In 'An Enemy of the People', Henrik Ibsen places his main character, Dr. Thomas Stockman, in the role of an enlightened and persecuted minority of one confronting an ignorant, powerful majority. When the physician learns that the famous and financially successful baths in his hometown are contaminated, he insists they be shut down for expensive repairs. For his honesty, he is persecuted, ridiculed, and declared an 'enemy of the people' by the townspeople, including some who have been his closest allies. First staged in 1883, it remains one of the most frequently performed plays by a writer considered by many the 'father of modern drama'.
Henrik Ibsen is the Norwegian playwright deemed the 'father of realism'. Born in Skien, Norway, Ibsen was exiled in 1862 to Italy, where he wrote the tragedy Brand. After moving to Germany in 1868, he wrote A Doll's House, one of his most famous works; Hedda Gabler, the title character of which is one of the theater's most notorious roles; and many other plays.