JAN. 22 TO FEB. 9 • FREE PROGRAM
14THMASTER PLAYWRIGHT FESTIVAL EXPLORING THE LIFE AND WORK OF ANTON CHEKHOV
masterplaywrightfest.com
PRESENTED BY
by
Tennessee Williams
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FEB. 12 – MAR. 8
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In Tennessee Williams’ autobiographical masterpiece, an aspiring poet makes his last, desperate attempt to provide for his mother and sister. The Glass Menagerie spins a lyrical drama about four fragile people trapped by circumstance and lost in fantasy. SPONSORED BY The Gail Asper Family Foundation & The Babs Asper Fund of The Asper Foundation
BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY! CALL 204-942-6537 VISIT mtc.mb.ca
Message from MTC’s Artistic Director Everyone knows that Anton Chekhov gave us that great dramaturgical rule, “If in Act I you have a pistol hanging on the wall, then it must fire in the last act.” However, few of us bother to read the lines that precede it, a virtual guide to STEVEN SCHIPPER
playwriting mastery:
Things on stage should be as complicated and as simple as in life. People dine, just dine, while their happiness is made and their lives are smashed. Chekhov makes it sound so easy, as if life were a firefly to be caught in a mason jar and released into the theatre, to light the stage with its phosphorescence. In fact, what Chekhov was trying to do is damnably difficult. He blended equal parts comedy and tragedy, simplicity and complexity, thought and emotion, to recreate real life onstage. And he succeeds even when his audience is 5,000 miles and 109 years away, experiencing his plays through the scrim of translation. We leave his plays feeling lit from within, as if he has seen the beauty in our hearts and minds, and shown it to the world. Yours always,
Anton Chekhov once told his friend and fellow writer Ivan Bunin that he thought people might read his work for another seven years. “Why seven?” Bunin asked. “Maybe seven and a half,” Chekhov replied, “Which This prediction proved to be just a tad on the modest side because a century after his death his name is instantly recognized as one of the world’s great playwrights and the master of
ABOUT ANTON
isn’t bad. I’ve got maybe six years to live.”
the modern short story. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
CHEKHOVFEST2014
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How ChekhovFest Works The 14th annual Master Playwright Festival showcases the work of revered Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov through live performances, films and readings. From January 22 to February 9, the action is non-stop with a steady offering of productions presented by the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and 21 partner companies, in addition to the free lecture series.
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS | Tickets start at $10 and are available by contacting the box office for each production. See the company write-ups in this program for more details. CHEKHOVPASS | The festival pass allows you to get your fill of Chekhov for only $85. A pass allows one admission to each ChekhovFest production, at a savings of more than 50%. Hurry, though – the number of passes are limited! ChekhovPasses are for sale at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre Box Office. Please note: Dinner theatre performances are not included in the ChekhovPass. Call 204-942-6537 or toll-free 1-877-446-4500 PLEASE NOTE: ADMISSION TO ALL EVENTS IS SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. ALL SALES FINAL. NO EXCHANGES OR REFUNDS.
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Free Lecture Series Introducing Chekhov WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22 • 7PM
King’s Head Pub 120 King St., 2nd fl.
Anton Chekhov is often referred to as the master of the modern short story and yet his best known works are still his four major plays that were originally produced at the beginning of the 20th century. Along with director Konstantin Stanislavski, Chekhov revolutionized theatre with these four masterpieces and truly earns his spot amongst the world’s very best dramatists. GUEST LECTURER Margaret Groome
Чexob, Tchekoff, Tchekov… Translating/Adapting Chekhov to the Modern Stage SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 • 12PM
Tom Hendry Warehouse 140 Rupert Ave. (at Lily)
What is the difference between an adaptation and a translation? Many great playwrights, including Chekhov, are only available to us because of the work of translators. Many things about the original language a play is written in are bound up in the culture and time period. How can they be made relevant to our modern era? How does the translator/ adaptor remain true to the intent of the author? PANELISTS John Bluethner, Paul Morris, Michael Nathanson, Rodrigo Beilfuss
Discovering Chekhov: A Directors Panel SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 12PM
Tom Hendry Warehouse 140 Rupert Ave. (at Lily)
What kind of research do directors undertake as they prepare to work on a classic by one of the most influential and studied playwrights of all time? How do new discoveries during the rehearsal process change a director’s intent or vision? For answers to these questions and more insight on the directorial process and challenges, be sure to attend this popular panel featuring several directors from this year’s festival. PANELISTS
Mariam Bernstein, Ivanov (WJT) Suzie Martin, The Cherry Orchard (Theatre by the River & little ECHO theatre) Krista Jackson, The Seagull (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre) Ray Cloutier, Uncle Vanya (Tara Players)
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About Love & Champagne Original monologue by Rodrigo Beilfuss Adapted from the two homonymous short stories by Anton Chekhov Fancy Bred Theatre aceartinc. 2nd fl., 290 McDermot Avenue
A heart-to-heart. A few drinks. An original monologue from a desperate man, based on Chekhov’s short stories. The themes are classic: love, loss and longing – with a touch of the darkly funny. DEVISED AND PERFORMED BY Rodrigo Beilfuss PRODUCED BY Stephanie Plaitin
“IT WAS AN EVIL HOUR WHEN I FIRST MET YOU” THURSDAY, JANUARY 23 • 8PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 24 • 8PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 • 8PM SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 • 2PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 8PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 8PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 8PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 2PM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 • 8PM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 • 8PM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 • 8PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 • 8PM
TICKETS • $10 AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS ONE HOUR BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE PURCHASE AT www.rodrigobeilfuss.com CALL 204-894-2111 EMAIL fancybredtheatre@gmail.com
NO WHEELCHAIR ACCESS CAPACITY • 30 60 MINUTES WARNING MATURE LANGUAGE, SELF-IMPORTANCE, ART
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Aristocrats By Brian Friel Black Hole Theatre Company Gas Station Arts Centre 445 River Avenue (at Osborne) www.bhtc.ca
A dying remnant of a dying remnant, the Irish Catholic aristocratic O’Donnell family tries to hold on to its past in the face of a relentless present. Despite the Troubles in the North only 20 miles away, they seem almost untouched by the violence. Yet the tranquil illusions of these three sisters (and their brother) cannot be maintained. They struggle with mental illness, children born out of wedlock and spousal abuse, all while dominated by the monstrous voice of their absent father whose presence animates an almost god-like baby monitor – a terrifying yet trivial deus ex machina. DIRECTED BY Bill Kerr
“BALLYBEG HALL – FROM SUPREME COURT TO SAUSAGE FACTORY; FOUR GENERATIONS OF A GREAT IRISH CATHOLIC LEGAL DYNASTY.” FRIDAY, JANUARY 24 • 7PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 • 2PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 • 7PM MONDAY, JANUARY 27 • 7PM TUESDAY, JANUARY 28 • 7PM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29 • 7PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 7PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 7PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 2PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 7PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 2PM WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE CAPACITY • 230 2 HOURS, 15 MINUTES
TICKETS • $15 STUDENTS/SENIORS • $12 AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS 45 MINUTES BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE CALL 204-474-6880 EMAIL tickets@bhtc.ca
The Bear & Inside the Moscow Art Theatre PHOTO BY LEIF NORMAN
By Anton Chekhov | Translated by Paul Morris At Home Theatre Théâtre de la Porte Rouge, Université de Saint-Boniface 200 avenue de la Cathédrale (Aulneau entrance) athometheatre.shawwebspace.ca
Olga Knipper, Chekhov’s favourite actress, talks candidly about the birth of the renowned Moscow Art Theatre and her first encounter with the playwright. She recounts their courtship and marriage, his illness and untimely death. Under the interviewer’s probing, she describes her career in the theatre and the challenges of playing Chekhov’s female leads. She and her fellow actors then perform The Bear, Chekhov’s most popular short comedy, about a widow whose vow to mourn forever is interrupted by a brash interloper demanding she pay her husband’s debts immediately. Featuring a new translation by Paul Morris, commissioned for this festival. DIRECTED BY John Bluethner CAST Susanna Portnoy, Brian Richardson, John Bluethner
“AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED, I’D RATHER SIT ON A BARREL OF GUNPOWDER THAN TALK TO A WOMAN!” SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 • 8PM SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 • 3PM SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 • 8PM TUESDAY, JANUARY 28 • 8PM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29 • 8PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 8PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 8PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 3PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 8PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 3PM WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
75 MINUTES TICKETS • $18 STUDENTS/SENIORS/INDUSTRY • $15 AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS 45 MINUTES BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE CALL 204-783-7122 EMAIL athometheatre@shaw.ca
CAPACITY • 70
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born in the small port city of Taganrog, Russia in 1860. Chekhov described his childhood as a “tyranny.”
ABOUT ANTON
His father was religiously devout and physically abusive towards his family. Some historians see his father’s stern discipline, religious devotion and personal failures as the model for Chekhov’s many portraits of hypocrisy in his later writing. CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
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Chekhov and Me By Mike Bell Manitoba Association of Playwrights Rory Runnells Studio 504-100 Arthur Street (Artspace) www.mbplays.ca
The mind goes to strange places when you’ve got writer’s block, but it always comes back to Anton Chekhov and his rules. DIRECTED BY Robb Paterson CAST James Durham
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29 • 7:30PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 7:30PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 7:30PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 7:30PM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 • 7:30PM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 • 7:30PM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 • 7:30PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 • 7:30PM WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
TICKETS • $15 STUDENTS/SENIORS • $12 AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEQUE/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS ONE HOUR BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE CALL 204-942-8941 EMAIL mbplay@mymts.net
CAPACITY • 60 60 MINUTES WARNING LANGUAGE, GUNSHOT
Chekhov Short Stories By Anton Chekhov | Translated by Constance Garnett 101.5 UMFM Live radio broadcast www.umfm.com
Before he became a playwright, Anton Chekhov elevated the short story to a serious art form. UMFM presents two different nights featuring some of Chekhov's greatest short stories. Experience compassion, sorrow and love as only Chekhov can describe.
“WE DO NOT HEAR THOSE WHO SUFFER, AND WHAT IS TERRIBLE IN LIFE GOES ON SOMEWHERE BEHIND THE SCENES.” WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29 • 8PM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 • 8PM 60 MINUTES
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Chekhovian Dreams By Theatre Incarnate Collective Theatre Incarnate Studio 320 320-70 Albert Street www.theatreincarnate.ca
You have found your right path, you know which way you’re going – but I’m still floating about in a chaotic world of dreams and images, without knowing what use it all is… I’m possessed by sweet and wonderful dreams! Perhaps the people who come a hundred years or a couple hundred years after us in Russia – the ones for whom we are now blasting a trail, whom we now work and sacrifice our lives for – will remember us and find a way to be happy. To begin a new life!
“I JUST DECIDED I’D TEAR THIS LOVE OF MINE OUT OF MY HEART, TEAR IT OUT BY THE ROOTS.” MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3 • 8:30PM TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 • 8:30PM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 • 8:30PM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 • 8:30PM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 • 8:30PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 • 8:30PM
WARNING LANGUAGE, SEXUALITY TICKETS • $15 STUDENTS/SENIORS/INDUSTRY • $10 AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS 45 MINUTES BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE CALL OR TEXT 204-952-1533 EMAIL info@theatreincarnate.ca
NO WHEELCHAIR ACCESS CAPACITY • 45 60 MINUTES
WINNIPEG’S CREATIVE STUDIO WINNIPEG’S PREMIER GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRINT STUDIO 14 20 ST E WWW.WCSDESIGNS.COM F OV H
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The Cherry Orchard By Anton Chekhov English version by Tom Stoppard From a literal translation by Helen Rappaport Theatre by the River & little ECHO theatre Frame Art Warehouse 318 Ross Avenue www.theatrebytheriver.com
Caught between a painful past and an unimaginable future, Madam Ranevsky and her family struggle to find happiness and their place in the new world order where the young have no time for love, the servants are more nuisance than help, and the son of a peasant is the richest man in the room. Suzie Martin directs a stellar local cast in this comedic requiem to weakness, folly and the indomitable human spirit. CAST Kevin Anderson, Eric Blais, Grant Burr, Gwendolyn Collins, Teri-Lynn Friesen, Toby Hughes, Kevin Klassen, Daina Leitold, Derek Leenhouts, Mel Marginet, Justin Otto, Melanie Whyte
“WHENEVER YOU HAVE A LOT OF REMEDIES PRESCRIBED FOR SOME DISEASE IT MEANS THERE’S NO CURE.” – GAEV SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 • 8PM MONDAY, JANUARY 27 • 8PM TUESDAY, JANUARY 28 • 8PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 8PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 8PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 2PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 8PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 2PM TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 • 8PM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 • 8PM WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE CAPACITY • 50
TICKETS • $20 STUDENTS/INDUSTRY/UNDEREMPLOYED • $15 AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS 45 MINUTES BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE PURCHASE AT www.theatrebytheriver.com RESERVE BY EMAIL AT theatrebytheriver@gmail.com CALL 204-997-4186 UNCLAIMED RESERVED TICKETS WILL BE RELEASED 10 MINUTES BEFORE CURTAIN.
2 HOURS, INCLUDING INTERMISSION
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
ABOUT ANTON
When Chekhov’s father’s business failed, the family moved to Moscow, a Russian centre for intellectuals. There, Anton divided his time between two seemingly incongruous endeavours. He began attending Moscow University Medical School, eventually becoming a doctor, and to support his family and pay his tuition he began writing short, comic sketches and vignettes of contemporary Russian life. Chekhov was quoted as saying that medicine was his lawful wife and writing was his mistress. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
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The Devil and Anton Chekhov By Kent Suss Based on the writings of Anton Chekhov MTYP Young Company Shaw Performing Arts Centre 2 Forks Market Road www.mtyp.ca
The year is 1890. Anton Chekhov is travelling to Siberia to document the atrocities of prison life and The Devil is hot on his trail. The Devil offers the dying writer extra years of life, if only he will steal a few souls for him. The more souls Chekhov steals, the more years he gets to live. When he gets to Siberia, however, Chekhov finds himself in a harsher hell than he ever could have imagined and he realizes that if he is going to save his own soul, he will have to face some demons of his own. DIRECTED BY B. Pat Burns CAST Nineteen amazing teens from MTYP’s Young Company
“YOUR METHODS ARE BETTER, ANTON CHEKHOV; YOU SUCK IN THE DEFENSELESS THROUGH YOUR EYES AND EARS, AND YOU TRAP THEIR SOULS IN THOSE LITTLE INKWELLS, AND THEN YOU FORCE THEM THROUGH THE END OF YOUR PEN ONTO THE PAGE, WHERE THEY ARE CAPTURED FOREVER.” – THE DEVIL, ACCUSING ANTON CHEKHOV OF BEING A GREAT STEALER OF SOULS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 • 12:30PM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 • 7:30PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 • 4PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 • 7:30PM WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE CAPACITY • 315 75 MINUTES
TICKETS • $12 STUDENTS • $5 (FEB. 7 MATINEE ONLY) AT THE DOOR CASH/INTERAC/CHEQUE/VISA/ MASTERCARD/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS ONE HOUR BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE CALL 204-947-0394
WARNING GUNSHOTS
ABOUT ANTON
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
Chekhov’s work began attracting literary as well as popular attention for his distinctive style of dispassionate, non-judgmental authorship. By 1886 he had gained wide fame as a writer of short stories and decided to turn his attention to drama, writing a series of mostly comedic one-act farces including On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco (1886), The Bear (1888), The Marriage Proposal (1888), A Tragedian in Spite of Himself (1889) and The Wedding (1889). CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
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F#©koff Roff Created by The Talentless Lumps The Talentless Lumps Studio 320 320-70 Albert Street www.facebook.com/Talentless.Lumps
“Dearest Lumps!! If you want to be PHOTO BY LEIF NORMAN civilized and not fall below the level of the milieu you belong to, you must work at it constantly, day and night. Every hour is precious!” – Signed, Anton Chekhov From the Lumps who debuted in blue, did the circus and e-wreckted Miley Cyrus, we come to celebrate our lumps, our humps, our bumps and say F#©koff! We will teach you how to be civilized in the swamp! STARRING Babaghanoush, Berthout, CorNeil, Dawna, Gastromargia and Vitefeetfeetvite
“WE LOVE YOU!” FRIDAY, JANUARY 24 • 8:30PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 • 8:30PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 8:30PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 8:30PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 8:30PM NO WHEELCHAIR ACCESS CAPACITY • 55 45 MINUTES
WARNING LANGUAGE, CONTENT TICKETS • $10 AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS 30 MINUTES BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE TO RESERVE, EMAIL TheTalentlessLumps@gmail.com
Congratulations to the patrons & participants of the
Master Playwright Festival
Two Lombard Pl
(204) 957-1350
www.fairmont.com/winnipeg
The Good Doctor By Neil Simon Broken Record Productions Churchill Park United Church 525 Beresford Avenue www.churchillparkunited.ca
Neil Simon’s The Good Doctor is a parody of Anton Chekhov’s work. The sketches are bound together by a narrator, Chekhov himself, who makes comments and introduces the sketches. They present the tragedy, hopelessness and humour inherent in Chekhov’s work. One sketch presents the tale of a man who offers to drown himself for three rubles. In another, a father takes his perplexed son to be initiated into the mysteries of sex. In another sketch, a crafty seducer is surprised as he goes to work on a wedded woman. The stories are droll, the portraits affectionate and the humour infectious. DIRECTED BY Richard Baschak
“I PUT A CURSE ON YOU AND YOUR DEPOSITORS! MAY THE MONEY IN YOUR VAULTS TURN TO POTATOES… MAY THE GOLD IN YOUR CELLARS TURN TO ONIONS… MAY YOUR RUBLES TURN TO RADISHES, AND YOUR KOPECKS TO PICKLES.” THURSDAY, JANUARY 23 • 7PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 • 7PM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29 • 7PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 7PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 7PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 7PM (DINNER THEATRE) SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 1:30PM (DINNER THEATRE)
TICKETS • $15 DINNER THEATRE PERFORMANCES • $40 AT THE DOOR CASH/CREDIT CARD/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS 45 MINUTES BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE CALL 204-452-8561 EMAIL office@churchillparkunited.ca
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE CHEKHOVPASS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR DINNER THEATRE PERFORMANCES
CAPACITY • 60 90 MINUTES
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
Another 1889 comedy, The Wood Demon, was an initial failure for Chekhov, being rejected by numerous theatres in Russia. After this setback, he
ABOUT ANTON
turned away from writing and returned to medicine and science, journeying to the penal colony of Sakhalin, north of Siberia. While there, he surveyed 10,000 convicts sentenced to life on the island and published several works regarding prison reform. CONTINUED ON PAGE 19
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Ivanov By Anton Chekhov Adapted by Michael Nathanson WJT Berney Theatre 123 Doncaster Street www.wjt.ca
Based on the early classic by Chekhov, this darkly humorous adaptation locates the action in Winnipeg in the 1950s. Faced with a dying wife and a mountain of debt, Ivanov searches for solutions and meaning in a life gone wrong. Written by Governor General’s Award finalist Michael Nathanson. DIRECTED BY Mariam Bernstein CAST Sarah Constible, Paul Essiembre, Laura Lussier, Arne MacPherson
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29 • 8PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 8PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 8PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 8PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 2PM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 • 8PM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 • 8PM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 • 8PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 • 8PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9 • 2PM WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
TICKETS • $40 SENIORS • $32 YOUNG ADULTS/STUDENTS/EQUITY/MAP • $15 AT THE DOOR CASH/INTERAC/MAJOR CREDIT CARDS/ CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS ONE HOUR BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE PURCHASE AT www.wjt.ca CALL 204-477-7478
CAPACITY • 200 80 MINUTES WARNING GUNSHOT
CHEKHOVFEST2014
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8:00pm
7:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm
2:00pm 2:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm
About Love & Champagne The Samovar Uncle Vanya The Bear & Inside the Moscow Art Theatre The Samovar Swan Song The Bear & Inside the Moscow Art Theatre The Cherry Orchard
LECTURE
12:00pm Translating/Adapting Chekhov
SUNDAY
7:00pm Aristocrats 8:00pm The Cherry Orchard 8:00pm The Seagull
FILM SCREENING
6:30pm Vanya on 42nd Street
MONDAY
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8:00pm Ivanov
RADIO BROADCAST
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Aristocrats The Good Doctor Swan Song Chekhov and Me A Marriage Proposal The Seagull The Bear & Inside the Moscow Art Theatre 8:00pm Chekhov Short Stories
7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm
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Aristocrats Swan Song A Marriage Proposal The Seagull The Bear & Inside the Moscow Art Theatre 8:00pm The Cherry Orchard
7:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm
TUESDAY
FESTIVALPLANNER
CHEKHOVFEST
7:00pm Introducing Chekhov LECTURE 7:30pm The Seagull PREVIEW
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 22
8:00pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm
7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:00pm
7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:00pm
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Aristocrats The Good Doctor The Samovar Swan Song Chekhov and Me A Marriage Proposal Uncle Vanya About Love & Champagne The Bear & Inside the Moscow Art Theatre The Cherry Orchard Ivanov The Seagull F#©koff Roff Three Sisters: A Black Opera in Three Acts
The Good Doctor The Samovar Swan Song Uncle Vanya About Love & Champagne The Seagull
THURSDAY
8:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm
7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:00pm
7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm
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Aristocrats The Good Doctor The Samovar Swan Song Chekhov and Me A Marriage Proposal The Seagull Uncle Vanya About Love & Champagne The Bear & Inside the Moscow Art Theatre The Cherry Orchard Ivanov F#©koff Roff Three Sisters: A Black Opera in Three Acts
Aristocrats The Samovar Swan Song The Seagull Uncle Vanya About Love & Champagne F#©koff Roff
FRIDAY
2:00pm 2:00pm 2:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 3:30pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:30pm 9:00pm
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Aristocrats The Cherry Orchard A Marriage Proposal The Samovar The Bear & Inside the Moscow… The Seagull Aristocrats The Good Doctor DINNER THEATRE The Quick-Change Room The Samovar Swan Song Chekhov and Me Uncle Vanya About Love & Champagne The Bear & Inside the Moscow… The Cherry Orchard Ivanov F#©koff Roff The Seagull Three Sisters: A Black Opera in…
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Aristocrats The Seagull Uncle Vanya DINNER THEATRE Aristocrats The Good Doctor The Samovar Swan Song About Love & Champagne The Bear & Inside the Moscow… F#©koff Roff The Seagull
FEBRUARY
2:00pm 3:30pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:30pm
SATURDAY
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1:30pm Platonov READING 2:00pm Ivanov 2:00pm The Quick-Change Room
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12:00pm Discovering Chekhov: A Directors Panel LECTURE 1:30pm The Good Doctor DINNER THEATRE 2:00pm About Love & Champagne 2:00pm Aristocrats 2:00pm The Cherry Orchard 2:00pm Ivanov 2:00pm The Quick-Change Room 3:00pm The Bear & Inside the Moscow… 7:00pm The Quick-Change Room 7:00pm The Samovar 7:00pm Swan Song 7:00pm The Wood-Demon READING 9:00pm Three Sisters: A Black Opera in Three Acts
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7:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm
The Anniversary The Seagull The Cherry Orchard Chekhovian Dreams
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ABOUT LOVE & CHAMPAGNE..................................... 6 THE ANNIVERSARY.................................................18 ARISTOCRATS......................................................... 7 THE BEAR & INSIDE THE MOSCOW ART THEATRE......... 8 CHEKHOV AND ME................................................... 9 CHEKHOV SHORT STORIES RADIO BROADCAST................. 9 CHEKHOVIAN DREAMS............................................10 THE CHERRY ORCHARD............................................ 11 THE DEVIL AND ANTON CHEKHOV............................ 12 DISCOVERING CHEKHOV: A DIRECTORS PANEL LECTURE. ... 5
8:00pm The Seagull 8:30pm Chekhovian Dreams 9:00pm Three Sisters: A Black Opera in Three Acts
FILM SCREENING
6:30pm The Lady with the Dog
RADIO BROADCAST
The Anniversary Chekhov and Me The Seagull About Love & Champagne Chekhov Short Stories
5 2:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 8:05pm 8:30pm
The Seagull The Quick-Change Room The Anniversary Chekhov and Me About Love & Champagne The Cherry Orchard Ivanov The Seagull Three Sisters Chekhovian Dreams
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F#©KOFF ROFF.................................................... 13 THE GOOD DOCTOR................................................14 INTRODUCING CHEKHOV LECTURE. ............................. 5 IVANOV.................................................................15 THE LADY WITH THE DOG FILM SCREENING. .................29 A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL..........................................18 PLATONOV READING. ...............................................19 THE QUICK-CHANGE ROOM.....................................20 THE SAMOVAR....................................................... 21 THE SEAGULL....................................................... 22
8:00pm Ivanov 8:05pm Three Sisters 8:30pm Chekhovian Dreams
7:30pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:00pm
7 2:00pm 2:05pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 8:05pm 8:30pm 8:30pm
The Anniversary Three Sisters The Seagull The Devil and Anton Chekhov The Quick-Change Room Chekhov and Me The Devil and Anton Chekhov About Love & Champagne Ivanov Three Sisters Chekhovian Dreams The Seagull
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SWAN SONG......................................................... 24 THREE SISTERS.....................................................25 THREE SISTERS: A BLACK OPERA IN THREE ACTS......26 TRANSLATING/ADAPTING CHEKHOV TO THE MODERN STAGE LECTURE.............................. 5 UNCLE VANYA....................................................... 27 VANYA ON 42ND STREET FILM SCREENING....................29 THE WOOD-DEMON READING.....................................28
12:30pm The Devil and Anton Chekhov 7:00pm The Quick-Change Room 7:30pm The Anniversary 7:30pm Chekhov and Me 7:30pm The Devil and Anton Chekhov 7:30pm The Seagull 8:00pm About Love & Champagne 8:00pm Ivanov 8:05pm Three Sisters 8:30pm Chekhovian Dreams
Merlyn Productions The Ellice Theatre 585 Ellice Avenue (at Sherbrook) www.merlyn.biz DIRECTED BY John Chase
A Marriage Proposal By Anton Chekhov English version by Barrett H. Clark Love, marriage and… palpitations of the heart!? Tensions build (and so do the physical ailments!) as a stubborn suitor, a headstrong young lady and one poor parent of the would-be bride clash comically in Chekhov’s famous one-act romantic farce! Will she ever say yes? Will he ever be able to ask? This will be the happy union of the irresistible object and the immovable force – if they manage not to kill one another first!
“GET MARRIED! QUICK! KISS EACH OTHER, AND THE DEVIL TAKE YOU BOTH!” TUESDAY, JANUARY 28 • 7:30PM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29 • 7:30PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 7:30PM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 7:30PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 2PM
The Anniversary By Anton Chekhov | Translated by Julius West What could possibly go wrong on the bank’s 15th anniversary, with the board of directors due to arrive? Anything and everything, if our master playwright has anything to say about it! Start with a pompous, self-absorbed chairman named Shipuchin – add one crotchety bookkeeper who must finish massaging the numbers in time – and then complete the recipe for comic disaster with two meddling wives who unwittingly plunge the entire occasion into total slapstick chaos! Don’t miss your chance to see this uproariously funny yet seldomstaged gem of Chekhovian one-act comedies (also published as The Celebration and A Jubilee)!
“THAT’S A FACT – AS TRUE AS MY NAME’S SHIPUCHIN!” TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 • 7:30PM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 • 7:30PM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 • 7:30PM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 • 7:30PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 • 2PM
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS DOORS OPEN 30 MINUTES BEFORE SHOWTIME. LATECOMERS NOT ADMITTED. IN ADVANCE RESERVE AT www.merlyn.biz CALL 204-415-2714
CAPACITY • 200 45 MINUTES TICKETS • $10 SENIORS (65+) • $8 GROUP RATES FOR 10 OR MORE
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Reading Platonov By Anton Chekhov | Adapted by David Hare The Actors’ Fund of Canada Tom Hendry Warehouse 140 Rupert Avenue (at Lily) www.actorsfund.ca
Platonov has the distinction of being Chekhov’s first play, written in his 20s then abandoned and forgotten until 1923. At the heart of the work is the schoolmaster Mikhail Platonov, an idealistic charmer disillusioned and bored by his provincial life. Platonov’s life is complicated by his relationships with four women – his wife and three lovers – and the different roles he plays in their lives. Nuanced and painful, comic, compassionate and philosophical in turn, David Hare’s adaptation reveals a Chekhov “who is funnier, more exuberant and more wildly romantic than anyone expects.” DIRECTED BY Margaret Groome
“IF WE ALL POSSESSED EVERYTHING THAT WE LOVED, IT WOULD LEAVE NO ROOM FOR OUR DREAMS.” SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9 • 1:30PM
SUGGESTED DONATION • $12
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS 30 MINUTES BEFORE READING IN ADVANCE TICKETS AT THE DOOR ONLY
CAPACITY • 286 4 HOURS, 30 MINUTES (INCLUDING MEAL BREAK INTERVAL)
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14
During his time at the penal colony, he started to rework The Wood Demon, reducing the cast list by half, changing a climactic suicide into an anti-climactic failed homicide and retitling it Uncle Vanya, which he completed a decade later in 1899. In 1892 Chekhov bought an estate in the time writer, donating his services as a doctor to the area’s peasant population. It was during this time that he published some of his most memorable short stories including, Neighbors
ABOUT ANTON
country village of Melikhove and became a full-
(1892), Ward Number Six (1892), The Black Monk (1894), The Murder (1895) and Ariadne (1895). CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
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The Quick-Change Room By Nagle Jackson Shoestring Colin Jackson Studio (PTE) 3rd fl., Portage Place, 393 Portage Avenue
The rapid changes that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union are reflected brilliantly in the quick-change room backstage at the Kuzlov Theatre in St. Petersburg (1991). How can the company ensure their upcoming production of Three Sisters will please a shallow, freemarket audience? In this comedy, playwright Nagle Jackson, who once directed at the Bolshoi Dramatic Theatre in St. Petersburg, underlines Chekhov’s premise that in times of change “the more things change, the more…” “Chekhov would have loved it.” – NY drama critic Paulanne Simmons Fringe hits: Flannery’s Ocean, The Dining Room and Quilters DIRECTED BY Maureen Taggart CAST Jean-Marc Blanc, Bernard Boland, Sandor Demeter, Jennifer Gottwald, Laura Harrison, Rhonda Kennedy Rogers, Kathy McLennan, Carol Stephens, Paul Warkentin, Martin Wilson
“WE DON’T NEED GREAT MEN NOW, WE NEED CLEVER MEN.” SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 7PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 2PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 7PM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 • 7PM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 • 7PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 • 7PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9 • 2PM WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
TICKETS • $15 AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEQUE/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS ONE HOUR BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE CALL 204-475-6821 EMAIL lindameckling@gmail.com
CAPACITY • 111 2 HOURS, INCLUDING INTERMISSION WARNING LANGUAGE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19
In 1894 Chekhov began work on The Seagull, which had its stage debut in October 1896. The production was poorly
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received, loudly booed and caused Anton to renounce theatre once again. However, before closing, the play had been seen by renowned theatre director Vladimir NemirovichDanchenko who convinced his colleague Konstantin Stanislavski to direct a remount. CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
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The Samovar Stories by Anton Chekhov Adapted by This Reality Theatre Company This Reality Theatre Company Rudolf Rocker Cultural Centre 91 Albert Street, 3rd fl. www.facebook.com/ThisRealityTheatreCompany
Hatched from the subtle and dark words of one of the greatest short story writers of all time comes The Samovar, a series of vignettes depicting the brevity and wit of Anton Chekhov. A broken-hearted barber, a silver-tongued secretary, a downtrodden muse – through lenses dark and facetious, these characters come to life in a variety of adaptations. Six stories. Five actors. One Chekhov.
“… ALL SEEMED AS THOUGH PURPOSELY JUMBLED TOGETHER IN ONE CONFUSION.” THURSDAY, JANUARY 23 • 7PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 24 • 7PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 • 7PM SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 • 2PM SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 • 7PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 7PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 7PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 2PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 7PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 7PM
TICKETS • $15 STUDENTS • $10 AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS ONE HOUR BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE CALL 204-995-7710
NO WHEELCHAIR ACCESS CAPACITY • 75 60 MINUTES
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The Seagull By Anton Chekhov Translated by David French Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre Tom Hendry Warehouse 140 Rupert Avenue (at Lily) www.mtc.mb.ca
MTC’s production of The Seagull brings together two great playwrights – Anton Chekhov and David French – to tell the funny, sad story of a famous actress, her writer lover, her playwright son and the free-spirited young woman who upsets the artistic and emotional balance of their summer home. DIRECTED BY Krista Jackson CAST Tom Anniko, Sharon Bajer, Andrew Cecon, Terri Cherniack, Bethany Jillard, Tom Keenan, Stan Lesk, Rob McLaughlin, Ross McMillan, Harry Nelken, Tracy Penner, Kerri Potter, Tom Rooney
“MY FATHER AND HIS WIFE WON’T LET ME COME HERE. THEY SAY YOU’RE ALL BOHEMIANS. THEY’RE AFRAID I’LL BECOME AN ACTRESS.” – NINA JANUARY 22 TO FEBRUARY 8 MONDAY, THURSDAY • 8PM TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY • 7:30PM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 • 2PM SATURDAY • 3:30PM & 8:30PM WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE CAPACITY • 286 APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS, 30 MINUTES (PLUS INTERMISSION)
TICKETS START AT $20 21 OR UNDER? ASK ABOUT RUSH TICKETS www.mtc.mb.ca/rush AT THE DOOR CASH/INTERAC/VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS ONE HOUR BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE CALL 204-942-6537 VISIT www.mtc.mb.ca
WARNING GUNSHOTS, SCRIPT-SPECIFIC SMOKING OF NON-TOBACCO PRODUCTS, THEATRICAL HAZE, SMELL OF SULPHUR
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20
Stanislavski’s attention to psychological realism and ensemble acting coaxed buried subtleties from Chekhov’s script and was an unqualified success. In 1897, Chekhov fell ill with tuberculosis and moved to Yalta. While there, he wrote his famous stories The Man in a Shell, Gooseberries, About Love, Lady with the Dog and In the Ravine. This productive period also saw him complete the scripts for his final two plays, Three Sisters (1900) and The Cherry Orchard (1904). In 1901 Chekhov married the actress Olga Knipper, who had performed in his four major plays. CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
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Check for daily coverage in your Winnipeg Free Press. To subscribe call 204.697.7001 or visit winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe-new
Swan Song By Anton Chekhov Adhere And Deny Theatre of Objects And Puppets Adhere And Deny 315-70 Albert Street www.adhereanddeny.com
Swan Song is a study of an actor’s late-night disquisition on the theatre and life. Svietlovidoff, after falling asleep during a party given in his honour to mark his final stage performance, wakes up to a dark and empty theatre. Svietlovidoff had huge dreams when he launched his career. By the end, he has been reduced to playing secondary characters in provincial theatres. In the vacant theatre, Svietlovidoff natters about what was, what is and what could’ve been with Ivanitch, the theatre prompter, who has become Svietlovidoff’s second banana in his swan song. CAST Graham Ashmore – Svietlovidoff | Nikitushka – Ivanitch
“BRAVO! WHERE THE DEVIL IS THERE ANY OLD AGE IN THAT?” THURSDAY, JANUARY 23 • 7PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 24 • 7PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 • 7PM SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 • 7PM TUESDAY, JANUARY 28 • 7PM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29 • 7PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 7PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 7PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 7PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 7PM
TICKETS • $10 AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS AT 6:45PM IN ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR ONLY
NO WHEELCHAIR ACCESS CAPACITY • 30 60 MINUTES
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Olga starred in the debut production of The Cherry Orchard, and six months after it premiered to rave reviews, Chekhov succumbed
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to tuberculosis and died in 1904. Chekhov changed the theatrical world with his four most famous plays (The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard). His balance of tragic and comic elements may be familiar to us today, but were incredibly innovative at the time. CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
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Three Sisters By Anton Chekhov | Adapted by Susan Coyne Winnipeg Mennonite Theatre Université de Saint-Boniface, Salle Martial-Caron 200 avenue de la Cathédrale www.winnipegmennonitetheatre.ca
Susan Coyne’s version of Chekhov’s The Three Sisters is set in an isolated northern Russian military town in the early 1900s. The Prozorov family, three sisters and one brother, moved to this town 11 years ago when their father, a general, now deceased, was transferred. The play portrays various interesting characters and their interaction with each other and the Prozorovs. Two of the sisters can only think of returning to their paradise (Moscow) where they can live with other cultured people and their brother can become a famous professor. Alas, this is not to be – the three sisters must find their own meaning in this meaningless world. DIRECTED BY Alfred Wiebe CAST Flora Wiebe, Monica Reis, Samantha Walters, David Wiebe, Constance Wiebe, Jeff Madden, Curt Krahn, Matthew Stefanson, Gerhard Wiebe, John F. Wiebe, Marie Enns, Georg Steinborn
“I KNOW THE SECRET. A MAN MUST WORK… AND THIS ALONE IS THE MEANING AND THE PURPOSE OF HIS LIFE, HIS HAPPINESS, HIS BLISS.” WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 • 8:05PM THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 • 8:05PM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 • 8:05PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 • 2:05PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 • 8:05PM WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE CAPACITY • 270 2 HOURS, 30 MINUTES
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TICKETS • $20 STUDENTS • $5 (FEB. 5 ONLY) AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEQUE/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS ONE HOUR BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE CALL 204-786-2311 VISIT www.winnipegmennonitetheatre.ca EMAIL catenns@shaw.ca
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Three Sisters: A Black Opera in Three Acts By Kristine Nutting Based on Chekhov’s Three Sisters Who is John Moe? Productions St. Boniface Hotel (Club St. B) 171 Dumoulin Street
Embodying a surreal prairie landscape and a prairie Gothic aesthetic, Three Sisters is a dark comedy that subverts the great prairie narrative, uncovering a clown-like world that is sinister, gauche and suffocating. This little Chekhovian freak show on the prairie won best new play in Ottawa (Fringe 2005), best musical in Winnipeg (2005) and best new play in Vancouver (Fringe 2005). It has been published in the Dandelion Press. Paul Matywchuck (SEE Magazine) voted Three Sisters ‘the show not to miss’ at the prestigious High Performance Rodeo in 2006, and it was nominated as pick of the Fringe in Edmonton 2005. DIRECTED BY Andraea Sartison CAST Dora Carroll, Anna-Laure Koop, Kristian Jordan, Jacqueline Harding, David Arial, Jeff Strome
“OH I LOVE WEDDINGS, THEY ALWAYS MAKE ME FLUFF.” – MOMMY-DADDY
THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 9PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 9PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 9PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 9PM MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3 • 9PM WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE CAPACITY • 150 75 MINUTES
TICKETS • $15 STUDENTS • $10 LICENSED VENUE • UNDER 18 NOT ADMITTED AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS ONE HOUR BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE TO RESERVE TICKETS EMAIL john_moe@outlook.com
WARNING COARSE CONTENT, GRAPHIC SEXUALITY, MAY BE CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE
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He is remembered for his insistence that every element in a narrative be necessary and irreplaceable, and that everything else be
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removed. This approach to writing led to the famous concept of “Chekhov’s Gun.” If a gun is placed on stage in the first act, it must be fired by the final act, otherwise it serves no purpose to the story and is a distraction. CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
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Uncle Vanya By Anton Chekhov | Translated by Brian Friel Tara Players Irish Club 645 Erin Street www.facebook.com/TaraPlayers
Vanya and Sonya have managed the finances on her father’s estate for most of their lives. When her father, Professor Serebryakov, and his young bride, Yelena, visit the estate, the possibility of change soon affects everyone’s complacent, provincial lives. Vanya and Astrov, the local doctor, are soon infatuated with Yelena’s beauty. Sonya falls hopelessly in love with Dr. Astrov. Bystanders to this romantic confusion are Telegin, a neighbour who resides at the estate because his own property has collapsed financially, Maria, the mother of Vanya, and Marina, an old nurse who has catered to everyone’s needs her entire life. DIRECTED BY Ray Cloutier
“EVER SINCE THE PROFESSOR AND HIS WIFE CAME TO LIVE HERE, THE HOUSE HAS BEEN TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.” – VANYA THURSDAY, JANUARY 23 • 7:30PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 24 • 7:30PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 • 6PM (DINNER THEATRE) SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 • 2PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 • 7:30PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 • 7:30PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 • 7:30PM NO WHEELCHAIR ACCESS CAPACITY • 85
TICKETS • $15 JAN. 25 DINNER THEATRE • $45 OPENING NIGHT • 2 FOR $15 AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS ONE HOUR BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE TO RESERVE, CALL 204-774-8272 CHEKHOVPASS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR DINNER THEATRE PERFORMANCE
2 HOURS, 45 MINUTES, WITH ONE INTERMISSION WARNING GUNSHOTS
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Reading The Wood-Demon By Anton Chekhov PAL Manitoba Tom Hendry Warehouse 140 Rupert Avenue (at Lily)
Written as a comedy in 1888, The WoodDemon received its debut in 1889, but most critics were underwhelmed. Eight years later, Chekhov picked it up again, took out half the characters, changed some important plot points and rewrote it as Uncle Vanya. Nevertheless, The Wood-Demon is worthy of its own attention, informing the journey that brought Chekhov to the position he now holds as a literary giant. The main theme deals with the destruction of the environment and the parallel destruction of people’s lives. However, being a comedy, it ends well… for some people. DIRECTED BY Talia Pura CAST The ACTRA Manitoba Branch Council and friends
“THERE ARE SOME THINGS ONE DOESN’T TALK ABOUT, ONE CAN’T.” SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 • 7PM
DONATION TO PAL MANITOBA • $15
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
AT THE DOOR CASH/CHEKHOVPASS BOX OFFICE OPENS ONE HOUR BEFORE SHOWTIME IN ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR ONLY
CAPACITY • 286 2 HOURS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26
Chekhov’s relatively short life has left us with four major plays, a handful of hilarious one-act farces and innumerable masterful short stories. It is difficult to imagine what Chekhov
ABOUT ANTON
would have had in store for his audience if he had lived beyond his 44 years. Despite the fact that he is most famously known for only four plays, his incredibly influential body of work has ensured his lasting legacy. Anton Chekhov truly deserves his title of Master Playwright.
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Free Film Screenings Winnipeg Public Library Millennium Library, Carol Shields Auditorium 2nd fl., 251 Donald Street
Vanya on 42nd Street
The Lady with the Dog
(United States, 1994)
(Soviet Union, 1961)
In the early ‘90s, theatre director André Gregory mounted a series of spare, private performances of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya in a crumbling Manhattan playhouse. This experiment in pure theatre – featuring a remarkable cast of actors, including Wallace Shawn, Julianne Moore, Brooke Smith and George Gaynes – would have been lost to time had it not been captured on film, with subtle cinematic brilliance, by Louis Malle. This film, which turned out to be Malle’s last, is a tribute to the playwright’s devastating work as well as to the creative process itself.
A bored Moscow banker meets a young married women on holiday in Yalta. They fall in love despite the conventions that force them to resume their old lives and arrange clandestine meetings over the years. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3 • 6:30PM WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE CAPACITY • 120 88 MINUTES
MONDAY, JANUARY 27 • 6:30PM WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE CAPACITY • 120 119 MINUTES
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ChekhovFest Supporters
The Works of Anton Chekhov Full-length Plays Platonov aka Fatherlessness aka A Play Without a Title | 1878 First published in 1923 • Adapted by Michael Frayn as Wild Honey in 1984 Ivanov | 1887 • First produced in 1887 by the Korsh Theatre in Moscow The Seagull | 1895 • First produced in 1896 by the Alexandrinsky Theatre in Petersburg and more successfully in 1898 by the Moscow Art Theatre directed by Konstantin Stanislavski • First English translation in 1909 for Royalty Theatre, Glasgow • Adapted by Tennessee Williams as The Notebook of Trigorin in 1981 Uncle Vanya | 1897 • First produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre directed by Konstantin Stanislavski • Uncle Vanya is a reworked version of The Wood Demon which debuted in 1989 at the Abramov Theater Three Sisters | 1900 • First produced in 1901 by the Moscow Art Theatre directed by Konstantin Stanislavski The Cherry Orchard | 1904 • First produced in 1904 by the Moscow Art Theatre directed by Konstantin Stanislavski
One-act Plays On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco Originally published in 1886 | Revised in 1902 Swansong | 1887 The Bear aka The Boor | 1888 A Marriage Proposal aka The Proposal | 1890 A Tragedian in Spite of Himself aka A Reluctant Tragic Hero | 1889 The Wedding | 1889 The Anniversary aka The Festivities aka The Jubilee | 1891
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COME AND TRY THE BEST FISH AND CHIPS IN THE CITY! Open for lunch daily FRIDAY LUNCH CURRY BUFFET
PATRONS & PERFORMERS VISIT US AND ENJOY OUR
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ROYAL MANITOBA THEATRE CENTRE 174 Market Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0P8 Canada