Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov
adapted by Annie Baker
UNCLE VANYA
by Anton Chekhov
a version by Annie Baker
Directed by Jeremy Lee Cudd
June 12-14, 18-21 @8PM, June 15 @ 2PM
7 Stages Backstage Theatre
Cast
Marina - Betty Mitchell
Astrov - Robert Love
Vanya - Mark Cosby
Professor - JR Hartigan
Yelena - Emily Soppe
Sonya - Laura Byrom
Telegin - Dylan Ruggiero
Maria - Nina Jones
Yefim - Larry Baskin
From the Director
Chekhov is a playwright’s playwright. Contemporary writers regularly cut their teeth by adapting his work. They practice inside his story structures and seek to conjure his richly complex characters through text in their native tongue. Annie Baker, one of our great contemporary American playwrights, lends her impeccable ear for dialogue to this version of the play.
I believe the most enduring part of Chekhov’s storytelling craft is how it scaffolds a profoundly humanist vision. Dr. Cornel West, a passionate devotee of Chekhov, asserts that his insight and compassion for human suffering is immense, “but he still refuses to yield to cynicism or a paralyzing despair,” nor does he offer tidy solutions or resolutions. He allows the hypocrisies and irrationalities to speak for themselves. He doesn’t buff out the rough edges with moralizing, even if his characters venture to, so the incongruities of life are present. The tragic and the comic are nestled tightly next to each other, recreating the natural absurdity of life.
My hope is that Chekhov’s vision is felt in your experience of these characters. The divine and the vulgar, the generous and petty, are all housed under the same roof. When these characters are at their most ridiculous, I hope you find they are at their most relatable. I believe an intimacy and solidarity with their suffering is forged in those moments, even while we may be shaking our heads at their choices. A communal experience of that beautiful contradiction is my wish for the audience.
Thanks for supporting live theatre!
