San Roman introduced herself at the cast’s final rehearsal before the first performance, explained her involvement in theater and how she decided to choose this show as the first one she’ll direct. “I want to say that this is my 13th production, but I did a lot of theater in high school, and so overall, this is my 20th big production. I've done a lot of little small works, but in terms of, you know, full length shows, this is, yeah, number 20 for me, and also my directorial debut. But I finally picked up this play, and it was, like, within halfway through the first act, like, I just kind of knew, like, this was gonna be it for me, and it's kind of a massive undertaking, with it being such a prolific show, but I've had such a dreamy cast and crew to work with. Everyone here has been so inspiring to me, and they've taken, you know, this vision that I've had for it and just elevated it in so many ways. So I'm very pleased.”
Other members of the cast spoke with KBBI and several used the phrase “ensemble theater” to explain the way this particular production came together as a group effort rather than an emphasis on particular characters. Brian Duffy plays the role of a doctor in the play and provided this general overview of the story, “it's Chekhov seeking new modern theater ways of the era, and bringing people's personal lives and their their anxieties and their neuroses, as he mentions them, to Light in in the actual narrative and the people involved have you know, they're just living their lives, but they're dealing with fame and feelings of inadequacy and their sense of accomplishment in their lives and not going comfortably into the dark night they are kind of continuing to want and desire well past their prime. And it's the drama of human interaction. I think,” he said.
Anthony Chekhov wrote the play in 1895 and it was first produced in 1896. The play is set at a Russian country estate of the character Soren. Actress Chris Kulcheski explains how that feature also helps establish the context for the story, ““I'm Arkanda, the actress, and Soren is my brother, and he's one of the characters Brian is talking about that's lived a kind of unsatisfactory life. He just had a, you know, district job, like a government job, and always wanted to get married, always wanted to be a writer, and just never has fulfilled those dreams. So people coming to him and being in his home is pretty much the highlight of his year, but also creates a lot of chaos. And there's an estate manager, Semrayev, who is always creating chaos. And there's several love triangle triangles going on. And, and artistic neurosis.”
Actress Meghan McCallum provides a few comments about her character within the ensemble of the group. “Samianovich Medego is a teacher who is obsessed with money, and he is, I think, very relatable, because he wants what I think the most average person wants. He wants to get married, have a good job, and just live life, which contrasts to the other characters who are dreaming of fame and fortune and having their names live on forever. He's kind of been outcast in that way. He's very earnest, very sad and he loves somebody who doesn't necessarily love him back.This performance is new and unusual for me, just because this is the third play I've been in, and it's very different from the other two that I was in. I really like that. It's an ensemble cast, and I feel like everybody is in there for the entirety of the play, which is something that I haven't seen before,” she said.
The three performers provide a few comments on what the ensemble component of the play means to the performance:
- I mean it's like a lot of coming and going. I think Brian's character is the only character that isn't seen for an act. Pretty much everybody is in it, every act.
- It's really fun, because every character has a complicated, complicated relationship with all the other characters, and everyone influences each other, and as Doran says, how neurotic everyone is.
They also commented on what the role of the audience will be. “The audience will add a lot. You know, we've rehearsed it to the point where we need an audience that we need that feedback, and then we're just going to keep growing when we have that, it'll be interesting. Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how people react to the play, because there's moments where you might think it's funny or sad or what have you, but the audience may have a completely different interpretation.”
The Seagull will run for three weekends starting at 7:30 at Pier One Theatre on the Spit. Tickets are available on the Pier One website: pieronetheatre.org, by calling the office at 907-226-2287 or on-site at the theater.
Reporting from Homer, this is Emilie Springer
