Uncle Vanya by VIA MEDIA / BAYSTAGES

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The grandson of a serf and the son of a failed merchant, Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) became a medical doctor and one of Russia’s most highly regarded writers for his satire, short fiction, and drama. He was concerned with ecological and social problems: deforestation of the land and the poor living conditions, bad health, and inadequate education of the peasantry. He treated the poor, planted trees, and founded schools. In 1892 he settled on a small estate near Moscow, but he later moved south to Yalta in a failed attempt to recover from tuberculosis. Chekhov is best known for his four great dramas: The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard, all written between 1895 and 1903. Uncle Vanya reflects the disillusionment of many educated people in 1890s Russia, particularly those living in the countryside. Thirty years earlier, Tsar Alexander II had unleashed a wave of idealism when he emancipated the serfs, lifted state censorship, and attempted to Westernize the country. But after Alexander was assassinated in 1881, his son reversed many of his reforms and increased the repression of dissent. Disease was rampant, deforestation was proceeding at a prodigious rate, and the seeds were sown for revolution—first in 1905, and then the decisive upheaval of Russian society in 1917. In Uncle Vanya, several characters represent an older generation that believed education would reform Russia: the recently retired Professor Serebryakov, whose work on realism and naturalism implies knowledge of Western culture, and his mother-in-law, Maria Vasilyevna, who spends most of her time reading feminist tracts. They are so involved with books that they barely notice the people around them, and although they insist that one must work (a motto popular in the 1860s), their own activity is entirely theoretical, not practical. Maria’s son Vanya (the title character) and his friend Dr. Astrov belong to the next generation, which was equally idealistic but more inclined to action. For 25 years Vanya managed the estate (essentially a farm) that his father bought for his daughter, so that she and Serebryakov could marry, since a professor’s salary would be too small for comfortable married life in St. Petersburg. An “educated and intelligent” man, Vanya supported Serebryakov not just financially but also intellectually by helping with his brother-in-law’s research, even after his sister’s death and Serebryakov’s second marriage. Now Vanya believes that his sacrifices were for nothing and that at 47 he is too old to change. Dr. Astrov, some ten years younger than Vanya, is in a similar situation: his idealistic hopes of improving the peasants’ health care and saving the forests have not been realized. Further, both men feel isolated because their less educated provincial neighbors consider them “oddballs.” The disillusion of Sonya (Vanya’s niece and the professor’s daughter) and Yelena (the professor’s second wife), both in their 20s, is more personal: They suffer from the sexism of the men, who appreciate women’s beauty but not their talent or character. Yelena will never be a concert pianist, and Sonya will not have a life enlivened by culture or romantic love. The only solace the characters can imagine is one that will come after their deaths. Meanwhile, alcohol and work help them cope with despair. The play presents the paradox of idealism very early, when one character explains that he has sacrificed himself for his startlingly unfaithful wife. Is such devotion—this clinging to an exaggerated ideal—admirable or foolish? Vanya’s disillusion is central to the action, but, as the insightful Yelena says, “Everything’s gone wrong in this house.” Much the same could be said for Russia --Susan Petit

Uncle Van ya PEA R TH EATRE PRE S E NTS

Scenes from Country Life

by Anton Chekhov translated and adapted by Dave Sikula SETTING: Spring, summer and fall on an estate in rural Russia.

CAST

[ IN ORDER OF SPEAKING ]

Marina, an old nurse .................................Carolyn Ford Compton Mikhail Astrov, a local doctor.................................... Jeffrey Bracco Ivan (Vanya) Voinitsky, manager of the estate.....Stephen Muterspaugh ● Aleksandr Serebryakov, a retired professor................. Steve Lambert Ilya (Waffles) Telyegin, an impoverished landowner ........ Wes Gabrilllo Sonya Serebryakova, the professor’s daughter..................April Culver Yelena Serebryakova, the professor’s second wife..... Monique Hafen ● Maria Voinitskaya, Vanya’s mother............................... Judith Miller Yakov / Watchman........................................... Daniel Stahlnecker ●

Member, Actors' Equity Association.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producer.................................................................. Diane Tasca Director...................................................................... Jeffrey Lo Stage Manager............................................ Kelly Weber Barraza Production Manager..................................................Patricia Tyler Scenic Designer.......................................................... Janny Coté Lighting Designer....................................................... Sara Sparks Costume Designer..............................................Tanya Finkelstein Sound Designer......................................................... Jeff Grafton Properties Designer................................................. Ting Na Wang Assistant Director.....................................................Nicole Meñez Research Dramaturg...................................Holly Elizabeth Dayton Set Construction.................................................... Paulino Deleal Publicity Directors..................Stephanie Crowley, Jeanie K. Smith Program Consultant.................................................... Susan Petit Website Manager......................................................... Ray Renati Dramaturg....................................................................Susan Petit Key Art Designer......................................................... Patricia Tyler SPECIAL THANKS: We would like to thank Palo Alto Players, Norm Beamer, Charles McKeithan and Dan Nitzan for their assistance with this production.

1110 La Avenida Street Mountain View, CA 94043 650.254.1148 info@thepear.org thepear.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Beverly Altschuler Sharmon Hilfinger Dan Nitzan Ray Renati Diane Tasca

STEERING COMMITTEE Beverly Altschuler Paul Braverman Robyn Ginsburg Braverman Caroline Clark Elizabeth Kruse Craig Sharmon Hilfinger Troy Johnson James Kopp Ann Kuchins Dan Nitzan Ray Renati Jeanie K. Smith Diane Tasca Patricia Tyler

Performances:

February 25 to March 13, 2016 Pear Theater, 1110 La Avenida Street, Mountain View, CA 94043

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The performance runs approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. There will be one intermission. Videotaping or other recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

All images and/or content provided by Pear Theater staff, contractors and/or creative artists unless otherwise credited. Opinions expressed by contractors, contributors and/or creative artists do not necessarily reflect the views of VIA MEDIA. Photo credits are included as provided.

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BRACCO

COMPTON

CULVER

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES JEFFREY BRACCO (Dr. Astrov) has

worked as an actor and director in the US and Europe His most recent roles include Serge in Art, George in The Language Archive and Dr. Givings in The Vibrator Play (City Lights Theater Company). European credits include Scott Hamilton in the world premiere of A la Galerie, Hank in Apocalyptic Butterflies, and Mercutio in ShakesPod. Jeffrey has also appeared in film (From Paris with Love) and TV (two seasons of the French series Hard). He directs at many Bay Area theatres and is a produced playwright. Jeffrey teaches theatre at Santa Clara University and is making his Pear debut.

CAROLYN FORD COMPTON

(Marina) is thrilled to be performing again at Pear Theatre, particularly at this beautiful new location! Special thanks to Jeffrey for the opportunity to bring the character of Marina to life. It is always good to work with such a great cast and supportive crew. You may have seen Carolyn in The Quality of Life, Misalliance, The Shaker Chair, Over the Tavern, Charley's Aunt and Macbeth, as well as in other productions along the Peninsula and in San Francisco. Special hugs to my Darlin' Darryl for all your love, support and encouragement.

APRIL CULVER (Sonya) earned her

BFA in acting at Drake University. Recent roles include Olivia (Shakespeare in Hollywood) and Miranda (The Tempest) at Silicon 2

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Valley Shakespeare, Desdemona (Othello, Iowa Shakespeare Experience), Ophelia (Hamlet, Little Apple Creek Theatre) and Viola (Twelfth Night, Drake University). She would like to thank her friends and family for their constant love, humor, and support.

WES GABRILLO (Telyegin) is a

Bay Area-based actor making his Pear Theatre debut. Recent credits include Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them (Crowded Fire Theater), Eurydice (Palo Alto Players), The Crazed (Central Works) and A Kind of Sad Love Story (Bindlestiff Studio). Wes also performs on tour throughout Northern California as part of educational theatre for Kaiser Permanente. He holds a BA in drama from the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at UC Irvine and has also trained at East West Players' Actor’s Conservatory in Los Angeles and Berkeley Rep School of Theatre.

MONIQUE HAFEN ● (Yelena) is

delighted to return to the Pear! She was last seen here in The Illusion and Hay Fever. Monique most recently performed at the San Francisco Playhouse as Amy in Company. Other Playhouse credits include Into the Woods, Camelot, My Fair Lady, Promises, Promises and Harper Regan. Other work includes shows at CenterREP, San Jose Rep, San Jose Stage Company and Repertory of St. Louis. moniquehafen.com

STEVE LAMBERT (Serebryakov)

has worked with various theatres in the Bay Area including City Lights Theater Company, Los Altos Stage, Tabard Theatre Company, Hillbarn Theatre and TheatreWorks. Major works include Equus, Hedda Gabler, On Golden Pond, Proof, The Clean House, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, The Winter’s Tale, My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music. Steve studied and worked in New York, where he appeared in several feature films and daytime soaps. His directing credits include The Fantasticks, The King and I, Kiss Me, Kate and Catch-22. Steve graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in theatre arts.

JUDITH MILLER (Maria) has had the

pleasure of playing many diverse characters for Bay Area theatre audiences. Her most recent roles were General Cartwright (Guys and Dolls, Jewel Theatre), Harriet Gottlieb (Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Los Altos Stage) and Juliana Smithton (The Other Place, Dragon Theatre). She is a resident actor at San Jose Stage Company, where her roles have included Haley in the critically acclaimed production of Sam Shepard’s Buried Child, Emma Parker/Ensemble in Bonnie and Clyde (TBA nomination for Outstanding Ensemble), Patricia Pickel in It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play and Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret. Judith has also worked with San Jose Rep, Woodminster Summer Musicals and Marin Theatre

GABRILLO

HAFEN

LAMBERT

Company. She has also provided voiceover work for The Margaret Wingrove Dancers.

from the Arts Council Silicon Valley, and winner of Theatre Bay Area's Director's TITAN Award. His plays have been produced and workshopped at Bindlestiff Studio, City Lights Theater Company, Custom Made Theatre Co. and the Orange County Playwrights Alliance. Recent directing credits include Eurydice (Palo Alto Players), Dead Man's Cell Phone (Los Altos Stage Company), Some Girl(s) (Dragon Theatre) and The Drunken City (Renegade Theatre Experiment). Jeffrey has also worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, TheatreWorks and San Jose Rep. He is the Casting Associate and Company Manager at TheatreWorks, a graduate of the Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute and a proud alumnus of the UC Irvine Drama Department. jeffreywritesaplay.com

helped to paint the set for Tell It Slant in 2009.) She has recently worked at Palo Alto Players, having designed the sets for Eurydice and Death of a Salesman.

ST E P H E N

M U T E R S PAU G H ●

(Vanya) is excited to be making his Pear debut. Most recently he was seen as Elliott in the TheatreWorks production of The Country House. Regional credits include work at Southwest Shakespeare Company, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Creede Repertory Theatre, Pacific Conservatory Theatre, Powerhouse Theatre and Geva Theatre Center. Mr. Muterspaugh has appeared locally with Jewel Theatre, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, California Conservatory Theatre, Livermore Shakespeare, Second Wind Productions and Marin Shakespeare Company. When not onstage, he serves as the Associate Artistic Director at San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. He is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory Theatre.

DANIEL STAHLNECKER (Yakov,

Watchman) is proud to be making his debut at the Pear. Daniel attends Santa Clara University where he is studying theatre and urban education. As a teen, he participated in CMTSJ, performing in many shows, including Phantom, Miss Saigon, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He is currently designing the set for a show at Dragon Theatre..

JEFFREY LO (Director) is a Filipino-

American playwright and director based in the Bay Area. He is the recipient of the 2014 Leigh Weimers Emerging Artist Award, the 2012 Emerging Artist Laureate

KELLY WEBER BARRAZA (Stage

Manager) is excited to be returning for her fifth production with the Pear, having previously worked on House & Garden, Kimberly Akimbo, Birds of a Feather and Arcadia. She has also worked with other local companies including Los Altos Stage Company, West Valley Light Opera, South Bay Musical Theatre and Studio Theatre of California. She enjoys teaching and training in the martial arts, having just received her 4th dan this past October. Kelly gives love to her husband, Michael, and her bunnies, Palgwe, Chumo and Kiyap.

JANNY COTÉ (Scenic Designer) has

designed and built sets all over the Bay Area. Uncle Vanya is her third set for the Pear, after Betrayal and Arcadia last season. (She also

TANYA FINKELSTEIN (Costume

Designer) is both a lighting and a costume designer. Some of Tanya's recent costume designs include Dead Man's Cell Phone (Los Altos Stage Company), Eurydice (Palo Alto Players) and Death of a Salesman (San Jose Stage Company). Other design work includes costumes for four world premieres at TheatreWorks, hair and makeup at Magic Theatre, lighting and costumes for Dragon Theatre, costumes for EmSpace Dance, costumes, lighting and producing for Collective Theatre Productions and numerous designs for Renegade Theatre Experiment where she is also the Managing Director. Tanya graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a BA in theatre arts and a graduate certificate.

JEFF GRAFTON (Sound Designer) is

excited to join the design team for his first production at Pear Theatre, escaping the otherwise mundane life of a software engineer. His recent credits include sound for Death of a Salesman, Chinglish and Eurydice (Palo Alto Players), as well as stage managing Chicago and The Addams Family there. In a previous life he provided lighting, sound and production assistance for a variety of bands and cultural shows with Carnegie Mellon University’s student-run AB Tech organization, providing “Fly-byNight Sound and Light.” 2016.02 • BAYSTAGES.COM

MILLER

MUTERSPAUGH

STAHLNECKER

NICOLE MEÑEZ (Assistant Director) is a Bay Area native and recent graduate of the UC Santa Cruz with degrees in environmental studies and theatre arts. Eager to dive into the local theatre scene, she has been assistant directing all over the Bay Area including American Conservatory Theatre's Monstress and YouthAware Educational Theatre's Dis/Connected through New Conservatory Theatre Center, where she is also on staff as a teaching artist and educational theatre associate. Nicole sends many thanks and congratulations to Jeffrey, the cast, and the crew for a marvelous production!

Andre the Giant at Custom Made Theatre in San Francisco. Earlier this season, he played Alexander Andrews in The Walls of Jericho at the Pear. Favorite roles include Col. Bouvier/Norman Vincent Peale (Grey Gardens), Narrator (Kirt Vonnegut's SlaughterhouseFive), Edna Turnblad (Hairspray), Lawrence Jameson (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), title roles in Uncle Vanya and Bullshot Crummond, Boris Trigorin (The Seagull), Hildy Johnson (The Front Page), Mike Connor (The Philadelphia Story), Victor Prynne (Private Lives) and Charles J. Guiteau (Assassins). Love to Pidge.

Apparel. Sara has designed for Broadway West and A.C.T.’s Costume Shop and has also stage managed at the Pear and many other Bay Area theatres.

DAVE SIKULA ( Tr a n s l a t i o n , Adaptation) Primarily an actor and director, Dave has been studying and translating Chekhov's works since the 1980s. He can currently be seen playing Samuel Beckett in Sam and Dede, or My Dinner with

SARA SPARKS (Lighting Designer) is excited to return to the wonderful new Pear space, where she designed the lights for Tribes last fall. Prior lighting design credits for the Pear include The Quality of Life, Pear Slices 2012 and Intimate

●

TING NA WANG ( P r o p e r t i e s Designer) is a craft-loving artist who enjoys the challenges and creative energy of theatre. Since receiving her BA in fine arts from San Jose State in 2013, she has been working as a scenic designer, painter and props designer for local theatres including Los Altos Stage Company, Silicon Valley Shakespeare, Sunnyvale Community Players, Renegade Theatre Experiment, I.E.Presents, Opera San Jose, Children’s Musical Theater and Palo Alto Players. This is her first time at the Pear. Outside her theatre life, she is an art teacher at Drawn2Art Los Altos and a collector/reseller of mid-century modern designs.

Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers. This Theatre operates under an agreement with Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

DEVELOPMENTAL READING KIDNAP! Or, The Abduction of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth and Company by Douglas Rees On St. Patrick’s Day, 1865, John Wilkes Booth and his gang tried, but failed, to kidnap Abraham Lincoln. This play imagines what might have happened had they succeeded. At the time, Confederate troops were still in the field, and Richmond hadn’t fallen. Taking Lincoln might have enabled the South to avoid total defeat. In April, Lee surrendered, and Booth’s new aim was to decapitate the Union by assassinating Lincoln, the Vice President, and the Secretary of State. We know what happened. It’s history, but KIDNAP! makes the point that “history” is written only after the drama is over. Our country’s ongoing struggle over race, and the meaning of our nationhood, is still being acted out. We are all in the cast, and our script is far from finished. FEBRUARY 28, 2016 • 7:00 P.M. • SUGGESTED DONATION: $10.00 4

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DONORS Our deep and heartfelt thanks go to everyone who has contributed so generously to Pear Theatre over the years. The list of those who donated to the Pear Avenue Theatre between 2002 and 2015 is posted on our website. Going forward, Pear Theatre programs will acknowledge donations made since June, 2015.

ROOTS [$1,000+]

Carol + Ray Bacchetti • Norman Beamer + Diane Tasca Rhoda Bergen • Rosalee + Bob Clarke • Kathleen Hall + Leslie Murdock Ann Kuchins • Silicon Valley Community Foundation Donors’ Circle David Simon + Lynn Gordon Simon • Scott Solomon • Joseph Sturkey Dr. Thomasyne Lightfoote Wilson BRANCHES [$500+] Paul + Robyn Braverman • Darryl + Carolyn Compton • Marian + David Cortesi Charlotte Dickson • Joanne Engelhardt • Sharmon Hilfinger + Luis Trabb Pardo Henry + Marcia Lawson • Frances Rushing • Jan + Don Schmidek Edna + Dan Shochat • Mary Lou Torre + Rich Hagen PEARS [$250+] Connie Allen + Doug Greig • Susan Barkan • Martin + Crownie Billik • Cynthia Bitner Louis Caputo • Jeremy Carl • Constance Crawford • Patricia + John Davis • JoEllen Ellis Ken + Carol Emmons • Thomas Ferry • Kurt Gravenhorst • Eunice Haas • Patricia Irish Pattie Levinson • Alex Meyers • Shauna Mika • Roberta Morris + Phil Buchsbaum Pear Writers Guild • Vic Prosak • Hope Raymond • Elaine Rossignol Vivan Schatz • Dana St. George • Peter + Juthica Stangl • Joyce Tenover Mike Wilber + Dianne Ellsworth BLOSSOMS [$25+] Robin Booth • Linda Brandewie • Patrick Brennan • Helena Clarkson• Gertrud Cory Anne Wellner DeVeer • Pearl + Bernard Director • Marilyn Edwardson • Dianne Gribschaw Max Gutmann • Leah Halper • Eleanor Hansen • Baba Nicole Herrick • Susan Jackson • Earl Karn Georgia + Raymond Marotta • Elyce Melmon • Brenda Miller • Elaine Moise • Albert Moon Carole Mullowney • John Musgrave • Ross Peter Nelson • Elizabeth Owen • Peter + Natalie Panfili Denise Prosser • Douglas + Joanne Rees • Toby Reitman • William + Sherrean Rundberg Norma Schleunes • Chalmers Smith • Marketa Spiro • Laura Stefanski • Marilyn Walter • Gayle Wiener

THANK YOU!

NEXT UP AT THE PEAR: APRIL 8 - 24, 2016

The Beard of Avon by Amy Freed

Who really wrote Shakespeare’s plays? The Beard of Avon, a brilliantly witty treatment of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespearean authorship, has its own highly original answer to this question, along with several others: What was Shakespeare really like? What sort of home life did he have? How did he feel about premature balding? Hilarious and intriguing, the play takes us on a wild ride through Elizabethan England, even bringing the Queen herself along. “Clever, thoughtful, and entertaining farce.” - The New York Times 2016.02 • BAYSTAGES.COM

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