Theatre students will present Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull” on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 22 and 23 in the Maureen Stapleton Theatre. All performances are at 7:30 p.m. and admission is free to all.
Set in the early 1900s on an estate outside Moscow, the play depicts a group of family and friends who gather for a summer holiday. At the heart of the drama are the romantic and artistic conflicts between four characters: Konstantin Treplyev, a young playwright challenging the rigid conventions of theatre; his mother, Irina Arkadina, a famous actress who upholds the theatre’s traditional affectations; her lover, Boris Trigorin, a popular novelist who fears mediocrity; and Nina Zerechnaya, an idealistic would-be actress, in love with Konstantin and also Trigorin.
Chekhov may have intended to present a lighthearted, comic folly of choosing disappointment and despair over happiness, but “The Seagull’s” exploration of self-doubt, self-pity, and self-inflicted injury — both mental and physical — gives the play a poignantly tragic overtone.
The play is directed by Rosanne Raneri, assistant professor in the Department of Fine Arts, Theatre Arts and Digital Media, and features student actors and crew members who are enrolled in theatre courses and/or the Theatre Club.
Published: Fri, 22 Nov 2019 13:05:09 +0000 by d.gardner