About the Plays:

The Seagull has long been a favourite of acting teachers for Female Monologues, Male Monologues, and Female/Male Scenes.

The Seagull is a full-length drama by Anton Chekhov, translated in a new version by Christopher Hampton. Famous actress Irina Arkádina is obsessed with a callous lover, dismissive of her frustrated son and suspicious of an admiring young woman. In a fresh and funny new translation by Christopher Hampton, Anton Chekhov's classic tale explores the tensions between mothers, sons, lovers, friends and servants on a Russian country estate.

The Seagull follows the romantic and creative conflicts of a group of artists who have gathered at a country estate by a lake in 19th century Russia. The idyllic locale belies the turbulent passions of its inhabitants. When the famed but aging actress Irina Arkádina returns home with her younger lover, she finds a household overflowing with creativity, fantasies of fame, jealousy and unrequited love. A tragicomedy about life and art, it astonished the old century as it heralded the birth of modern drama. The Seagull is one of the great plays about writing. It superbly captures the struggle for new forms, the frustrations and fulfilments of putting words on a page. The Seagull, Anton Chekhov's first major play, has since been recognized as one of the greatest contributions to Russian and world theater and is now regarded as one of the playwright's masterpieces

Constantin Stanislavski's production of The Seagull at the newly founded Moscow Art Theatre in 1898 is one of the most famous in the world of theatre. Christopher Hampton's version of this classic play premiered in 2007 at the Royal Court Theatre in London. The play is regularly performed in regional repertory, high school, college, and community theatre productions.

Cast: 8 female, 5 male

What people say:

"Christopher Hampton's sharp-witted translation is perfect…The finest and most fully involving production of Chekhov that I have ever known." — The New York Times

"How thrilling, finally, to have a version of The Seagull that understands why we cherish Anton Chekhov." — New York Newsday

About the Playwright:

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) was a Russian physician, dramaturge and writer. The author of hundreds of short stories and several plays, he is regarded by many as both the greatest Russian storyteller and the father of modern drama.

Christopher Hampton is a British playwright, screenwriter, director, producer, and a consummate translator and adaptor of novels. He is perhaps most famous for his play Les Liaisons Dangereuses (based on the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos), which won an Olivier Award in 1986. He adapted the play for film and won an Oscar for the screenplay. His theatre work includes the stage adaptation of Sunset Boulevard for Andrew Lloyd Webber, which received Tony Awards for both Book and Lyrics. He has translated a wide range of works including classics by Chekhov, Ibsen and Moliere as well as contemporary plays by Yasmina Reza and Florian Zeller. His long list of screenplays includes A Doll's House, The Good Father, Total Eclipse, and The Quiet American.