The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre (The Gamm) will present the premiere of “A Lie Agreed Upon” by Tony Estrella, a brand-new version of Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People.” The play will be aired live digitally on Friday, June 11, at 7:30 p.m. and be available through The Gamm’s website, gammtheatre.org/lie, for three days following the initial webcast.

“This play is really a lockdown creation,” says Tony Estrella, Gamm artistic director and author of the adaptation. “I started work on it in earnest last summer with the hope that it would somehow make it to the stage by year’s end. ‘Lie’ is as timely and relevant a play as I could imagine right now … it’s about a public health disaster, majority/mob rule and the nature and purpose of democracy itself.”

“A Lie Agreed Upon” marks Estrella’s third foray into adapting Ibsen’s work after “A Doll’s House” (2011) and “Hedda Gabler” (2014). “This is the most public of all of Ibsen’s plays,” Estrella explains. “‘Doll’s House’ and ‘Hedda’ use the domestic as a microcosm for the perils of the human condition, ‘Enemy’ reaches outside the home and takes society head on. This new version was evolving draft after draft along with and in response to the tumultuous events of this extraordinary year, from the onset of the pandemic through to the chaos surrounding the capital insurrection this past January. Ibsen’s masterwork is evergreen but never more timely than right now. This is definitely an ‘Enemy’ for 2021.”

Managing Director Amy Gravell looks forward to closing out the year with what The Gamm does best. “The Gamm has built its reputation around two things: Shakespeare, of course, and thought-provoking, challenging works about how we live now. We just celebrated Shakespeare’s 457th birthday with much fanfare at our annual gala and now we are so happy to bring you this immediate, up to the minute reworking of Ibsen’s classic for our last (fingers crossed) virtual production ever in this strange Season 36. To all our subscribers and patrons who have been patiently waiting for the real thing to return, we hope this will whet your appetite and get you excited for a live Season 37 beginning in October.”

The play is produced under the Theatre Authority agreement with Actors Equity Association (AEA) and will be offered to the community free of charge in concert with the Gamm’s year-end fundraising efforts.

For more information about the production, visit The Gamm’s website at www.gammtheatre.org/lie or call The Gamm at (401) 723-4266, ext. 161.