A Master Builder

A Master Builder is published by Theatre Communications Group, Inc.,

520 Eighth Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10018-4156

All Rights Reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio or television reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that this material, being fully protected under the Copyright Laws of the United States of America and all other countries of the Berne and Universal Copyright Conventions, is subject to a royalty. All rights, including but not limited to, professional, amateur, recording, motion picture, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio and television broadcasting, and the rights of translation into foreign languages are expressly reserved. Particular emphasis is placed on the question of readings and all uses of this book by educational institutions, permission for which must be secured from the author’s agent: George Lane, Creative Artists Agency, 405 Lexington Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10174, (212) 277-9000.

The publication of A Master Builder, by Wallace Shawn, through TCG’s Book Program, is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Special thanks to Jujamcyn Theaters for their generous support of this publication.

TCG books are exclusively distributed to the book trade by Consortium Book Sales and Distribution.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Ibsen, Henrik, 1828–1906.

[Bygmester Solness. English.]

A Master Builder / by Henrik Ibsen ; translated and adapted by Wallace Shawn.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-55936-756-1 (ebook)

I. Shawn, Wallace. II. Title.

PT8859.A31 2013

839.822’6—dc23 2013039473

Text design and composition by Lisa Govan

Cover design by Mark Melnick

Front cover: Lisa Joyce, Wallace Shawn and Julie Hagerty in A Master Builder, a film by Jonathan Demme, created for the stage by André Gregory; cinematography by Declan Quinn / Courtesy of the Ibsen Project LLC © 2014. Back cover: photographs by YouWorkForThem.

First Edition, June 2014