Kanata Theatre: the 39th season (2007-2008)

 

Audition Notice:
The Seagull

Auditions for  The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, in a new version by Tom Stoppard directed by Jim Holmes, will be held Tuesday October 9th and Wednesday October 10th  2007, at 7:30pm in the rehearsal room of the Ron Maslin Playhouse. Please enter at the Stage Door at the rear of the Playhouse. Call backs are scheduled for Thursday October 11h .

The Seagull, first produced in 1896, is one of the most important and influential plays ever written. Many believe modern theatre began with The Seagull. Chekhov thought of it as a comedy, but the fact that it ends in an off stage suicide has led some to question this characterization. There is nevertheless an unmistakable comedic tone to the first three acts and much of the fourth, and this is fully exploited by Tom Stoppard’s witty translation. Our production will strive to find the humour in the script while honouring the play’s underlying themes of the meaning of “love” and “art”.

The play is in four acts and will be performed with only one intermission, between acts 3 and 4. The action of the first three acts is roughly continuous, but there is a two year lapse between acts 3 and 4. Ages are flexible and in any event are a matter of appearance rather than chronological age. Nevertheless for general guidance here is the age of characters at the beginning of the play as suggested by the script. Take these age indications with a giant grain of salt. Do not be deterred from auditioning because you think you are too old or too young.

• Irina Arkadina, a successful actress 43
• Konstantin, her son an aspiring playwright 25
• Sorin, her brother, owner of the estate 60
• Nina, the “seagull” an aspiring actress 19
• Shamraev, the pompous estate manager 40’s or 50’s
• Polina, his long suffering wife 40’s or 50’s
• Masha, their daughter 23
• Trigorin, a successful writer, 37
• Dorn, the family physician 55
• Medvedenko a teacher 20’s or 30’s
• Yakov, a workman, any age
• Cook, no lines, any age, could be a man or woman
• A maid, no lines, any age.
• Two stage hands will be costumed as workers on Sorin’s estate.

Scripts may be obtained from Jim Holmes 613 592 1079 or holmeses@sympatico.ca.
Julie Clayton 613 836 4980 jfclayton@sympatico.ca and
Tatiana Naumov 613 592 0206 tatiana.naumov@rogers.com
are production managers. If you would like to help with this production they
would be delighted to hear from you.

The production will be presented on February 5th to 16th, 2008.

This page updated on 2007/010/03