Piven Theatre Workshop extends its 2009-10 season with the Chicago premiere of Sarah Ruhl's adaptation of Chekov's Three Sisters, directed by Artistic Director Emeritus Joyce Piven. The production will run October 16 - November 21, 2010 at Piven Theatre Workshop, 927 Noyes Street. Press opening is Monday, October 18, 2010 at 7:00PM.
Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov depicts an entire village of unlucky lovers struggling with the bittersweet distance between reality and dreams. This classic tale is given another look in a new version adapted by Sarah Ruhl, one of America's most acclaimed young playwrights, and author of In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), Late: a cowboy song and The Clean House. The Chicago Premiere is directed by Chicago theatre veteran Joyce Piven, the co-founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of Piven Theatre Workshop. The three sisters: schoolmistress Olga, unhappily married Masha and idealistic Irina, are stuck in a backwater town, and long to get to Moscow where they imagine their lives will be transformed. Discover the humor and heartbreak of one of the world's great plays, retold by one of the most original voices in Contemporary Theatre.
"With her wonderful talent and ear for language, Sarah has created a beautiful, accessible translation of Chekov's Three Sisters, and I am honored to stage the Chicago Premiere of this beautiful, melodic story," says Joyce Piven. "I met Sarah when she was just 10 years old, studying at the Workshop, and even then she had a depth beyond her years. Since then she has grown from student to exceptionally gifted playwright. I cannot say adequately what it has meant to me to work on this translation."
Three Sisters features Brent T. Barnes (Kulygin), Ravi Batista (Irina), Dave Belden (Andrei), Marcus Davis (Fedotik), Kevin D. Ambrosio (Ferapont),John Fenner Mays (Chebutykin), Andy Hagar (Tuzenbach), Amanda Hartley (Natasha), Jacob Murphy (Rode), Saren Nofs-Snyder (Masha), Jay Reed (Solyony), Kathy Ruhl (Anfisa), Dan Smith (Vershinin), and Joanne Underwood (Olga).
The creative team for Three Sisters includes Aaron Menninga (scenic design), Andrew iverson (lighting design), Bill Morey (costume design), Jesse Gaffney (properties) and Collin Warren (composition & sound design). Wendy Woodward is the Stage Manager.
Sarah Ruhl (playwright) Ruhl's Late: A Cowboy Song recently made its Chicago Premiere at Piven Theatre. Her plays include In The Next Room or the Vibrator Play (Glickman Prize, finalist for Pulitzer Prize, 2010), The Clean House (Susan Smith Blackburn award, 2004, finalist for Pulitzer Prize, 2005), Dead Man's Cell Phone (Helen Hayes award for best new play), Demeter in the City (nominated for 9 NAACP awards), Eurydice, Melancholy Play, Orlando, a new version of Chekhov's Three Sisters, and Passion Play (Kennedy Center Fourth Forum Freedom Award). Her plays have premiered at the Lyceum Theater on Broadway, produced by Lincoln Center Theater; off-Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater, Playwrights' Horizons, and Second Stage; and regionally at Berkeley Repertory Theater, Yale Repertory Theater, the Goodman Theater, Cornerstone Theater, Arena Stage, Woolly Mammoth, Cincinnati Playhouse, and the Piven Theater Workshop in Chicago, as well being produced at many other theaters across the country. Her plays have also been performed in England, Poland, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, and Australia, and have been translated into Spanish, Polish, Russian, Korean and Arabic. Sarah received her M.F.A. from Brown University where she studied with Paula Vogel, and is originally from Chicago. In 2003, she was the recipient of a Helen Merrill award and a Whiting Writers' award, a PEN/Laura Pels award, and in 2006 was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. Her work is published by TCG and Sam French, and she is a member of New Dramatists and 13P. She lives in New York City with her family.
Brent T. Barnes (Kulygin) appeared Off-Broadway in Grasmere by Kristina Leach, continuing on with the production to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Chicago credits: Pangs of the Messiah at Silk Road, What Dreams May Come: American Visions Through Jewish Eyes, directed by Joyce Piven at Piven Theatre Workshop, Banquo/Doctor in Macbeth and Fluellen/Westmoreland in Henry V at Muse of Fire, and The Christmas Schooner at The Bailiwick. Regional Theatre credits: six seasons with the Utah Shakespearean Festival, A Christmas Carol at McCarter Theatre, the U.S. premiere of The Parfumerie at Summer Studio Theatre Company, and Malvolio in Twelfth Night as a guest artist at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.
Dave Belden (Andrei) appeared most recently at Piven as Ed Sullivan in Lady Chaplin & Her Tramp, and also appeared in Chekhov: The Stories. Other favorite productions include Uncle Vanya (Court Theatre), The Taming of the Shrew and Love's Labor's Lost (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Earth to Margaret (Acorn Theatre), Shoppers Carried by Escalators into the Flames (Viaduct Theatre), and Alcestis (Uffish Theater). Dave can be seen in the independent feature Eye of the Sandman, and he's a violinist with the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Joffrey Ballet.
Marcus Davis (Fedotik) makes his debut at Piven Theatre with Three Sisters. Recent credits include Eli in Sunchoke (Rodez Productions) on the Raven Theatre West Stage and Johnny in Onto Infinity (Azusa Productions) at the Greenhouse Theatre. Marcus is a new graduate of Columbia College with a BFA in acting. There, he appeared as Ryumin in Summerfolk, Cradeau in No Exit, Troy in Hiding behind Comets, and a few others.Kevin D'Ambrosio (Ferapont) is an alumnus of The Piven Theatre Workshop and is a faculty member at Piven where he helped create the PEEP outreach program which was designed for adults with developmental disabilities to explore the Piven method. His credits include Six Degrees of Separation (Signal Ensemble Theater), The Brother (Hancock Productions) and Tweaked (Big Brother Productions). Recently, Kevin's voice could be heard in the TV commercial of the ThinkBeyondTheLabel campaign. Indie film projects include QWERTY, Dead Seriously and Driving the Dynamite Truck. John Fenner Mays (Chebutykin) makes his debut with the Piven Theater and Anton Chekhov in Three Sisters. A fifteen year veteran of Chicago's storied off-loop scene, John has appeared in around thirty stage productions with over a dozen different theatre companies, and was recently seen this summer at the Storefront Theatre in Dog and Pony Theatre's world premiere of Dead Letter Office by Philip Dawkins and directed by DieteRich Gray(Piven ensemble member). Favorite roles include Nick from Lillian Hellman's Autumn Garden (Eclipse Theatre), Bradley from Sam Shepard's Buried Child (Mary Arrchie Theatre), Riley from Michael Henry Brown's King of Coons (Congo Square Theatre), Jerry from Denis Johnson's Soul of a Whore (Viaduct Theatre), and Policeman/Hugh from Rebecca Gilman's The Glory of Living (Circle Theatre). Commercial work includes a national spot for Coors Light. John can also be seen as Deputy Sheriff Ernest Blunk in Michael Mann's film Public Enemies. Thanks to Joyce for this wonderful opportunity,and as always, to Lorraine for her undying love and support.Amanda Hartley (Natasha) makes her Piven Theatre debut with Three Sisters. She won a Jeff Award for playing Salome in The Robber Bridegroom (Griffin Theatre), and a Jeff nomination with her ensemble in the long-running Jacques Brel; Songs of Love and War with Theo Ubique. Most recent shows include The Yeoman of the Guard (Light Opera Works), Wild Nights with Emily (Caffeine Theatre) and The Diary of Anne Frank (Metropolis Performing Arts). She earned her MFA in Acting at The Theatre School of DePaul,
Jacob Murphy (Rode) Chicago credits include Talk Radio (State Theatre), A Brief History of Helen of Troy (Steep Theatre, assistant director). New York credits include Too Little Too Late (HERE Arts, Nominated: Best Ensemble, NY Innovative Theater Awards); Don't Pet The Zookeeper (Rising Phoenix Rep); numerous short plays with EST/Youngblood, readings and workshops galore (The Public Theater, Rattlestick, etc); assistant directing Kathleen Turner's production of Crimes of the Heart (Roundabout); and a summer at the Williamstown Theater Festival. Jacob was a member of Piven's Young People's Company in high school. Saren Nofs-Snyder (Masha) makes her debut with Piven Theatre Ensemble in Three Sisters. She was in Three Sisters at the Babcock Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has waited 15 years to play the role of Masha. Most recently she was seen as Mrs. Alving in Ghosts at Bohemian Theatre ensemble, and Sarah in Return to Haifa at Next Theatre. A Jeff Award Nominee, Saren has worked locally with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Remy Bumppo, The Silk Road Theatre Project and Circle Theatre, among others. Regionally: Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Artists Repertory Theatre, Riverside Shakespeare Theatre, Pioneer Theatre Company and many others. Saren earned an MFA in Acting from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.Videos