Ambition, desire and the price of success take centre stage at London’s Arcola Theatre, where Mehmet Ergen directs a new production of Henrik Ibsen’s The Master Builder, starring Olivier-nominated actor Greg Hicks.
Now running until 21 November, the production brings David Edgar’s adaptation of the Norwegian playwright’s classic to the intimate Dalston venue.
Hicks plays Halvard Solness, a celebrated architect whose professional achievements conceal deep anxieties about his future. Threatened by younger rivals and haunted by his past, he finds his carefully controlled world unsettled by the arrival of Hilde Wangel, a young woman determined to remind him of a promise made ten years earlier.
Written in 1892, The Master Builder is one of Ibsen’s later plays, exploring the dangerous territory where personal ambition, guilt and desire meet. Its questions about power, ageing and what people sacrifice to secure their legacy remain readily recognisable more than a century later.
For Ergen (pictured below), the production continues a career that has helped shape London’s theatre landscape while maintaining strong creative ties with Türkiye. Originally from Istanbul, he co-founded Arcola with fellow theatre-maker Leyla Nazli in 2000, transforming a disused clothing factory in Dalston into a home for ambitious drama. Together, they built a theatre rooted in its diverse East London neighbourhood, welcoming local communities alongside established performers and emerging talent.
His achievements extend beyond Arcola: he was also a co-founder and the first Artistic Director of Southwark Playhouse, and founded Istanbul’s Talimhane Tiyatrosu. His work spans plays, musical theatre and opera, including Arcola’s Grimeborn festival, which he founded and co-curates.
The Master Builder reunites Ergen with Hicks following their sold-out Arcola productions of An Enemy of the People and Richard III.
Alongside Hicks, rising talent Louisa Binder, whose screen credits include Amazon’s Your Fault: London, plays the enigmatic Hilde. Award-winning actor Sally George (People, Places and Things, National Theatre) takes the role of Solness’s wife Aline, while Jade Williams, known for playing Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe and on tour, appears as Kaja Fosli.
Louisa Binder in The Master Builder at the Arcola. Photo © Alex Brenner
Ryan Wichert (The Queen’s Gambit, Netflix) and Robin Hooper (The Office, BBC) play son and father Ragnar and Knut Brovik. Peter Guinness, previously seen in Arcola’s Richard III, plays Doctor Herdal, with Josh Picton joining the company as understudy Ragnar.
The combination of an experienced director, a distinguished leading actor and an ensemble spanning generations offers plenty of reasons to discover — or revisit — Ibsen’s unsettling drama.
Theatre details
Production: The Master Builder
Dates: 16 October–21 November 2026
Venue: Studio 1, Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL
Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes, including an interval
Times: Evening performance start times vary, either at 7pm or 7.30pm; matinees at 2.30pm. Check the booking calendar for details.
Admission: Age guidance: 13+
Tickets: £12–£39; concessions and Pay What You Can Tuesdays available
Information and booking: visit the venue website or call the box office: 020 7503 1646.
