The Hamilton College Department of Theatre and Dance will present a student production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull on April 25-28 at 8 p.m. in Minor Theater on the Hamilton College campus.
The Seagull was written in 1895, and was Chekhov's first success with the Moscow Art Theatre. It is a "play-within-a play" because the action takes place at a wealthy Russian estate where a new play is being presented, bringing together an array of family members and friends. Considered both a tragedy and a comedy, The Seagull explores the themes of art and love. The rivalries and relationships of The Seagull's characters, both artistic and romantic, provoke an atmosphere of vanity, failure and vulnerability that devastates them all.
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) brought both the short story and the drama to new prominence in Russia and eventually in the Western world. Taking a cool, objective stance toward his characters, Chekhov conveys their inner lives and feelings indirectly, by suggestion rather than statement. His plots are usually simple, and the endings of both his stories and his plays tend toward openness rather than finality. Chekhov's works create the effect of profound experience taking place beneath the surface in the ordinary lives of unexceptional people.
The Seagull is directed by Hamilton College drama professor Craig Latrell. The set was designed by John Pollard, who has designed in New York for theatre and has worked on numerous television shows. Costumes are by Amy Svoboda of The Costume Collection in New York, lights by Bill Burd.
Tickets for The Seagull are $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and children. Seating is general admission. For more information or reservations, call 859-4057.
