Hedda Gabler would be a bad valentine; she is disgusted by her life, dislikes her husband and goes out of her way to do whatever she can to make herself feel powerful, even if it means destroying relationships.

"Hedda Gabler," the first mainstage theater production of Winter Quarter, studies the frustrating relationship the title character (played by graduate student Brandy Burre) has with her husband and society.

Tom Beck, a third-year graduate student in the Masters of Fine Arts directing program, directs the play. Beck also directed the mainstage production "Ruffian on the Stair" last year.

Hiroshi Yamauchi/THE POST
Actors in the School of Theater perform the play "Hedda Gabbler" in Elizabeth Evans Baker Theater in Kantner Hall. The play, written by Henrik Ibsen and directed by Tom Beck, will open tomorrow at 8 pm.

"Hedda Gabler" was written by Henrik Ibsen, who is known worldwide as the father of modern psychological drama. The set is decorated simply and arranged to provide a greater feeling of Hedda's perceived confinement. The sitting room, where all the scenes take place, is very enclosed and painted a deep blue. In the minimalist set even the furniture is upholstered in the same oppressive color.

The set was a collaboration between Beck and scenic designer Doug Moore, a fine arts graduate student.

"We wanted to paint a canvas upon which all the characters could reside," Beck said.

Hedda feels repressed, smothered and bored in her life, mostly because she has recently married George Tesman (graduate student Scott Thewes).

Tesman is a very gentle man whose only concern is enjoying his life and doing the appropriate things in society, Thewes said.

"Tesman is the strongest comic character and gives a lighter aspect to an otherwise serious play," he said.

As the daughter of a wealthy general, Hedda is accustomed to the morals and society of the upper class and was raised to have power. Once she marries, she is thrust into a world where she is powerless

"Hedda was raised to be a portrait of society, but nobody bothered to fill the inside of her soul," Burre said.

Therefore, her goal is to be in control of and mold the character of a man. Since she cannot shape her husband, whom she feels is a bore, she moves on to an old friend and lover, Eliert Lovborg (graduate student David Rzeszutek). But her attempt to control Lovborg and others results in chaos and unfavorable results.

Ibsen is noted for using selective realism, where the acting style juxtaposes the set and costume elements.

"In the play, Hedda is a modern woman - an international woman, while the rest of the characters are dated twenty years back," Beck said.

"There is an interesting dichotomy in Hedda's character," he said. "She is a modern woman, yet she is unable to adapt to her current situation. "

"This show is cast more like professional theater in the sense that everyone has a very high proficiency and skill level," Beck said. "It's a treat to work with people bringing so much into the process. You don't often get a cast like that.

"I look at every play as a puzzle to be solved, and I need to decide what is the best way to put the puzzle together," he said.

Hedda Gabler will preview at 8 p.m. on Thursday, and opens 8 p.m. Friday, with performances February 14, and Feb. 18 to Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. and a matinee Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. All performances will be held in the Baker Theater in Kantner Hall. Tickets cost $6 for students and seniors and $8 for regular admission.

To purchase tickets call 593-4800 or stop by the Fine Arts Ticket Office in Kantner Hall, Monday through Friday from noon to four p.m.