EU’s “The Seagull”

Surreal, yet so real

Eastern’s Theatre Department is currently rehearsing for their upcoming production of “The Seagull,” a play written by Anton Chekhov in 1895. While the original production was set in Chekhov’s contemporary time and place, EU’s Theater Department is putting multiple spins on this piece. EU’s rendition of the play is set in the 1930s in the USSR instead—under the rule of Joseph Stalin.

To add to this whirlwind, Ben Linskens, an actor in the show and junior at Eastern, says that this production is “a fusion of realism and surrealism.” Director Jenny Tibbels reflects, “I fell in love with ‘The Seagull ‘when I first read it a couple years ago; in addition to the question of experimentation in form, there is something raw and provocative about these characters who deeply hunger for and pursue intimacy but are unable to get it from the ones they love the most. The artists in the play are never satisfied with their work, but they can’t stop creating, and striving, and being drawn in by the next story.”

In this production of “The Seagull,” a wild and inspiring show, a vibrant group of crew members, directors, costume designers, actresses, and actors “create the framework for the piece as a duel between the playwright, representing the classic forms, and the naughty character who steps out of bounds and shakes things up, representing new forms.” The group tries “to infuse the production with an emphasis on experimental forms of staging, such as breaking the fourth wall and using symbol to represent object.”

This production will premiere at Eastern, in the McInnis auditorium, on Nov. 13 at 8p.m. There will be two more night showings from the 14-15, both at 8p.m. as well. The last showing is a matinee on Nov. 16 at 3p.m. Tickets for general admission are $10; for Eastern students with a valid student ID tickets are $5; for children and seniors (65+), $8.

“The Seagull” will blow you away, you’ll see.