The Rude Mechanicals resident at Greenbelt Arts Center present
The Seagull
Directed by Melissa Schick
Adapted by Melissa Schick & Liana Olear
The Rude Mechanicals are known for concept Shakespeare, but concept Chekhov? Well that’s not something people do. Or is it? This production of The Seagull transports these drama queens of the Russian theatre in the late 1800s to the American music industry of the late 1900s. 1979 to be exact. In this production we aim to explore how the revolutionary revamping of theatre that occurred during Chekhov and Stanislavski’s era bears similarities to the way the birth and rising popularity of punk rock revolutionized music in the late 1970s. Come and witness new forms in music taking shape.
Constantine is a tortured songwriter involved in founding the punk rock movement in the late 1970s. She’d love nothing more than to prove her worth to her rich and famous but cold and withholding mother, the famous diva, Arkadina. Constantine is in love with Nina, a young aspiring singer who wants to make it big. Nina is a little star struck by the wildly successful Trigorin, who is dating Arkadina. Masha, the gothiest goth who ever gothed, is in unrequited love with Constantine and soothes the pain of unreturned love with substance abuse and witty denial. Medviedenko the schoolteacher is in unrequited love with Masha. Everyone at Sorin’s estate is clearly very, very happy.
Chekhov. Where comedies end with suicide.
Performances:
8PM Fri & Sat Jan 24, 25, 31, 1 2025
matinee: 2PM Sun Jan 26 (audience masking required)
Pay What You Will 8PM Wed Jan 29
Greenbelt Arts Center, 123 Centerway, Greenbelt MD 20768
Content warning: drug use, suicide references, and the discharge of Chekhov’s Gun.
The Cast
Masha: Lily Tender
Medviedenko: Kashaf Jabbar
Irina Arkadina: Jaki Demarest
Constantine: Marianne Virnelson
Nina: Aisling Mockler
Boris Trigorin: Steven Howell Wilson
Peter Sorin (emerita): Mikki Barry
Peter Sorin: Bill Bodie
Eugene Dorn: Joshua Engel
Paulina: Leah DeLano
Shamraeff: Melissa Schick
The Crew
Director: Melissa Schick
Asst. Dir./Dramaturg/SM/Producer/Stage Hand: Liana Olear
Music Director: Eric Honour
Intimacy Choreographer: Stephanie Davis
Technical Director: Jeff Poretsky
Curtain Engineer: Alan Duda
Window Engineer: Chris Dullnig
Additional Set Construction: Sam Kopel, Jaki Demarest, Nic Adams, Steve Cox, Joshua Engel
Costumes and Props: Spencer Dye
Sound Mixing: Matt Etner
Photography: Rachel Zirkin Duda
Marketing and Publicity: Kate Medwar-Vanderlinden
The Band – Chekhov’s Gun
Eric Honour – Lead Electric Guitar
Diana Dzikiewicz – Drums, Keyboard, Electric Guitar, Electric Violin
Leah DeLano – Bass
with Special Guest Matt Etner on Interstitial Music, Vocals and Guitar
The Rude Mechanicals 