Beginning on October 20 and running through November 23, 2025, Theater J brings Amy Herzog’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People to the stage. Fresh off its run as a Broadway sensation, this production will be directed by János Szász, who brings an original and dreamlike artistic vision to the work.
Drama Desk Award winner for Outstanding Adaptation and recent Broadway sensation, Amy Herzog’s adaptation unearths the relevance of Ibsen’s tale for our time, weighing the cost of standing up to power when pressured into silence. Ibsen’s tale highlights the reverberating power of citizens who go against the status quo to do what’s right by their community. The story raises powerful questions around the importance of keeping society healthy over economic gain, integrity within influence, and the personal cost of speaking up.
An Enemy of the People follows a small-town doctor who considers himself a proud, upstanding member of his close-knit community. When he discovers a catastrophe that risks the lives of everyone in town, he raises the alarm. But the doctor is shaken to his core when those in power, including his own brother, try not only to silence him, but to destroy him.
Director János Szász is a Hungarian director of both film and theater as well as a screenwriter. He has directed eleven films, including works that have screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Szász was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for directing Angels in America at Arena Stage in 2024. Szász brings great wisdom to the subject matter of the play, having fled his native Hungary in recent years to escape the authoritarian crackdown by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The cast of An Enemy of the People is led by Joey Collins (Dr. Thomas Stockmann) who has appeared on and off-Broadway in works by and with Tracy Letts, Jessica Lange, Richard Thomas, Jeff Daniels, and more. The cast is rounded out by Reese Cowley (Petra Stockmann), Edward Gero (Peter Stockmann), Aaron Bliden (Hovstad), Jeremy Crawford (Billing), Dylan Arredondo (Aslaksen), Nicholas Yenson (Captain Horster) and Stephen Patrick Martin (Morten Kiil).
“An Enemy of the People is a potent reminder of the power of an individual to speak the truth,” says Theater J Artistic Director, Hayley Finn. “Theater J is excited to stage the DC premiere of Amy Herzog’s sharp new adaptation, directed by Janos Szasz. With the team of artists assembled to tackle this brilliant work, it should be a performance to remember.”
To purchase tickets for An Enemy of the People, please visit theaterj.org or call the ticket office at 202-777-3210. Single ticket prices for regular tickets start at $69. Discount tickets are available for groups of 8+, EDCJCC members, preview performances, students, educators, military personnel and U.S. veterans. $5 Community Access Tickets are available to individuals who receive government assistance through state-issued EBT cards (EBT is not accepted as a form of payment, only as proof of status).
About Theater J
Theater J is a nationally renowned professional theater that celebrates, explores, and struggles with the complexities and nuances of both the Jewish experience and the universal human condition. As the nation’s largest and most prominent Jewish theater, Theater J aims to preserve and expand a rich Jewish theatrical tradition and to create community and commonality through theatergoing experiences.
About the Edlavitch DCJCC
Theater J is a proud program of the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center (EDCJCC). Guided by Jewish values and heritage, the EDCJCC engages individuals and families through its cultural, recreational, educational, and social justice programs by welcoming people of all backgrounds to connect, learn, serve, and be entertained together in ways that reflect the unique role of the Center in the nation’s capital.
