By Charles Paolino
originally published: 11/19/2018
Betsy Aidem has seen the stage from both sides now.
An award-winning actress, Aidem is taking her first professional turn as a director, guiding the George Street Playhouse production of Lucas Hnath’s comedy A Doll’s House, Part 2.
The play, which was nominated for eight Tony Awards in 2017 and scored the best-actress award for Laurie Metcalf, will be on stage from November 27 to December 23 at George Street’s temporary quarters, 103 College Farm Road, New Brunswick.
“Part 2” in the title refers to the fact that Hnath has written what Aidem describes as a “clever reprisal” of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, which first appeared in Copenhagen in 1879.
Ibsen’s play was controversial at the time, because it critically exposed the subordinate and circumscribed position to which women were consigned in late 19th-century Europe—when, as Aidem describes it, “the options for women were governess, wife, or prostitute.”
In that play, inspired by actual events, Nora Helmer, without the knowledge of her husband, Torvald, has fraudulently obtained a loan to pay for medical care that saved his life. Now she is threatened with exposure, and when she desperately turns to him for help, she finds him more concerned about scandal than he is grateful for what she did on his behalf.
Fed up with Torvald’s patronizing and stifling attitude, Nora turns her back on him and their children and strikes out on her own—a revolutionary step for a woman of that time.
Nora slams the door as she leaves in a gesture that George Bernard Shaw described as “the end of a chapter in human history” and Aidem calls “the birth of modern drama.”
Hnath’s play, which is being presented at 27 theaters across the country this season, begins with a knock on that same door 15 years later.
Enter Nora—subjugated wife turned feminist writer—who has come to ask Torvald for what she thinks is a simple favor: she wants him to finally divorce her, something she thought he had done a long time before.
Nora’s mission draws her into spirited dialogues with Ann Marie (Ann McDonough), the nanny she left behind along with the Helmer children; Emmy (Lily Santiago), one of those children—now an adult; and Torvald himself (Andrew Garman).
In what Aidem describes as a “character-driven dilemma,” each of these personalities reveals a personal agenda that casts a different light on Nora’s situation.
Despite the complex premises of Ibsen’s play, Aidem endorses what the publicity says: It is not necessary to have seen Ibsen in order to appreciate Hnath, whose work stands on its own.
By her account, Aidem was encouraged by David Saint, artistic director at George Street, to take on “Part 2.” Saint has directed her in three productions at the playhouse.
“I directed a new play at NYU about three years ago,” said Aidem, who is an adjunct instructor at the New York university. “I had a wonderful time doing it, and I said, ‘I like this!’ But, you know, then you get busy with your career ….”
Still, she said, her work in the academic sphere laid important groundwork for her professional debut as a director: “Teaching was how I got my first sense of how to help shape a scene, help the actors hunt down a story and bring their truth to it. It segued in a natural way to direction.”
She used the word ‘help’ twice in that sentence, and the word does reflect her view of the relationship between director and actors, a relationship defined not by dictating but by helping.
Theater is a collaborative art form, Aidem said, in which the director has to think about every component of the production.
With respect to the cast, “You have a sense of what you want the overall story to be,” she said, “and you want to invite the actors to tell that story with as much of their own interpretation as possible.’’
She described an exchange in which she told Garman that she didn’t think he was applying her input to a certain passage in the play, and he said that was because he didn’t agree with her take.
“We each thought the writer was making a different point,” Aidem explained. “I said, ‘I’m willing to yield to you.’ Some things I’ll fight for, because I have a strong opinion, but I like when they come in with ideas. I admire every one of them, and I don’t want to take away their impulses.’’
Aidem has no trouble seeing things from an actor’s point of view.
She has won an Obie and a Drama Desk Award and has a resume that spans the stage, television, and motion pictures.
So, as she directs this production, does she sometimes visualize herself in the role of Nora?
“I’ve tried really hard to not do that,’’ she said. “Kellie is a formidable actress with instincts of her own that I think are really brilliant. She’s really bright. If I got into ‘How would I play the part?’ it would be so destructive.
“And this is a more exciting opportunity—to shape the whole story with all of the actors rather than staying in my own lane.”
To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the George Street Playhouse website at www.GeorgeStreetPlayhouse.org, or call the box office at 732-246-7717.
About the author:
For more by Charles Paolino, visit
his blog.
George Street Playhouse Presents Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-woman Show
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 7:30pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJWritten by and starring
Vicki Lawrence Two Performances Only
Vicki Lawrence, the legendary actress, comedian, and singer, brings her signature wit and charm to the stage in Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. Best known for her iconic role as Thelma Harper, or "Mama," from The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family, Lawrence delivers a hilarious and heartfelt performance that takes audiences on a journey through her extraordinary career. From her Emmy-winning years alongside Carol Burnett to her chart-topping hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” she shares behind-the-scenes stories, comedy, and music—all with her trademark humor. Whether reminiscing about her Hollywood adventures or embodying the feisty Mama, Lawrence proves that laughter is timeless.
Kean Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJMusic and lyrics by
Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Princeton’s Famous Triangle Show: Roswell That Ends Well
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 8:00pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Matthews Theatre)
91 University Place, Princeton, NJIf you’re feeling all alone in the universe – or even if you’re not – Triangle’s newest musical comedy is for you! Join us as Triangle explores what it means to have friends in high – or should we say “sky”? – places. Extraterrestrial visitors, crazy conspiracy theories, and intergalactic shenanigans power this year’s annual laugh-fest of witty jokes, lavish production numbers, and, of course, Triangle’s famous kickline. Can interplanetary goodwill blossom in the dystopian desert of our current times? Get your Triangle tickets now and learn if
Roswell That Ends Well!
George Street Playhouse Presents Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-woman Show
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 2:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJWritten by and starring
Vicki Lawrence Two Performances Only
Vicki Lawrence, the legendary actress, comedian, and singer, brings her signature wit and charm to the stage in Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. Best known for her iconic role as Thelma Harper, or "Mama," from The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family, Lawrence delivers a hilarious and heartfelt performance that takes audiences on a journey through her extraordinary career. From her Emmy-winning years alongside Carol Burnett to her chart-topping hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” she shares behind-the-scenes stories, comedy, and music—all with her trademark humor. Whether reminiscing about her Hollywood adventures or embodying the feisty Mama, Lawrence proves that laughter is timeless.
Kean Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJMusic and lyrics by
Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
EVENT PREVIEWS
Theater League of Clifton presents "1776" in November
(WAYNE, NJ) -- Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of opinionated, stubborn and deeply divided delegates gathered in Philadelphia and somehow managed to create a new nation. This November, the Theater League of Clifton brings their story to the stage with 1776, the Tony Award-winning musical about the tumultuous days leading to the Declaration of Independence. Directed by Maren Sugarman, the production will be presented November 13–15, 2026, at the Wayne Community Center.
Lomotion Live presents "Etiquette" by David Lee White
(BOONTON, NJ) -- Lomotion Live presents Etiquette, a timely and biting comedy by playwright David Lee White, directed by Lauren Moran. The production will run November 13–15, 2026 at Lomotion Live at Parsippany Arts Center in Boonton.
NJ Rep presents Theatre Brut Short Play Festival 2026: "Through The Window"
(LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- What happens when we look through a window? Do we see the world as it really is, the world as we wish it could be, or something we never expected? New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) invites audiences to discover the unexpected with NJ Rep presents Theatre Brut Short Play Festival 2026: "Through The Window" a festival of eight original short plays presented over two weekends, November 13–15 and November 20–22, 2026 at the West End Arts Center in Long Branch.
Bridge Players Theatre Company presents "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical"
(BURLINGTON, NJ) -- Bridge Players Theatre Company presents The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical weekends from November 13-28, 2026. In this musical adaptation of the funny and touching holiday classic, The Herdmans – widely known as the "worst kids in the history of the world" – crash Sunday School lured by the promise of free snacks and end up hijacking the annual church Christmas pageant!
For the Whim Productions presents William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
(BRIDGETON, NJ) -- For the Whim Productions presents William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream from November 13-20, 2026 at the Ashley McCormick Theatre in the Hopeloft in Bridgeton. A whimsical comedy where fairies, lovers, actors, and our audience collide in an enchanted forest, blending magic, romance, and mischief. The production is directed by Heidi Dugan.
The Maplewood Strollers presents "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
(MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Maplewood Strollers present Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street weekends from November 13-22, 2026. Attend the dark, witty and Tony Award-winning tale of love, murder and revenge set against the backdrop of 19th century London.
Readington Community Theatre presents "Anatomy of a Murder"
(WHITEHOUSE STATION, NJ) -- Readington Community Theatre presents Anatomy of a Murder by Elihu Winer across two weekends from November 13-22, 2026 at Rockaway Reformed Church. In a quiet town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a small-time lawyer is pulled into a sensational case that quickly grips the entire community.
The Barn Theatre presents Roald Dahl's "Matilda, the Musical"
(MONTVILLE, NJ) -- The Barn Theatre presents Roald Dahl's Matilda, the Musical weekends from November 13 to December 5, 2026. The story of an extraordinary girl who dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.
Villagers Theatre presents "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot"
(SOMERSET, NJ) -- Villagers Theatre presents The Last Days of Judas Iscariot in The Andrew Russoniello Black Box weekends from November 13-21, 2026. Set in a time-bending, darkly comic world between heaven and hell, the play reexamines the plight and fate of the New Testament’s most infamous and unexplained sinner.
Holmdel Theatre Company presents "Love, Loss, and What I Wore"
(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- Holmdel Theatre Company presents Love, Loss, and What I Wore from November 13-15, 2026. Told through a series of personal stories and monologues, Love, Loss, and What I Wore reveals how the clothes we wear often become intertwined with who we are and the moments we never forget. The show celebrates the humor and heartbreak of everyday life, reminding audiences that while fashion trends may come and go, the experiences that connect us are timeless.
