BI-CO THEATER TROUPE TO PERFORM CHEKHOV'S THREE SISTERS

On two successive weekends in November, the Bryn Mawr and Haverford College Theater Program will present Anton Chekhov's most famous play, Three Sisters, in Goodhart Hall. Set in the bleakness of turn-of-the-century Russia, Three Sisters chronicles life in a provincial Russian town and the obsession of the Prozorov family's daughters with the city of Moscow, which to them represents everything life should be.

The play is being staged in Goodhart Hall, the traditional setting for the college theater productions, but director Elizabeth Stevens and designer Hiroshi Iwasaki have worked to create an intimate relationship between actors and audience by building the set not on the stage, but on a series of platforms extending out into the main body of the hall itself, above the seats.

Stevens explains that the atmosphere of the hall, with its Gothic buttresses and high ceiling, is evocative of the cold and emptiness of Russia, and the platforms in the middle of this expanse were designed to create "an island of warmth and light." The audience will be seated on risers located on the empty stage, and the large window over the choir loft will be blocked by a scrim and used to project slide images as a fluid backdrop. The lighting of the set will be enhanced by candles and oil lamps, giving the play a softer, more organic feel than harsh electric spotlights alone would.

A graduate of Yale School of Drama, Stevens directed the Bi-College production of Big Love last semester. She praises Chekhov for his "compassionate, clear-eyed look at the human heart … he explores the smallest moments in the lives of his characters with precision and care."

Opening night is Friday, Nov. 12. Performances run Nov. 13, 14, 18, 19 and 20. Tickets are free for Bi-College students, faculty and staff, and $5 for the general public. Performances will begin at 7 p.m. and will last approximately 3 hours. Seating is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have questions, or would like to make a reservation, please send an email to theater@brynmawr.edu.

— Allison Siegenthaler '07

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