A story of great emotional power. A story about the search for self and individual freedom. A story about what remains when the waves calm down—and about what continues to call out.
Ellida Wangel: a woman trapped in the confines of a conventional life, driven by an irrepressible, undefined longing—a longing for something she herself cannot quite grasp or name. Again and again, the doctor's wife's thoughts drift out to the water, to the wild ocean, to the open sea: to a past that she cannot let go of. Suffocated by her husband's security and care, she finds herself haunted by the memory of an old love. A sailor who once took a promise from her has returned after many years. And Ellida reaches a turning point that could change her life and that of her family forever.
THE WOMAN FROM THE SEA raises questions of existential urgency. What does it mean to lead a self-determined life? How much freedom can a relationship tolerate? And can one ever completely break free from the past?
It is about autonomy, the right to follow one's own path, independent of social expectations. But while Ibsen's protagonists often wage this struggle with defiance or open rebellion, Ellida's conflict is quieter, more internal. Her longing does not cry out loudly; it grows and gradually takes up more space, deep within her, day by day, urgent and inevitable.
Premiere February 21,
Further performances: February 24 and 27, May 2, 3, and 13, 2026
