Ithaca College

On Thursday, November 30th, Ithaca College Theatre opens the adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull by the award-winning playwright Tom Stoppard. Stoppard has written and adapted numerous well-known plays and films, including the Academy–Award winning Shakespeare in Love, for which he earned an Oscar for best original screenplay.

Evening performances of The Seagull will take place at 8 p.m. on Nov. 28 and 30 and Dec. 1, 2, and 5–9. Matinees will be offered on Dec. 3 and 9 at 2 p.m. All performances will take place in the Clark Theatre, Dillingham Center. Tickets range in price from $4.50 to $10 and can be purchased at the Ithaca College Theatre ticket office in Dillingham Center or by calling (607) 274-3224. Tickets may also be purchased by calling the Ticket Center at Clinton House at (607) 273-4497 or by visiting www.ithacaevents.com. Group discounts are available.

Tom Stoppard’s version of The Seagull was first performed in Central Park in New York City in July 2001 with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Natalie Portman, and John Goodman playing the lead roles.

Stoppard sets this beloved classic of Western drama on a beautiful country estate, where artists are plentiful, love is in the air, and jealousy and heartbreak linger. The play is lush with passion and raw emotion and explores the timeless pursuit of love, art and unrequited desire.

Chekhov famously described The Seagull as "a comedy with ...a landscape, lots of talk about literature, little action and a ton of love." Stoppard’s version, while true to Chekhov’s intentions, brilliantly brings out a certain speed, irony and humor, defying the traditional Chekhovian style and drawing new audiences to a world that is relevant and current.

The director of The Seagull is Wendy Dann, lecturer in the Ithaca College Department of Theatre Arts and associate artistic director of the Hangar Theatre. R.B. Schlather ’08 is the assistant director and dramaturge. The design team includes scenic designer Andrew Cavanaugh Holland, costume designer Greg Robbins, lighting designer Ashley Gagner ’07, sound designer Greg Hill ’07, and technical director Ryan McAlpine ‘07. Molly Hennighausen ’08 is the stage manager.

The cast includes Alyssa Denea Duerksen ’07 as Arkadina, Andrew Krug ’08 as Trigorin, Abby Church ’07 as Nina, Peter Gray ’07 as Konstantin, Mario Pabon ’09 as Sorin, Joanna Krupnik ’08 as Masha, Aaron Fried ’10 as Medvedenko, Corey J. Whelihan’ 10 as Shamreyev, Miranda Libkin ’07 as Polina, Max Lawrence ’09 as Dorn, Sam Ludwig ’10 as Yakov and male understudy, and Melanie Beck ’10 as Maid and female understudy.