Guest Blog: Actress Rosie Sheehy On UNCLE VANYA

Our production of Uncle Vanya is well underway, with a run at Theatr Clwyd completed and now playing at Sheffield Crucible, so I've been able to reflect on the experience of the show.

Peter Gill's adaptation is beautiful, delving into a story that deals with lust, heartbreak, money and quite frankly too much vodka. Set in the vast Russian countryside, in the middle of nowhere, a broken family struggles to run the estate and fund the lifestyle of their sophisticated relatives, who live in the city. But when the money runs out and the relatives decide to move back to the countryside, tensions start to build and all hell breaks loose.

It has been a real privilege to perform at Theatr Clwyd, and working with Tamara Harvey and the rest of the cast has been an utter joy. As a director, Tamara is incredibly trusting of her actors and created a rehearsal room that encouraged a great sense of play.

She often spoke of actors having a "tool belt", and when running scenes would say "That works - now put it in your back pocket, and try something else". It was through this process of exploring all options (and making a lot of mistakes) that gradually, the understanding of our characters and their complex relationships, and the world in which they live, became so rich.

The cast is also brilliant - so talented that I found myself watching them so closely throughout rehearsal, I often forgot what I was doing. Eek. Don't tell them I said that - hopefully they won't read this.

We're performing in the round, which, as a young actor, I don't mind admitting presents many challenges, and doing a monologue directly to the audience is both terrifying and exhilarating.

The audience are very close to the action, which invites them to look closely at the intricacies of each scene. So often in this play, there are characters who are desperately trying to convey what they want from another person, but for many reasons can't quite find the means to do so.

I've been asking myself a lot through the whole of this experience what message this play is trying to convey. Chekhov had such a profound understanding of the human condition, but regarded his plays as comedies - despite their themes of grief and despair.

Even though the subject matter of the play can be quite upsetting there are many laughs to be had, and for me, the message is that even when you're broke and heartbroken, you realise that you really can endure, you really do have worth and are strong, and that with every goodbye, we learn.

Speaking of goodbyes, it's flown by far too quickly for my liking. But I am so excited for us all to be in Sheffield now, bringing this magical play to more audiences.

Uncle Vanya at Sheffield Crucible until 4 November

Photo credit: The Other Richard

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