‘An element of pride’: Spokane Civic Theatre presents ‘An Enemy of the People’

It only takes one voice to spark a change, but being the one to speak out can be daunting when facing a system built to protect itself, not the people it serves.

In “An Enemy of the People,” that one voice belongs to Dr. Thomas Stockmann.

Stockmann (Thor Edgell), the medical officer of a new spa in his small town, is concerned by findings that the water in the spa baths is contaminated with bacteria. To get the word out, Stockmann writes an article, which Hovstad (Jon Jordan), the editor of the newspaper, agrees to print.

Hovstad tells Stockmann that revealing the truth about the water quality might force the baths to close, hurting the town’s economy. This worries Stockmann, but in the end, he is proud of preventing the harm that could have come from people bathing in the contaminated water.

The next day, Stockmann’s father-in-law Morton Kill (Gary Pierce) visits, congratulating the doctor on what he’s sure is a prank, thinking no one will believe the baths are contaminated. Hovstad and the printer Aslaksen (Matt Cardoza) arrive next and double-down on their commitment to Stockmann, sharing that the newspaper wants to expose the corruption of the town’s government, starting with this article.

Stockmann’s brother Peter (James Gallo), the mayor, is the next to arrive, but he’s singing a different tune, telling Stockmann there will be consequences for him and his family if he doesn’t retract the article and solve the problem with the baths quietly.

Stockmann then must figure out his next steps after realizing people in power, including his brother, are trying to silence him and turn the community against him.

“An Enemy of the People” also stars Rebecca Craven (Catherine Stockmann), Ahnika Klimper (Petra Stockmann), Cayla Hoke (Brina Stockmann), Liam Archer Lundberg (Morten Stockmann), Trevor Caragan (Billing) and Maxwell Nightser (Captain Horster).

With the community getting more and more angry with Stockmann, director Melody Deatherage felt it important to cast a strong family unit, one that was supportive but also able to speak their minds amongst one another.

“Catherine, the wife to Dr. Stockmann, might not necessarily agree with him, but it’s about ‘We’ve got to keep the family together and protect each other,’ ” she said.

“An Enemy of the People,” which opens Friday and runs through Nov. 3 at Spokane Civic Theatre, was written by Henrik Ibsen in 1882 and adapted by Arthur Miller in the 1950s. Civic’s production follows Miller’s adaptation.

Deatherage said Miller’s version is more conversational and accessible for modern audiences.

“He finds a way to make it so pointed for what we’re dealing with and what we face in our current lives,” she said.

With an overarching theme of searching for the truth, “An Enemy of the People” illustrates the tensions that can arise when a strong voice is met with a disagreeing majority.

Stockmann wants to fix, not remove, the baths, but the townspeople are worried about how that will affect their economy. It’s then a matter of figuring out what fixing the baths entails and who is going to pay for it. Deatherage said it’s a domino effect that leads to the question of who is right – Stockmann for wanting to protect the townspeople in the long run or Peter, the mayor who wants to protect the town.

Similar incidents have plagued the world for centuries, from the time of Ibsen’s original to Miller’s adaptation to Deatherage’s production.

Before beginning work on this play, which was originally slated to be part of the season that was canceled because of COVID-19, Deatherage thought about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, the Love Canal disaster in Niagara Falls, New York, and the groundwater contamination in Hinkley, California.

She sees “An Enemy of the People” as not only a post-COVID commentary, but also as a story that will stay relevant as long as people affected by illness or the environment continue to stand up against corporate or political opposition.

“You consider it was written in 1882, and (Ibsen) wrote it in response to what was happening in his world at that time. And we continue to see the same kinds of situations play out, and it’s because of human nature. We think we evolve and become enlightened, and then something happens, like we have the Flint, Michigan water crisis, and ‘OK, who’s going to pay for that?’ then we move on from that.”

The continuation of this perceived enlightenment turning to disregard for the welfare of a community had led Deatherage to think about what drives people. In the case of Peter and even Stockmann, there’s a little bit of ego behind their protests, with neither wanting to be the first to back down. But ultimately Stockmann moves past that hubris and towards thinking of the greater good and protecting those he cares about.

“An Enemy of the People” is a good reminder that there are still issues between those who think like Stockmann and those who think like Peter, Deatherage said, and that there will always be the need for one strong voice.

“It’s still an element of pride, but then pride becomes imbalanced with a desire to really help people,” she said. “We know it’s important to remind ourselves that this is still part of our world, the lack of humanity or pro-humanity.”