New York Classical Theatre Presents THE SEAGULL, Opening 5/30

New York Classical Theatre will kick off its summer season with a roving outdoor production of Anton Chekhov's comedy "The Seagull," which it will present for free in Central Park before heading to Prospect Park for the company's Brooklyn debut.

From May 30th to June 23rd, the acclaimed company will apply its signature "Panoramic Theatre" staging style to Chekhov's satirical tale, guiding audiences along a 3-acre lake on Central Park's western side. The ensemble of star-crossed lovers, tortured artists, and vain divas will emote against a backdrop of waterfalls and shady groves, with the notorious Trigorin actually fishing in the lake.

From June 25th to June 30th, the company will cross the East River for its first-ever Brooklyn production, relocating the play to Prospect Park at the special invitation of the Prospect Park Alliance.

Described as "a moveable feast" by The New York Times, the 14-year-old New York Classical Theatre has won widespread praise for its roving productions of classical plays in Central Park, Battery Park, One New York Place, and Brookfield Place (formerly the World Financial Center). In July, the company will partner with the River to River Festival to present Shakespeare's "The Tempest" in Battery Park, with Prospero and Caliban raging against the backdrop of Castle Clinton, the Statue of Liberty, and the dramatic sunsets behind New York Harbor.

Written in 1895, "The Seagull" is an early classic of the modern theatre, a comedic portrait of restless Russian bohemians drawn with Chekhov's unmatched genius for minutely detailed characters whose fates elegantly intertwine. New York Classical Theatre will use a translation by experimental theatre icon Jean-Claude van Itallie, who has produced some of the English language's most prized versions of Chekhov's work.

"This is an exciting season of new adventures for us, with our first-ever Prospect Park appearance featuring our first-ever Chekhov play," said New York Classical Theatre founder and artistic director Stephen Burdman.

The free production will be directed by Burdman and will feature Ian Antal (Treplev), Kersti Bryan* (Masha), Zachary Fine* (Medvedyenko), Judith Ingber (Maid), G.R. Johnson* (Trigorin), Lindsey Kyler* (Nina), John Michalski* (Sorin), Marina Re* (Paulina Andrevna), Nick Salamone* (Dorn), Tamara Scott* (Arkadina), John Tillotson* (Shamrayev), and Joshua Wills (Yakov). The production designer is Amy Pedigo-Otto.

Select performances will be preceded by the company's popular pre-performance family workshops. Open and free to the public, the workshops guide children (7-11) and their families through games and exercises that help them better understand the play. For dates and times, please see above.