In turn of the century Russia, three sisters living in a provincial town want nothing more than to return to their true home in Moscow.
Olga, Masha and Irina Prozorov serve as the main characters in Anton Chekhov’s classic play “Three Sisters,” Strother Theatre's first production of the year from the Department of Theatre and Dance.
“Irina wants nothing more than to be in Moscow,” said Sarah Kmiecik, a sophomore acting major playing the role of Irina. “She feels that her chance at happiness depends on her life in Moscow.”
As the years pass, the sisters dream of Moscow and happiness seems out of reach, leaving the play to explore the sensation of longing.
“Wanting what you don’t have, doing what you can to get it and then dealing with the consequences when you do get it, realizing that it isn’t what you wanted all along,” Jennifer Blackmer, director and associate professor of theatre, said.
Throughout “Three Sisters,” they encounter obstacles of their own, thwarting their efforts, turning the girls into their own worst enemies.
They face a loveless marriage, grief for a deceased loved one, personal contradictions as well as unfilled desires, giving the characters a complex and multi-layered disposition.
“Personally, it has been a very interesting and exciting journey being a part of this production,” said Jackie Seijo, a senior acting major who plays Masha. “Chekhov can be very difficult and intimidating and that has been a challenge for everyone throughout the process.”
Blackmer employed acting coach Drew Vidal to help assist the actors and apply classwork to the production process.
Masha embodies one of Chekhov’s main character concepts, Seijo said.
“Masha can be a very brash individual. She can be loving, compassionate, angry and absolutely devastated,” she said. “A big part of doing a Chekhovian play is knowing the ‘ands’ of these people. Every character can be one thing and another, in the same way that as humans, we are never just one thing.”
Blackmer hopes that this story will be even more relevant to audiences today than when it was written in 1900.
