A Russian Approach to a Russian Classic

In November, Strayer-Wood Theatre will produce Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters in the Bertha Martin Theatre. The department is pleased to welcome three guest artists to work on this production. Alice Ivanova, who teaches acting at the St. Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy in Russia, will guest direct this classic play about the lives, loves, and losses of Masha, Olga, Irina and their brother Andrei. Set in a provincial Russian town in the early 2000’s, the play explores issues of coping (or not coping) when your dreams are unfulfilled. Alice has taught acting workshops for UNI Theatre students in the past, and specializes in a training approach which focuses on Stanislavsky’s Etude Method, designed to let actors be completely open, confident and spontaneous.

Lera Nekhaeva is a former student of the St. Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy and specializes in Theatre design. She is currently pursuing an MA in graphic design in the Art Department here at UNI. She began her connection to UNI as part of an ongoing exchange program between the Theatre Department and the St. Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy. Lera’s work on this project will closely follow the model of theatrical design in Russia, where a scenographer is often responsible for multiple design elements. In the American system of design, it is more common for designers to specialize in a single area, so you would see one designer for scenery and a different designer for costumes. Lera will provide a vision for all the physical elements of this world, so the scenery, props and costumes will all evolve under her guidance. Evolve is an interesting word, since the acting company that Alice will form will have input into what they think their characters would wear- and browse through pulled items to see if they can individualize themselves.

Alice and Lera were able to hold initial design development meetings in Russia over the summer, and now the process continues with input from Theatre departmental staff. Theatre students will benefit from being able to work with someone who comes from a different background and whose approach may be different than they are used to. We will work in an 11 week process, which is almost twice the amount of time we would normally spend preparing a production. This shift is owing to the fact that a full year’s of shaping and polishing a show would not be unusual in the Russian system.

Additional support for this collaboration will come from Rebecca Burkhardt from the School of Music. Dr. Burkhardt is the conductor of the Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra, and has she has visited and taken students to Russia many times. She has also conducted in Russia. She will help select appropriate Russian songs and motifs to be used as part of and in support of the performance. She will also help to incorporate live musicians into the cast.

This unique connection with Russia was made possible by the UNI Institute of Humanities and Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. Several Theatre students and faculty have benefited from this program and it is only through the connections made possible by the Institute that we are producing Three Sisters with this wonderful combination of talent now.

Three Sisters opens on November 6th and will run through November 16th.

Eric Lange, Head
Department of Theatre