The Cherry Orchard

Kelsey Murphy, Steven Colburn, Madison Merlanti, Brendan Alpiner, Ryan McGriff

March 23, 2016 Theatre History II - Mbala About Chekhov...

-January 29, 1860 (Russia) - July 15, 1904 (Germany).

-He was 44.

-His father owned a grocery store, very abusive, devout director of a parish choir (hypocrisy ideologies).

-His mother was a kind woman, “excellent storyteller.”

He attended the Greek School in Taganrog (now called the Chekhov Gymnasium) for 10 years. Meanwhile, his father became bankrupt and moved to Moscow.

-While in Taganrog, he sent money through tutoring and short sketches... Humble Writing Beginnings

-Chekhov wrote s,all satirical pieces chronicling Russian life under the pseudonym “Man Without a Spleen.”

-He got offered a spot to write for one of the most popular newspapers of the time in St. Petersburg, where he became more serious about writing (currently physician).

-in 1888, he published his first full work called “Steppe,” which was an autobiographical account of Ukraine through the eyes of a child.

-He wrote tragic stories embedded with humor. He then went to curate a sociological study became of fame... As a Dramatist

-Chekhov began to specifically dabble in drama by the 1890’s, writing small plays like The Bear.

-Most were criticized on first performance.

-The Cherry Orchard was one of the last plays written (for a man who brought his house).

-It wasn’t until after WW1 that his plays became popular, once translated into English.

-He died dramatically of tuberculosis at 44. Play Background

● The Cherry Orchard is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. ● Opened at the Moscow Art Theatre on January 17, 1904. ● It was intended as a comedy, and does contain comedic elements, however Stanislavski, the director, insisted on directing the play as a tragedy, although it does employ many elements of farce. ● It is identified as one of Chekhov’s best plays, up there with The Seagull, Three Sisters, and Uncle Vanya. Brief Summary I

Act I opens with the businessman Lopakhin and maid Dunyasha waiting for the owners of the Ranevskaya estate: the mistress of the house, Lubov Ranevskaya, her brother Gaev, and daughter Anya. They finally arrive, in the middle of the night, with an assortment of others: the governess Charlotta, the manservant Yasha, a friend named Simeon-Pischik, and other servants. Varya, Lubov's adopted daughter, is there too.

Tearful reunions and a general catching-up ensue. Those who stayed home report on the orchard, and those who left report on Paris. The important news items are these: Lopakhin still hasn't proposed to Varya; Lubov lost all her money supporting a scamp; the cherry orchard will definitely be sold to pay their debts; and the elderly servant Fiers is still alive.

Summary (cont’d) II

Lopakhin has an idea to save their house. He's attached to it because he grew up there, the son of a serf (a peasant working on the land). Lopakhin proposes clearing the land to lease it for summer homes. Neither Lubov nor Gaev can stomach the idea. Just before everyone goes to bed, the student Trofimov enters. He was the tutor to Lubov's deceased young son, and the sight of his face makes her cry for her dead child.

In Act II, we're at a picnic in the cherry orchard. Some weeks have passed. The aristocrats arrive with Lopakhin, who is still hatching plans to save the estate. Lubov knows they need to do something, but to her the idea of summer homes is bourgeois and distasteful. Summary (cont’d) III

Trofimov enters with Anya and Varya. Pet subjects come up: Varya's engagement; Trofimov's eternal student status; telegrams from Lubov's ne'er-do-well Parisian lover; and the orchard, again and again. A homeless man enters the scene, drunk and singing. He asks for money and Lubov gives him a gold piece, an oversized donation she immediately regrets upon his exit.

Everyone leaves, and finally Trofimov and Anya are left alone. Under his influence, she's come to see the orchard differently. It's no longer the magical center of her childhood, but a symbol of the injustice her family afflicted on others. Summary (cont’d) IV

Act III is set in August, back at the family estate. Lubov is throwing a party. There are a number of little arguments and discussions. But the main event is the arrival of Lopakhin. He and Gaev have come from the auction of the cherry orchard. Lubov's been on pins and needles waiting to hear what happened. What happened is…Lopakhin bought the estate. The former son of a serf who worked on the estate now owns it. Lubov is crushed, but Anya gently tells her to move on. Summary (cont’d) V

Act IV takes place in October, outside the estate. Everyone is moving out, and Lopakhin, no master of sensitivity, offers champagne. Each character says good-bye to the house in his or her way. Anya and Trofimov are excited about the future. Lubov and Gaev are distraught, but trying to keep it together. Lubov is concerned about the elderly servant Fiers: have they taken him to the hospital? Yes, says Anya, he's taken care of. And one last thing: will Lopakhin finally propose to Varya? He won't. Everyone leaves, and after a moment, Fiers enters the stage. He has been forgotten. He lies down and grows quiet.

(source: shmoop) Characters Madame Lyubov Andreievna Ranevskaya- The estate/land owner, point in which all character revolves around. Fixed and firmly rooted character Peter Trofimov- student Ayna’s main love interest, strong in reformist political opinions Boris Borisovich Simeonov-Pishchik - Embodiment of irony, role model aristocrat. Despite financial rune spends the whole play doing nothing but talking Anya- Lyubovs daughter, lots of internal strength, listens to Peter's strong political ideas, however may be viewed as dreaming instead of taking it in. Varya- adopted daughter, age 24, can be viewed as being the main reason the family stayed afloat for so long. She is the solid base of the family. Leonid Andreieveitch Gayev - the brother of Madame Ranevskaya, can be viewed as one of the more comedic character. Has an addiction to billiards, tired hard to save his family but lack of willpower prevented him from being successful. Yermolai Alexeievitch Lopakhin- The wealthiest character in the play, but comes from lower social class, worked at the estate at one point. Very driven opposite of the aristocrat. Characters Cont. Charlotta Ivanovna- A governess, highly eccentric, companion of Anya. Does crazy tricks at a party, accepts loss of station in end. Yepikhodov- big source f comedy, clerk who’s very clumsy, nicknamed twenty two calamities. Dunyasha - loves attention, maid, in love with Yasha. Yasha - young servant of the house, manifestation of the new age. Firs – a manservant, aged 87. An aging eccentric, representative of the old times coming to an end! A Stranger – a passer-by who encounters the Gayevs, symbolic represents the new invading the ways of the old. Grisha - sun of Lyubov, drowned in the lake of the orchard years prior, source of much pain and disaster. Themes

-MEMORY

-NATURE AND NATURALISM Symbolism

-TREES

-THE CHERRY ORCHARD

-THE BREAKING STRING National Theatre Trailer 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2EbZVEXDW0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uZP6vjLQ5I Historical Context

Political

-1861, Russian serfs are emancipated -The government made laws to enable peasants to purchase land from nobility -japan declares war on Russia in February 1904. -Japan defeated Russia in battle in May of 1904, and by October Japan had forced Russia to retreat. -The minister of the interior, Vyacheslave Plehve, exercised complete control over the public. -Plehve forbade political assemblies, required written police permission for small social gatherings, and forbad students to walk together in the streets of St. Petersberg. -Plehve is assassinated in July 1904. -political tensions made life very hard for Russian citizens. -middle class started to rise and many nobles lost their wealth and estates Technological/Transportation Advancements

-The Trans-Siberian Railroad’s link from Moscow to Vladivostok opened in 1904. This is the longest line of track in the world, spanning 3,200 miles between the two cities. -new transportation leads to more urbanized society -Large plots of land (like the cherry orchard) are broken up into smaller pieces for building and industry -The railroads allowed people of all economic backgrounds to travel and allowed goods to be shipped long distances using much less manpower. -in 1904, German physicists Julius Elster and Hans Friedrich Geitel invented the first practical photoelectric cell, which led to the invention of radio. -Marie Curie discovered radium and polonium in uranium ore in 1904 -these scientific advancements lead to a new age of technology and the simple, rural way of life is slowly being erased Michigan Production!