Kiersten Fuhr - Staff Writer
Wells Theater’s current production, The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, takes place in the Russian countryside and is full of warring love triangles and characters with individual struggles. Originally written and produced in the 1890s, the play focuses on the romantic and artistic differences between the characters, specifically between writer Boris Trigorin, aspiring actress Nina Zarechnaya, fading actress Irina Arkadina, and her son, symbolist playwright Konstantin Treplev.
In her note about the production, director Dr. Vanessa Campagna wrote, “In directing The Seagull in an academic setting, I find myself concerned with Konstantin’s wellbeing, and I feel similarly about that of Nina, a young, would-be actress who experiences great suffering. Higher education is in a tremendous period of critical reflection and transition as we work to better understand and meet the needs of a student population that faces increasingly high rates of anxiety and depression. At the same time, we strive to prepare them for the demands of their careers, and the intensities and uncertainties of life. Particularly impactful on my approach to the play, then, has been Chekov’s thematic preoccupation with the resiliency required of the human spirit and the quest for meaning and purpose in our lives. I have felt compelled to think of my students as seagulls who are just beginning to launch and explore possible paths of flight—often tentatively, perhaps circuitously, and certainly with fear of failure. Chekov, I believe, invites us to consider with more care and generosity the efforts of young people and the fragile nature of their egos. To my students, I support you; keep flying.”
The Seagull opens this week with shows on Friday, September 29th, and Saturday, September 30th at 7:30 pm, and a show on Sunday, October 1st at 2 pm. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for students and seniors, and $6 with a Monmouth College ID and are available for purchase at monmouthcollege.edu/box-office or in the box office in Wells Theater.