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
