Download Link to full press release - UNM`s Department of Theatre and Dance

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1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
Tel: (505) 277-4332
fax: (505) 277-8921
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT
Kathleen Clawson: (505) 238-6029, [email protected]
UNM’s Department of Theatre and Dance
Presents
The Seagull
By Anton Chekhov
Directed by Joe Alberti
WHAT: The Seagull, Anton Chekhov’s first masterpiece for the stage explores love,
loss, and what it means to be an artist in a society obsessed by celebrity, November 6-15
in Rodey Theatre.
WHEN:
November 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 at 7:30pm and
November 8 and 15 at 2:00pm
WHERE: Rodey Theatre, UNM’s Main Campus
HOW MUCH: $15 General, $12 Seniors and UNM Faculty, $10 Students and UNM
Staff
MORE INFO: http://theatre.unm.edu, or call 277-4332
TICKETS: UNM Ticket Offices, Call 925-5858 or 1-877-664-8661, or online at
www.unmtickets.com
With comic brilliance and deep understanding, The Seagull, explores love, loss, and what
it means to be an artist in a society obsessed by celebrity. Anton Chekhov’s masterpiece
is filled with passion, jealousy, and regret, as a renowned actress, her troubled son, and
their friends navigate a maze of romantic entanglements, in pursuit of love, acceptance,
and fame. Chekhov’s rich, multi-faceted characters, are brought to life by an ensemble of
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UNM’s finest actors in a dynamic modern translation, with stunning period costumes and
magnificent scenic and lighting design. Performances of The Seagull run from November
6 through 15 in Rodey Theatre.
Anton Chekhov is recognized both as an author of short stories and as a playwright,
particularly for four great classic plays, of which The Seagull was the first. The premiere
of The Seagull was not well received, but its subsequent production by famed director
Konstantin Stanislavsky received praise from audiences and critics. Chekhov and
Stanislavsky continued to collaborate for The Moscow Art Theatre and their work was
the foundation of modern acting technique.
When asked about the themes of The Seagull, director Joe Alberti said, “It’s about love
and being an artist, and how the two sometimes get intertwined, confused and
complicated.” This is Alberti’s first time directing The Seagull, although he has directed
The Three Sisters, several of Chekhov’s one acts, and performed in both Uncle Vanya
and The Seagull. In describing his approach to The Seagull, Alberti said, “I am trying
something new based on work I am doing toward my new book: The Other Side of
Performance: A Pragmatic Approach to Listening for Actors, Directors and Educators.
Michelangelo is said to have spent two or three months looking at the piece of marble he
was going to use to create his Moses. The craftsman shapes his tool and his body with his
materials, dances with them and makes something emerge. Michelangelo did not build a
Moses—he made one emerge. Hence, I see this project as a collaboration among the
various teaching artists and students, whose work will undergo many transformations
throughout the journey.” Although Chekhov labeled his work a comedy, there are serious
aspects of the play. “This play, as do all Chekhov plays, deals with very basic human
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needs and wants, such as the need for love, positive self-esteem and self-respect,” Alberti
continued. “These attributes are as important today as they were when the play was
written. It is because of these human attributes combined with such masterful writing that
the play can connect to modern audiences.” This production features a dynamic, modern
translation by Russian-language scholar and actor Paul Schmidt, whose work has been
hailed as the “gold standard” in Russian-English translation.
UNM’s Department of Theatre and Dance is well known for its Design for Performance
program, with graduates working professionally throughout the field, often receiving
major awards for their work. Design for Performance major Kelly Erickson is creating
period costume designs for this production of The Seagull. The scenic design is by
Assistant Professor Inseung Park and lighting and sound design is by Assistant Professor
William Liotta. The cast includes Donovan Rogers as Dorn, Gino Gonzales as Trigorin,
Wesley Swedenburg as Medvedenko, Josh Jones as Treplev, Samuel Shoemaker-Trejo as
Yakov, Cheyenne Bilbrey as Nina, Eboni Thompson as Irina Arkadina, Sara Rosenthal
and Sage Hughes as maids, J.D. Otsuka as Sorin, Clay Space as Shamrayev, Rebecca
Gettler as The Cook/Attendant, Kaitlyn Barlow as Masha, and Gabby Lara as Paulina.
The stage manger is Eddie Carrion.
The Seagull runs November 6 through 15, 2015 in Rodey Theatre, located in the Center
for the Arts on UNM’s main campus at 203 Cornell Avenue NE. Ticket prices are $15
General admission, $12 UNM Faculty & Seniors, and $10 UNM Staff & all Students.
Tickets are available at the UNM Ticket Offices located at the UNM Bookstore, Central
and Cornell, or the Arena (The Pit), University and Avenida Caesar Chavez, and by
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calling (505) 925-5858. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.unmtickets.com.
More information is available online at http://theatre.unm.edu or by calling 277-4332.
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