Blessed Unrest presents PLATONOV, Or A Play With No Name at The New Ohio Theater

A man of status with questionable sexual ethics runs rampage. A society fixated on the chaos of the moment ignores their collapsing economic system. A culture of open gun possession leads to rash and deadly consequences. Sounds familiar? Blessed Unrest's raw and sexy rendition of Platonov, or Play with No Name, in new translation and adaptation by playwright Laura Wickens, shows how Chekhov, nearly 150 years ago in Russia, was piercing through the issues that are highly relevant in America today.

The show will be playing a limited engagement from February 17 thru March 11 at New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street, between Greenwich and Washington Streets). Tickets ($25) can be purchased through OvationTix website at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/985574 or by calling 866-811-4111.

Anton Chekhov's infamously long-winded, unfinished early play comes to life in the new, muscular staging by Blessed Unrest, a company known for their ability to infuse centuries-old classics with political zeitgeist. Laura Wickens pares down the 220-page script to a lean 60 pages, boldly highlighting the roots of Chekhov's more famous plays such as Cherry Orchard and Three Sisters and peppering the dialogue with astute references to Hamlet. Her adaptation does away with all the father figures - except for the protagonist - and sets the story in a provincial milieu in which the antidote to boredom is an entangled web of salacious scandals. Sometimes endearing and often reproachable, the titular character emerges as a man whose shortcomings run rampant due to enablers who surround him.

"Working with this text was sort of like reviewing Deleted Scenes at the end of a movie and then remaking your own," says Wickens. "Platonov, the notorious womanizer and an ultimate failed male figure, is a character of surprising relevance in the era of #MeToo. Also painfully present in the play is the willful ignorance of those who love this man - and do not change their beliefs or actions even when confronted with truth. This makes me think of the supporters of the current ruling elites who won't admit to their racism despite how much evidence is presented," she further explains.

The production features six actors portraying ten characters, including Irina Abraham Chigiryov (known for her appearances on TV series The Blacklist and The Americans), Ashley Hildreth, Javon Minter, a Blessed Unrest company member Darrell Stokes and recent collaborator Becca Schneider (A Christmas Carol), and Taylor Valentine. The dramaturgy is by Jessi Blue Gormezano and costume design by Sarah Thea.

Blessed Unrest is in its 17th season of generating original theatre in NYC and touring internationally. They create safe environments where dangerous things can happen, producing dynamic, disciplined, and exuberant new works for the stage with their diverse ensemble. They teach their approach to physical and devised theatre at universities across the country. Among their awards are four New York Innovative Theatre Awards (twelve nominations) including the Cino Fellowship for Sustained Excellence, the LPTW Lucille Lortel Award, and first prize at the 2016 Secondo Theatre Festival (Switzerland).The company's work has been praised for "magnetism and electricity" (TimeOut NY) and "physical ingenuity and visual artistry" (NYTheatre.com). blessedunrest.org

Jessica Burr (Director) is the founding Artistic Director of Blessed Unrest. She was honored with the 2011 Lucille Lortel Award from the League of Professional Theatre Women, in recognition of her work as a director and the body of work that Blessed Unrest has created under her leadership. She received the 2013 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Choreography/ Movement and was a nominee for the same in 2015. She was a featured panelist in the 2016 Brave Summit, a forum of women leaders, experts, and scholars to drive cultural change. She has directed and choreographed numerous productions and workshops for Blessed Unrest including A Christmas Carol and The Snow Queen (developed with New Victory), Body: Anatomies of Being (with the New Ohio Theatre), Lying (2015 IT Award nominee), Doruntine (First Prize, 2016 Secondo Festival, Switzerland) and The Sworn Virgin (both in NYC and on international tours, co-directed with Florent Mehmeti of Teatri Oda, Kosovo), A Christmas Carol, Eurydice's Dream (2013 IT Award winner), The Storm, ArtCamp SexyTime FootBall, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Measure for Measure, the 365Days/365Plays Festival. Burr has taught workshops and/or directed at Stephens College (MO), Eastern New Mexico University, Centenary College (NJ), Prishtina University (Kosovo), Texas Tech University, and at the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival. She has degrees in theatre and dance from Bard College.

Laura Wickens (Translation and Adaptation) is an associate artistic director and company member of Blessed Unrest. She is the author of three Russian translations which premiered with Blessed Unrest: Nick (based on Chekhov's Ivanov) at PS 122 and Interart, The Storm at the Interart, and Platonov at the New Ohio. Her next project is on Bukharin's final days. She has an MFA from Brandeis, and has trained with the American Mime Theatre, SITI, Noh Training Project, Song of the Goat (Arden fellowship recipient), and Maly Theatre.
www.newohiotheatre.org/platonov.htm