A riveting drama about prejudice and identity

Svenska Teatern was the first Nordic theatre to stage Robert Icke’s internationally acclaimed play The Doctor (Läkaren), based on Arthur Schnitzler’s classic Professor Bernhardi. The play was directed by Saana Lavaste, Professor of Directing at the University of the Arts Helsinki, and translated to Swedish by Hanna Åkerfelt.

The play tells the story of doctor, Ruth Wolff, a leading force in Alzheimer research, and her fateful decision to not allow a Catholic priest access to a dying patient in order to administer the final rites. The play is constructed on the idea of cross-casting, where actors perform characters with a different gender and/or racial identity than their own. Svenska Teatern’s team worked closely with trans- and BIPOC-representation consultants during the production process.

Reviews (in Swedish and Finnish):

Nykyajan noitavaino (Suomen Kuvalehti)

Svenska Teaternin Läkaren vie katsojan ajankohtaisen identiteettipolitiikan ja canceloinnin syövereihin (Voima-lehti)

Hur förstår vi oss själva? (Ny Tid)