Chekhov's "The Seagull" directed by Barta Heiner at BYU Nov. 2-17 - BYU News Skip to main content
Intellect

Chekhov's "The Seagull" directed by Barta Heiner at BYU Nov. 2-17

Anton Chekhov’s classic tale of anguish and unrequited love, “The Seagull,” will be brought to life by the Brigham Young University Department of Theatre and Media Arts Nov. 2-17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Margetts Theatre.

Tickets are $14 for general admission, $9 for weeknights and $10 for weekend shows with a BYU or student ID. Dress rehearsals on Oct. 31-Nov. 1 as well as a matinee on Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. are $7. There will be no performances Sundays or Mondays. For tickets, visit performances.byu.edu or call (801) 422-7664.

Directed by Barta Heiner, “The Seagull” tells the story of a young aspiring playwright, Konstantin Treplev, who desperately seeks the recognition of his famous actress mother, Irina Arkadina, and her lover, Boris Trigorin, an equally renowned writer; yet both refuse to grant merit to Konstantin’s abilities.

To make matters worse for the young artist, his professed love for the beautiful nineteen-year-old Nina, the daughter of a rich landowner, is crushed when she refuses to return his sentiments and instead indulges in a romantic relationship with Trigorin.

The play underscores the search for happiness through art, love and friendship, and the inescapable nature of the sometimes meaningless melancholy of everyday life. In the end, in a story filled with heartache, a dead seagull represents the destruction the characters have wrought in each other’s lives.

“Perhaps we can all see a little of ourselves in the characters of “The Seagull,” Heiner said. “And if so, the question is how can we learn to appreciate those who are around us? How do we stop fearing life and begin savoring what God has given us?”

In the BYU production, Jason Purdie will play the part of Konstantin Treplev, Lauren Noll the part of Irina Arkadina, Caitlin Wise the part of Nina Zarechnaya and David St. Julien the part of Boris Trigorin. Andrew Veenstra is Medvedenko and Olivia Carrasco is Masha.

Janice Lynn Jenson is the dramaturg and Orinda Herring as production stage manager. Susan Jaussi serves as scenic designer, Summer Brown as costume designer, Shiloh Cheney as makeup and hair designer, Anna Kron as lighting designer and Christina Tibbetts as sound designer.

For more information, contact Barta Heiner at (801) 422-4631.

Writer: Aaron Searle

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Geology meets history: BYU professor studies WWII shrapnel on Normandy beaches

June 05, 2025
Eighty years after D-Day, BYU geologists uncover lingering WWII shrapnel on Normandy beaches to study how history still shapes the coastline today.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Forum: Lessons from Noise: Crackle to Calm

June 03, 2025
This year’s Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, Kent Gee, delivered his forum address on the science of sound and how he and BYU students have contributed to significant research in the acoustics industry.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU study finds the real reasons why some people choose not to use artificial intelligence

June 03, 2025
In a recent study, BYU professors Jacob Steffen and Taylor Wells explored why some people are still reluctant to use GenAI tools. While some people might worry about an AI apocalypse, Steffen and Wells found that most non-users are more concerned with issues like trusting the results, missing the human touch or feeling unsure if GenAI is ethical to use.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=