the country. She was the Actor in Residence at the Canadian Film Centre for fifteen years. She was named to Maclean’s Magazine Honour Roll of Canadians Who Make a Difference.

JON FOSSE - PLAYWRIGHT Jon Fosse was born 1959 in Haugesund on the Norwegian west coast. His immense œuvre written in Nynorsk Norwegian and spanning a variety of genres consists of a wealth of plays, novels, short stories, poetry, essays, children’s books, and translations. His work has been translated into more than forty languages, and he is today one of the most widely performed playwrights in the world.

Jon Fosse has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Hedda Award, the most prestigious award in Norwegian theatre, and Austria’s Nestroy Theatre Prize for Best Play. In 2005 Jon Fosse was made a Commander in the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav and in 2007 he was made a Knight in France’s National Order of Merit. Jon Fosse was awarded the International Ibsen Award in 2010, the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2015, and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2023.

LOUISE GUINAND- LIGHTING DESIGNER Louise Guinand has designed lighting for over 600 shows. Her work has been seen on stages across Canada. She delights in the ever-changing nature of the theatre and the discoveries every new space and production brings.

Louise is pleased to be returning to Here For Now!

COMPANY BIOGRAPHIES RANDI HELMERS - VISUAL ARTIST Randi is a Canadian visual artist, actor, musician, and storyteller, of Norwegian ancestry. Selected highlights of her professional life begin with Fine Arts studies in Norway, Switzerland, Italy and Canada, and graduation as an Associate, with Honours, from the Ontario College of Art (AOCA’83). Her paintings have been exhibited at Peter MacKendrick Community Gallery, Wychwood Barns Art Markets, Queen Street West Art Crawl and Toronto inside Art Exposition/Metro Convention Centre.

She has been invited for many solo shows and especially in theatres which have played an important role in her creative life, including Tarragon Theatre, National Arts Center/Royal Norwegian Embassy, and Theatre Passe Muraille.

Her long career in the arts in Canada has been continually enhanced by her Norwegian heritage, allowing her to contribute to many Canadian/Norwegian cultural events. She was the Storyteller/Singer at the Royal Norwegian Embassy’s (RNE) 200th Anniversary Celebration of the Norwegian Constitution, in Ottawa, Norwegian Storyteller in the Sami Laavu, sponsored by the RNE for Winterlude, Ottawa, Norwegian Storyteller/singer at “On The Rocks” gala event, sponsored by the RNE at The Ottawa Art Gallery, Norwegian Music Director for The Ark: Ibsen on Fogo Island in Newfoundland, and participating guest of the RNE/Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study sponsored representation at the Ibsen Festival, Oslo, in 2008.

PETER HINTON-DAVIS - DIRECTOR Peter Hinton-Davis has directed over 250 projects for theatre and opera since 1984. Past directing credits include: Major Barbara, The Shadow of a Doubt, An Octoroon, Pygmalion, (Shaw Festival), Powers and Gloria, (Blyth Festival), A Doll’s House, (Segal Centre), The Hooves Belonged to the Deer by Makram Ayache (Tarragon/In Arms Collective), Das Rheingold, (Edmonton Opera), Hadrian by Rufus Wainwright/Daniel MacIvor (Canadian Opera Company).

Peter was Artistic Director of English Theatre at Canada’s National Arts Centre (2005-2012). He is the recipient of numerous Canadian theatre awards, and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2009.

COMPANY BIOGRAPHIES CHRISTINA PODDUBIUK - DESIGNER Christina Poddubiuk has designed many productions for classical theatre in Canada and the US, and has worked previously with Peter Hinton-Davis on Romeo and Juliet (National Arts Centre), Pygmalion (Shaw Festival), and A Tender Thing (Belfry Theatre). She is proud to have worked with many other prominent directors - including Marti Maraden (Stratford, Shaw, and Chicago Shakespeare), Christopher Newton (Shaw and Manitoba Theatre Centre) and Robin Phillips (Canadian Opera Company, the Citadel, and the inaugural season of Soulpepper). Thanks also to Joe Ziegler, Scott Wentworth, and all the directors, actors, designers and craftspeople who have shared a life in the theatre.

BRIANNA RODRIGUES - THE YOUNG SUZANNAH After participating in Not Just Empty Space’s reading last summer, Brianna is both so excited and so honoured to be returning to the Here For Now theatre stage sans script in her hands! Growing up in Montreal, Brianna’s biggest passion in life was the arts, which meant she always knew she wanted to be a part of what makes theatre so special. Be it through acting, singing, or lightly tapping her toes, she loves to entertain. Some of her other credits include Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Cat in the Hat in Seussical! The Musical. She would like to thank her partner and parents for their endless support, and Fiona Mongillo for giving her this chance to do what she loves.

SAM SNYDERS - STAGE MANAGER Sam is an emerging theatre artist from Mitchell, Ontario, glad to be back for his third season at Here For Now. Previously at HFN, Sam stage-managed Apples in Winter, Humour Me, Stick Around, The Saviour, and Paul and Linda Plan a Threesome, and sound-designed The Rules of Playing Risk. No stranger to the Rose McQueen Stage, Sam also played Aaron in last year's Forget About Tomorrow.

Other acting credits include Boris Trigorin in The Seagull (Strands of the Night), Pierre in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 (AUTS McGill), Jason in Medea (Player's Theatre) and Moe in Pomona (Moyse Hall). Sam recently graduated from McGill University with a BA in English: Drama & Theatre. Thank you, always, to his family and friends for their constant support.

HERE FOR NOW THEATRE Founded in 2012 by Artistic Director Fiona Mongillo, Here For Now Theatre began as a pop-up company in Stratford dedicated to bold contemporary plays and underrepresented voices. With a focus on intimate, actor-driven productions, the company quickly established a reputation for fearless storytelling and powerful performances.

In 2020, while theatres across the country were closed, Here For Now launched a groundbreaking outdoor repertory season on the lawns of The Bruce Hotel. The innovative season drew national attention and critical acclaim, creating a unique gathering place for artists and audiences at a time when live theatre felt especially vital.

In the years that followed, the company continued to grow its national profile, commissioning and developing new plays while building a loyal and expanding audience.

In 2025, Here For Now opened its permanent 60-seat home in the beautifully restored Perth County Registry Office and unveiled the Rose McQueen Performance Space.

Today, Here For Now produces year-round programming that champions daring new work and the immediacy of live performance, bringing audiences together for powerful, intimate theatre in the heart of Stratford.

HERE FOR NOW TEAM Fiona Mongillo | Artistic Director Crystal L. Spicer | Executive Director Siobhan O’Malley | Artistic Associate & Marketing Coordinator Adam Steinbach | Technical Coordinator Jocelyn Nicholson | Social Media & Audience Experience Coordinator Mark Uhre | 2026 Season Artwork Sara-Jeanne Hosie | Show Images Ann Baggley | Production Photography Siobhan O’Malley | Promotional Photography Jocelyn Nicholson and Fawn Adair| Trailers Tabworks | Bookkeeping & Payroll

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Susan Moffat | Chair Frances O’Malley | Past Chair Alix Grice | Secretary Laura Dinner | Treasurer Jessica B. Hill | Artist Representative Dr. Patrick Smith

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT We acknowledge that our theatre stands on the traditional territory of the Anishnabek, Haudenosaunee, and Ojibway/Chippewa peoples. We recognize the enduring presence and deep artistic traditions of Indigenous communities in this space and across Turtle Island.

As storytellers, we honour the generations of knowledge keepers, artists, and caretakers who have shaped this land’s history. We commit to listening, learning, and building meaningful relationships as we share and celebrate the power of theatre, and invite you to do the same.

Thank you to our Sponsors Foundation Sponsor The William and Nona Heaslip Foundation Season Sponsors Larry Beare Sylvia Chrominska Bill and Janet L’Heureux Kelly and Scott Morrison Beverly and Douglas Valentine Technical Equipment Sponsor Robert Lott and Dr. Anne Robinson

Workshop and Development Sponsor Bob and Martie Sachs

Limited Engagement Series Sponsor Laura Dinner and Richard Rooney

Suzannah Show Sponsor Claire Bickley and Mark Yakabuski Suzannah Production Supporters Brad Douglas and Tong Zhou. Edith and Marcel van Hulle The Leonor and friends

Coming up next in 2026 ....

2026 CONTACT US 24 St Andrew St. Stratford, ON www.herefornowtheatre.com 519.272.HFNT (4368) @herefornowtheatreco

www.facebook.com/ herefornowtheatreco