The theater department at the University of Maine is celebrating 100 years of productions at the state’s flagship school of higher learning. How fitting that Sandra Hardy, an associate professor who teaches acting and dramatic literature, chose one of Henrik Ibsen’s more than 100-year-old works to mark the occasion.

The prolific Norwegian playwright left one foot dangling in the 19th century, where he lived most of his life, but planted the other firmly in the 20th. Nowhere is that more evident than in the roles he wrote for women. Few male writers then understood how women were hemmed in and held back by society’s expectations.

While Nora’s desertion of her family in “A Doll’s House” is seen by modern audiences as a triumph of her determination to seek a destiny outside the confines of her husband’s home, Hedda Gabler, in the play that bears her name, finds release only in suicide and is viewed as a failure of will. The final gunshot that echoes on stage makes “Hedda Gabler” one of Ibsen’s most difficult plays to direct.

Hardy, directing a translation she wrote while visiting Norway, has triumphed in ways Nora never did. Her student cast brings a depth to the characters in “Hedda Gabler” few professionals achieve. They also bring Hardy’s complex vision of one of Ibsen’s most maligned and misunderstood plays brilliantly to life, weaving the humor and humanity of the characters into a rich tapestry made stunningly beautiful by the lighting, set, costumes and music.

Sarah Farnham’s Hedda is a simmering pot about to boil over with boredom and frustration. The fourth-year theater and English major walks a razor-thin line between seductive charmer and intelligent manipulator without ever plunging over the edge to bitch goddess.

Farnham commands the stage whenever she is on it, but does not upstage her fellow actors. The actress makes Hedda’s dissatisfaction with the choices she has as a woman palpable. To Farnham’s credit, they envelop the character like a shroud.

As Hedda’s mismatched mate, George Tesman, sophomore Anthony Arnista is a delight. His Tesman is part absent-minded professor, part 19th century geek, enchanted more by his work than by his wife.

Arnista’s performance easily could have crossed the line to bumbling fool. To the theater major’s great credit, it never does. Much of the play’s humor comes from Tesman’s inept attempts to interact with women but Arnista resisted the urge to play Tesman as buffoon rather than a man, who although raised by women, will never understand them.

Into this marriage barges Thea Elstead, portrayed lovingly by Rebecca Ross Bailey. Mrs. Elstead is everything that Hedda is not – helpmate, handmaiden, adoring mistress. She comes looking for Eilert Lovborg but stays for Tesman. Although Hedda bullies her, Bailey’s Thea is no milquetoast. Unlike Hedda, she’s capable of taking action to get what she wants even though society is unlikely to approve and Bailey captures that spirit brilliantly.

Simon Ferland’s Judge Brack is nuance and innuendo. That appears to go against the actor’s grain and Ferland, who’s majoring in theater and mathematics, never seems quite comfortable in the character’s skin but his baritone voice and easy stage presence conveys that the man is a force to be reckoned with in the lives of all who know him.

As Eilert Lovborg, Greg Middleton, a senior majoring in history, brings an understanding of the gifted man who squanders his talent. Middleton’s Eilert also is a scholar but unlike Tesman, he does not live entirely in his head but surrenders to his appetites all too often.

Middleton bears a striking resemblance to John C. Reilly, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role as the cuckolded husband in “Chicago.” The young actor is best at laying bare Lovborg’s twin addictions – drink and women. He is all macho bravado, however, and his portrayal could have used a bit more of the melancholy man that Reilly brought to the surface in the musical.

Janice Duy, a graduate student in functional genomics, and Rachel Chadbourne, a freshman, are fine as Tesman’s maiden aunt and the family maid, respectively. Both create characters in sharp contrast to Hedda and their affectionate connection to Tesman is obvious in every scene.

It is Hardy’s design and sound teams that set the mood of this play. “Hedda Gabler” could not succeed as beautifully as it does without Chez Cherry’s elegant set lit by Matthew Guminski’s lighting plot. The combination of light and shadow constantly illuminates and informs the action onstage.

Lex Liang’s costumes are stunning. The clothes tell the audience nearly everything about these characters before they utter a single word. The beautiful Edvard Grieg piano selections masterfully performed by Laura Artesani and Ginger Yank Hwalek bring a depth to the production and underscore its intricate complexities.

Hardy’s “Hedda Gabler” is a remarkable accomplishment. She has topped off the past 100 years of UMaine theater with a production that is educational and entertaining. It is a fine tribute to the past, and, theatergoers can only hope, a harbinger of the department’s future.

“Hedda Gabler” will be performed through Sunday in Hauck Auditorium, with a reception sponsored by the Alumni Association to follow the Saturday performance. For tickets, call 581-1755 or visit www.umaine.edu/spa.