Fraser Hoffman on the local adaptation of Ibsen's An Enemy Of The People

An Enemy of the People, Henrik Ibsen's play about a medical officer who discovers contaminated water at a local spa and finds himself crushed by the forces protecting economic interests, has been adapted by Aaron Richardson of Fly Leaf Theatre Company and set in a small Canterbury town. Fraser Hoffman, who plays Dr Thomas Stockmann, says he's found examples of this exact situation playing out in New Zealand at a high-profile level, and that the Canterbury setting puts water, farming and the country's clean green image at the centre in a way that feels uncomfortably close. The show runs at Q Theatre Loft 12 to 22 August.