Everyone longs for love
Anton Chekhov The Seagull
“A young girl has lived on the banks of a lake since her earliest childhood. The girl loves the lake as if she were a seagull and is free and happy like a seagull. But one day a man comes along, sees the girl and kills her simply because he feels like it.”
It is summer time. An illustrious company has gathered in the country far away from the capital. Madam Arkadin, a famous actress, and her lover, the celebrated author Trigorin, is visiting her brother Sorin on his estate.
The play begins with a theatrical performance on the banks of the lake. Konstantin has staged his own play, a manifesto for a new theatre. That is his dream. If he is unable to change the world then he intends at least to revolutionise theatre. He wants to win the love of the young Nina who is in his play and the recognition of his mother Madam Arkadin. The performance of the play becomes a disaster for Konstantin. Not even his mother can give him any support. She is too concerned with herself, with fear of her own emptiness, the fear of plunging into an abyss, of being abandoned. Her son remains insuperably alien to her. Nina longs to have a career as an artist, she also wants to be successful and famous. She falls in love with Trigorin. He, on the other hand, is pursued by fear of artistic mediocrity and routine; his adventures and the world around him are only material for the next story, the next success. Nina will leave Konstantin behind and follow Trigorin to the capital.
There is an endless chain of fateful desires and concealed love. Mascha, daughter of Shamraev, steward of the estate, loves the unhappy Konstantin. In order to banish her unrequited feelings, she marries Medvedenko, a school-teacher who suffers from depression. He loves her even though she despises him for doing so. For years her mother Polina has had a secret crush on Dorn, the country doctor. Even though he is past his prime, she would like to start a new life with the ladies’ man. However, he is tired and wants to spend the autumn of his life without any upsets and new ties. Shamraev, the steward, appears to be the only one who is content. He loves art only from a distance, as a viewer. And he loves money. He is the future.
It is autumn, years later. The story of Nina and Konstantin will end with his death. They meet each other one last time; Nina has failed in her career as an actress. Trigorin used her and then abandoned her. Madam Arkadin has taken him back to her but Nina is still consumed by her passion for him. Konstantin sees all his dreams and hopes destroyed, and shoots himself.
Everyone longs for love and recognition but they are unable to help each other. The older generation has to defend what they have, the young ones cannot achieve the fulfilment of their dreams.
Jens Hillje
Anton Chekhov
The Seagull
New production
(performed in German)
Stage director Falk Richter
Sets Katrin Hoffmann
Lighting design Carsten Sander
Video Meika Dresenkamp
Music Paul Lemp
Dramaturge Jens Hillje
Irina Nikolayevna Arkadin
Sylvana Krappatsch
Konstantin Gavrilovitch Treplev
Mark Waschke
Pyotr Nikolayevitch Sorin
Peter Brombacher
Boris Alexeyevitch Trigorin
André Jung
Nina Mihailovna Zaretchny
Yvon Jansen
Masha Jule Böwe
Premiere 26 July 2004, 7 p.m.
Further performances
27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 July, 7 p.m.
1, 3, 4 and 5 August, 7 p.m.
Landestheater
Telephone +43 (0) 662 8045-500
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info@salzburgfestival.at
Titel and Salzburg-Impressions © Thomas Klinger, Munich