Plays

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Chekhov's First Play

OVERVIEW

  • Playwright

    Bush Moukarzel 

  • Adapted / Translated From

    Anton Chekhov

  • Author Notes

    Adapted from Laurence Senelick's translation of Chekhov's untitled play commonly known as "Platonov".
  • Notes

    Co-commissioned by Battersea Arts Centre and Irish Arts Center, New York.

  • Synopsis

    During the turmoil of the Russian Revolution in 1917, Maria Chekhov, Anton's sister, placed many of her late brother's manuscripts and papers in a safety deposit box in Moscow. In 1921 Soviet scholars opened the box, and discovered a play. The title page was missing. The play they found has too many characters, too many themes, too much action. All in all, it's generally dismissed as unstageable. Like life.

  • Play Type

    Adaptation/Translation

    Number Of Acts

    Full-Length

  • Cast size

  • Male

    3

  • Female

    3

  • Total

    6

  • Cast Notes

    The additional character Platonov was played by an audience member.

Original Production

  • Date of First Production

    26 September 2015

  • Production Notes

    Also co-produced by Baltoscandal (Rakvere), Théâtre national de Bordeaux en Aquitaine. Project co-produced by NXTSTP, with the support of the Culture Programme of the European Union.

  • Producer

    Co-produced by Dead Centre and Dublin Theatre Festival

  • Original Venue

    Samuel Beckett Theatre

Original Cast  
Porfiry Semyonovich Glagolyev Liam Carney
Sofya Yegorovna Breffni Holahan
Nikolay Ivanovich Triletsky Rory Nolan
Aleksandra Ivanovna Rebecca O'Mara
Anna Petrovna Voinitseva Annie Ryan
Sergey Pavlovich Voinitsev Dylan Tighe
Production Team  
Director Bush Moukarzel
Director Ben Kidd
Set Designer Andrew Clancy
Lighting Designer Stephen Dodd
Producer Matthew Smyth
Costume Designer Saileóg O'Halloran
Costume Assistant Ellen Kirk
Choreographer Liv O'Donoghue
Special Effects & On-Stage Design Grace O'Hara
Assistant Director Briony Morgan
Lighting Assistant Hannah Bowe
Sound Assistant Kevin Gleeson
Production Manager Adam Fitzsimons
Stage Manager Fiona Keller
Assistant Stage Manager Bairbre Ni hAodha
Set Construction Ciarán Bonner
Set Construction Ger Clancy
Set Construction Eugenia Genunchi
Chief Electrician Kevin Smith
Lighting Technician Seán Dennehy
Graphic Design Jason Booher
Production Photography José Miguel Jiménez
Associate Artist Ailbhe Wakefield-Drohan
Wigs by Val Sherlock
Prosthetic/Make-up Design Bridge Lucey
Composer/Sound Designer Jimmy Eadie

Published Scripts

Rights Information

Source Of Information

The information for this entry was taken from the original production programme.