Ghosts

The whole country must be full of ghosts, the whole world. And we live in constant fear of them. All of us. I’m haunted by ghosts, you see. And I think I’ll never be free of them.Helen Alving spent years creating the illusion of a happy marriage to a successful, charming man. Long after his death, she is still trapped by the emotional after-effects of the truth – that he was a serial adulterer and a reckless alcoholic. Stifled by obligations and expectations, Helen resolves to exorcise the ghosts of the past and free herself from the regrets that haunt her. But when her artist son Oswald returns home, it becomes clear that he has already paid the price for his father’s past.Some legacies are impossible to escape. Some ghosts can never be laid to rest. David Watson’s adaptation of Ibsen’s Ghosts opened at the Home Theatre, Manchester, in November 2016.

David Watson is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His work has been staged at venues including the Royal Court and the Bush in London, and Manhattan Theatre Club in New York. Currently he is under commission to the Birmingham Rep and the Royal Court, and is also collaborating on new musical and film projects. He lives in North-East London with his wife and son.