Falls Goes Minimalistic for THE SEAGULL

Artistic Director Robert Falls trades epic for minimalistic in his actor-centric revival of Anton Chekhov's classic The Seagull, with a cast that includes some of Chicago's most celebrated talent. The culmination of two years of meticulous research and preparation, this production of The Seagull marks a departure from Falls' recent large-scale work-and a focus on the method of Konstantin Stanislavsky, the man often credited as "the father of modern theater." An ensemble of 14 brings this 19^th century masterpiece to life, including Francis Guinan, making his Goodman debut as the retired judge Sorin, and Mary Beth Fisher as his sister, Arkadina, a beautiful, selfish actress. For this revival, Falls has tapped an acclaimed, award-winning design team-Todd Rosenthal (Set), Ana Kuzmanic (Costumes), Keith Parham (Lighting) and Richard Woodbury (Sound). Goodman Theatre continues to celebrate its 10^th season in Chicago's North Loop Theatre District with The Seagull, which runs October 16 - November 14, 2010 in the Owen Theatre; tickets are $10 - $45. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is the Contributing Sponsor of The Seagull.

"The Seagull is a play about art and how one approaches art. It's a work I've been thinking about for most of my adult life," said Director Robert Falls, "Chicago's most essential director" (Chicago Tribune). "I think The Seagull is ultimately the greatest play about actors, which is likely why it has consumed me for so many years. I am thrilled to have such an incredible cast to go on this journey into the hearts, lives and intentions of two of the most influential theater artists in history: Anton Chekhov and Konstantin Stanislavsky."

As previously announced, the ensemble of The Seagull is led by Guinan and Fisher-two artists who were both named Chicago magazine's Best Actors of 2010, and who share the honor of being Chicago's inaugural fellows in the prestigious Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program, a widely acclaimed national program serving regional theater actors and the future of American theater. The cast also features Will Allan as Servant; Janet Ulrich Brooks as Polina; Rebecca Buller as Maid; Cliff Chamberlain as Trigorin, Arkadina's young lover; Laura T. Fisher as Cook; DieteRich Gray as Yakov; Stephen Louis Grush as Konstantin, Arkadina's twenty-five-year-old playwright son; Scott Jaeck as Dr. Dorn; Kelly O'Sullivan as Masha; Steve Pickering as Shamrayev, Sorin's estate manager; Demetrios Troy as Medvedenko; and Heather Wood as Nina. Visit the Goodman Theatre Press Room for photos and bios.

When famed actress Arkadina and her young lover, Trigorin, visit her family's estate, they become ensnared in a tragicomic tangle of romance, intrigue and unrequited love. As Arkadina's son, Konstantin, struggles with the complexities of love and life, he masks his angst by creating a play performed by Nina-with whom he is in love, but who does not share his feeling. Through passion and art, The Seagull uncovers the raw emotions of a family struggling to find itself.

For Goodman Theatre's production of The Seagull, Falls continues his examination of Stanislavsky's method, which began two years ago after revisiting new translations of his books An Actor Prepares and Building a Character, and culminated in his first trip to Russia in 25 years. Falls decided to direct The Seagull in part to retrace Stanislavsky's work-to model it as a way of understanding Stanislavsky and of understanding Chekhov. To a lesser degree, Falls recently applied Stanislavsky's system in his productions of King Lear, Desire Under the Elms and A True History of the Johnstown Flood.

"My intention with this production of The Seagull is to give the actors a great sense of freedom to explore the lives of these characters," continued Falls, "which is why the production is stripped down from the large-scale, operatic work of the past three or four productions I've done for the Goodman. I want to create what I think will be a rich but very intimate production of The Seagull." Falls returns to the work of Anton Chekhov following previous productions of Three Sisters at the Goodman (1995, with a cast including Calista Flockhart, Susan Bruce and Jenny Bacon) and Orchards: Seven American Playwrights Present Stories by Chekhov (1986, adaptations by Maria Irene Fornes, Spalding Gray, John Guare, David Mamet, Wendy Wasserstein, Michael Weller and Samm-Art Williams).

Playwright Anton Chekhov (January 29, 1860 - July 15, 1904) practiced medicine throughout his adult life, but his work as a short story writer and dramatist proved more lucrative and enduring. Born in Taganrog, Russia, in 1860, Chekhov began his literary career as a freelance journalist, publishing humorous sketches of contemporary life. In 1887 he won the prestigious Pushkin Prize for At Dusk, a collection of short stories. Success as a playwright eluded him, however, and the debut of The Seagull flopped. The Seagull first premiered in St. Petersburg on October 17, 1896, in a production mired in the theatrical conventions of the day-a muddled, inadequate showcase for Chekhov's masterpiece. Chekhov's writing was intricate and forward-thinking, but director Evtikhy Karpov had held only eight rehearsals, during which he told the actors where to stand and cajoled them to memorize their lines. This same protocol had served him well in his previous work, and neither Karpov nor the actors saw any reason to deviate from it. The result was that Chekhov's characters seemed trite, banal and laughable.

Fortunately for Chekhov, the play would soon find a theater equal to producing it in Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko's Moscow Art Theatre, formed in 1897. Because of their distaste for the melodramatic theater of their day, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko aimed to create more naturalistic work; they declared The Seagull "the pulse of modern Russian life," and included it in Moscow Art Theatre's first season, opening December 17, 1898. Illness prevented Chekhov from attending, so he did not hear the thunderous applause that commenced as soon as the curtain came down. The play became a foundation of the Moscow Art Theatre, which, over the next few years, produced Chekhov's other major plays: Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard.

Tickets to The Seagull are on sale now. Call 312.443.3800, click GoodmanTheatre.org or visit the box office (170 North Dearborn). Mezztix are half-price mezzanine tickets available at 12 noon at the box office, and at 10am online (promo code MEZZTIX) day of performance; Mezztix are not available by telephone. 10Tix are $10 mezzanine tickets for students available at 12 noon at the box office, and at 10am online on the day of performance; 10Tix are not available by telephone. Valid student I.D. must be presented when picking up the tickets. Limit four per student with I.D. All tickets are subject to availability and handling fees apply. Discounted Group Tickets for 10 persons or more are available at 312.443.3820.

Subscribe now to save up to 45% over single ticket prices: 312.443.3800 or ExploreTheGoodman.org. Five-play Albert Theatre subscriptions start at $100 and 3-play Owen Theatre subscriptions start at $57. A Platinum Subscription of all eight plays starts at $157.

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