Chicago - Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, translated by Associate Artistic Director Curt Columbus. The production is directed by ensemble member Tina Landau, featuring ensemble members Robert Breuler, Francis Guinan, Amy Morton, Yasen Peyankov, and Rondi Reed. Cherry Orchard begins performances in the Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted, on November 4, 2004. American Express is the Exclusive Sponsor of the Upstairs Theatre Transition and Inaugural Sponsor of the Upstairs Theatre Season. The visionary director of The Berlin Circle and The Time of Your Life completely transforms the confines of the Upstairs Theatre to stage a new translation of Chekhov's funny, sensual classic about moving forward in changing times. Tina Landau and her design team put the Steppenwolf audience in the room with the legendary characters of Madame Ranevskaya's estate. Five returning Steppenwolf ensemble members and nine acclaimed Chicago actors appear on Steppenwolf's intimate stage for this unforgettable Cherry Orchard. "To produce one of the great plays from the world's canon of modern dramatic literature with such a strong corps of Steppenwolf artists is an exhilarating prospect," comments Artistic Director Martha Lavey. "Adding to our excitement in presenting this work to you is our decision to produce Cherry Orchard in our Upstairs Theatre. For the first time, we are inviting our subscribers into the Upstairs space as a part of their subscription season." Set designer Riccardo Hernandez comments on the completely new physical environment for Steppenwolf audiences, "Here the audience is in the room, and that, by its nature, is already a different look for a Chekhov play. The audience will be with these people in their space. You are inside this room: this is distinct, this is the world, this is Cherry Orchard, it's all in the Upstairs space." The cast of Cherry Orchard features Steppenwolf ensemble members Robert Breuler (Boris Semyonov-Pischik), Francis Guinan (Leonid Gaev), Amy Morton (Lovey Ranevskaya), Yasen Peyankov (Yermolai Lopakin) and Rondi Reed (Charlotta) with Anne Adams (Dunyasha), Guy Adkins (Semyon Yepihodov), Chaon Cross (Anya), Leonard Kraft (Firs), Julian Martinez (Postman), Ned Noyes (Peter Trofimov), Elizabeth Rich (Varya), Ben Viccellio (Yasha) and Chris Yonan (Stationmaster). The designers of Cherry Orchard are Riccardo Hernandez (set), Jennifer Roberts (costumes), Scott Zielinski (lights), Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (music and sound). Malcolm Ewen is the stage manager and Christine D. Freeburg is the assistant stage manager. Dennis Watkins is the magic consultant, Rachel Rockwell is the dance consultant and John Boesche is the projection consultant. Anton Chekhov (playwright) was born in January 1860 in Southern Russia and died of tuberculosis in July 1904. Chekhov was a doctor who began his literary career as a comic writer for Russian humor magazines and later developed into a short story writer and playwright. Best known for his deceptively simple writing that lacked complex plots and tidy solutions, Chekhov was a master of creating lyrical atmosphere by concentrating on apparent trivialities. Chekhov's works included over 50 short stories and four major plays: Seagull (1895), Uncle Vanya (1896), Three Sisters (1902) and Cherry Orchard (1904). Curt Columbus (translator) is the Associate Artistic Director of Steppenwolf, where his translation of Uncle Vanya was presented in the Upstairs Theatre. Other Steppenwolf credits include translating Maria Arndt and directing The House of Lily, Division Street: America and Our Town. He is also the Artistic Director of Chicago Park District's Theater on the Lake and an Artistic Associate at Victory Gardens Theater since 1990. His adaptation of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment (with Marilyn Campbell), which was presented by the Writers' Theatre in Glencoe, was awarded a Joseph Jefferson Award for best new adaptation and will be published by Dramatists' Play Service this spring. Curt's new translations of Anton Chekhov's plays have been published by Ivan R. Dee, including a volume of translations called Chekhov: The Four Major Plays. Curt has also been director of University Theater at the University of Chicago, where he continues to lecture in the Humanities. He is currently writing the book for a new musical, as well as his first original play. His translation of Chekhov's Seagull premiered at Writers' Theatre in September 2004. Tina Landau (director), an ensemble member since 1997, most recently directed Theatrical Essays at Steppenwolf and Of Thee I Sing at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Tina's work as a writer and director include Beauty (La Jolla Playhouse), Space (Steppenwolf, NY's Public Theater, Mark Taper Forum), Stonewall (En Garde Arts), 1969 (Actors Theater of Louisville), Floyd Collins with composer Adam Guettel (Playwrights Horizons, Prince Music Theater, Old Globe, Goodman), and Dream True with composer Ricky Ian Gordon (Vineyard Theater). Her Steppenwolf productions include: The Time of Your Life (also Seattle Rep, A.C.T.), premiere of Maria Arndt, Charles L. Mee's Time to Burn and The Berlin Circle, and the musical The Ballad of Little Jo. In New York, Tina directed the Broadway revival of Bells are Ringing, Guettel's Myths and Hymns (Public Theater) and Mee's Orestes and Trojan Woman (En Garde Arts). Tina teaches regularly and her book, The Viewpoints Book, co-written with Anne Bogart, was published in August. Previews for Cherry Orchard are November 4-7 and 10-13, 2004. The production opens Sunday, November 14, 2004, at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., and runs through March 5, 2005. Please note our curtain times: all performances run Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30 p.m., as well as Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m. and Wednesday matinees on January 19 and 26, February 2, 9 and 16, 2005, at 2:00 p.m. There will be no Sunday evening performances on January 23 and 30, February 6, 13 and 20, 2005. There will be no performances on November 25, December 24, 25, 2004, and January 1, 2005. The performance on Wednesday, December 22, 2004, will be sign language interpreted for the deaf and hard of hearing. The performance on Thursday, January 16, 2005, will be audio-described for the blind and sight impaired. Free post-show discussions presented by Artistic Director Martha Lavey and Associate Artistic Director and translator Curt Columbus will be held after the Wednesday matinee performances. Post-show discussions with the cast and artistic staff are held Tuesdays and Thursdays during the regular run. Ticket prices are $20 to $60. Audience services hours are 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day and 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on days with evening performances. The Audience Services number is (312) 335-1650. Real-time online ticketing is available at www.steppenwolf.org. $20 rush tickets are available one hour before each show. For group sales reservations, contact the Group Sales Manager at 312-654-5629. Discounts are available for groups of ten or larger. Steppenwolf Theatre Company is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Assistive listening devices are available for every performance. Steppenwolf gratefully acknowledges its 2004-2005 season sponsors: Premier Benefactors - Ogilvy & Mather, Inc., and Sara Lee Foundation; Grand Benefactors - American Express, Bank One, Mercedes-Benz USA, The Shubert Foundation, Inc., and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust and United Airlines; Benefactors - Lord, Bissell & Brook, LLP, and Vinci. Steppenwolf Theatre Company's programs are partially supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, and by a CityArts Program 4 grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Committed to the principle of ensemble performance through the collaboration of a company of actors, directors and playwrights, Steppenwolf Theatre Company's mission is to advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships, and contributing new works to the national canon. The company, formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, is dedicated to perpetuating an ethic of mutual respect and the development of artists through ongoing group work. Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of thirty-five artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking and textual adaptation.
Fact Sheet: Cherry Orchard
Title: Cherry Orchard Playwright: Anton Chekhov Translator: Curt Columbus Director: Steppenwolf ensemble member Tina Landau Location: Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted Street Dates: Previews: November 4-7, 10-13, 2004 Opening: November 14, 2004, at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Regular Run: November 16, 2004-March 5, 2005 Curtain Times: Tuesdays through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday matinees on January 19 and 26, February 2, 9 and 16, 2005, at 2:00 p.m. Tickets: $20.00-$60.00 $20 rush tickets are available one hour before each show. Audience Services: 1650 N Halsted Street (312)335-1650 www.steppenwolf.org 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. everyday 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. on days with evening performances Brief Synopsis The visionary director of The Berlin Circle and The Time of Your Life completely transform the confines of the Upstairs Theatre to stage a new translation of Chekhov's funny, sensual classic about moving forward in changing times. Tina Landau and her design team put the Steppenwolf audience in the room with the legendary characters of Madame Ranevskaya's estate. Five returning Steppenwolf ensemble members and nine acclaimed Chicago actors appear on Steppenwolf's intimate stage for this unforgettable Cherry Orchard. Notes of Interest
- Cherry Orchard is directed by ensemble member Tina Landau, the visionary director of The Berlin Circle and The Time of Your Life. Landau transforms the versatile Upstairs Theatre to stage a new translation by Curt Columbus about how we define ourselves in the space of change.
- The theater will be draped in white and clothed with patterned lace, reflecting a personal look into the lives of the legendary characters of Madame Ranevskaya's estate. The world of Cherry Orchard is completed by live music, magic, dancing and a little dog.
- Curt Columbus' translation is soon to be published in a collection of Chekhov translations titled Chekhov: The Four Major Plays, including Cherry Orchard and past Steppenwolf production Uncle Vanya. Curt's translation of Seagull is currently playing at Writers' Theatre, where his Jeff-winning adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment was performed in 2003.
- This production, which runs for 18 weeks, marks the first Upstairs production that is part of the subscription season. The 250-seat theatre offers audiences increased intimacy with the actors and allows the director and designers to utilize the versatility and creativity of the Upstairs Theatre to construct an inspired environment for Cherry Orchard.