The Seagull's flight to Bangladesh
Chekhov Studio -- the theatre group attached to the museum in Anton Chekhov's estate at Melikhovo, Moscow, staged "Chekhov and the Seagull" at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Acsdemy (BSA) on Thursday, taking the audience through a classic by the Russian playwright. The play, written in 1895, dramatises the romantic and artistic conflicts between the four main characters: a storywriter, an ingénue, a fading actress and her son, who is a playwright.
"The Seagull" is the story of various triangular loves. The play is also an intimate journey into Chekhov's own soul.
Vladimir Baicher, director of Chekhov Studio Theatre, has directed the play. A stellar performance by consummate actors brought the play alive at three different spaces -- Nandan Mancha, the front side of Coffee House and the National Theatre Hall of BSA.
The play is set in a country estate owned by Sorin, a retired civil servant in failing health. He is the brother of the famous actress Arkadina, who has just arrived at the estate for a brief vacation with her lover, the writer Trigorin. The play-within-a-play features Nina, a young woman who lives on a neighbouring estate, as the "soul of the world" in a time far in the future. The performance starts with Masha destroying the theatre because some other woman is playing the role she wanted.
The highlight of the performance was the high level of acting, which shifted from realistic to fantasy as the narrative demanded. The designer – Vladimir Anshon perfectly changed the set and stage according to the acting styles. Alexey Litvinov produced the play.
Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, BSA DG Liaquat Ali Lucky, Russian Ambassador Alexander I Ignatov and Professor of DU Theatre and Performance Studies Department Dr M Israfil Shaheen presented bouquets to the director and all the cast and crew of the troupe.
On invitation of the Government of Bangladesh, Chekhov Studio also held a three-day workshop and staged another play "The Bear" yesterday as part of the event organised by BSA, in association with University of Dhaka and Embassy of Russia in Bangladesh. Ministry of Cultural Affairs assisted in the entire arrangement.
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