The Instigators premiere immersive staging of Chekhov classic with film version to follow.
May 26 - June 18 at Access Theater
"Shockingly high caliber acting." -- Theater Pizzazz (on The Instigators' Golden Boy)
"A brilliant cast of actors, who will literally take you into another world." -- The Reading Salon (on The Instigators' Golden Boy)
The Instigators follow up their acclaimed 2016 revival of Odets's Golden Boy with an immersive and intimate staging of Chekhov's THE SEAGULL. Lillian Meredith (Golden Boy) directs this imaginative, daring production using an agile and spirited adaptation of the text by Fergus Scully and Taylor Petracek, accompanied by a live soundscape that blends actor-created sound effects with original music composed by Sylvana Joyce. Performances begin May 26 at Access Theater with opening night slated for Thursday, June 1. The production will be a precursor to a new indie film version of the play set to begin shooting in mid June with the same actors, incorporating elements of the live staging.
The first of Chekhov's four major plays, THE SEAGULL is about a family of theater artists and the month-long sojourn in the country that transforms their lives forever. Konstantin, a young and idealistic playwright, dreams of creating new art forms, but a visit from his famous-actress-mother and her famous-writer-boyfriend overwhelms and demoralizes him. He feels more and more suffocated as his love for the star-struck neighbor grows increasingly unrequited. With humor and keen insight, THE SEAGULL exposes the absurdity of the human condition and the poignancy of the need to live an extraordinary life.
The production will star Kristen Vaughan, Todd Licea, Taylor Petracek, Siena D'Addario, Emmanuel Elpenord, Jeanette Dilone, Fergus Scully, Deborah Unger, Peter Feliz, Roger Rathburn and Kazuhiro Imafuku. The production team also includes Lindsey Hurley (stage manager), Chika Shimizu (set), Caitlin Rapoport (lighting), and Dana Saffran (production manager/house manager).
Director Lillian Meredith has worked on new and classical plays across the city and around the country. In addition to directing The Instigators' 2016 production of Golden Boy, her recent credits include The Barber and the Farmer (Clubbed Thumb), #liberated (ANT Fest and IRT), and short plays by playwrights such as Philip Howze, Mara Goldberg-Nelson, and Jerry Lieblich for site-responsive festivals with The Motor Company. An alumna of Vassar College, the National Theater Institute, and the Apprentice/Internship program at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Lillian is also a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, and the inaugural Clubbed Thumb Directors Fellowship. She served as an assistant director to Sarah Benson on An Octoroon at Soho Rep and Theatre for a New Audience, Mark Wing-Davey on The Hour of Feeling at the Humana Festival of New American Plays, and Mike Donahue on String at the National Musical Theater Conference at the O'Neill Theater Center, among others.
The Instigators embrace theater's potential as both an art and a sport. They perform entertaining, moving plays with dynamic characters and structured narratives in intimate spaces. They are driven, as the Greeks were, by the belief that cathartic storytelling cleanses the soul and stirs our humanity, helping us to recognize ourselves in others and make a little more sense of the world around us. Past productions include Golden Boy, Romeo & Juliet, Hedda Gabler and The Importance of Being Earnest.
THE SEAGULL runs May 26 - June 18. Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 8pm and Sundays at 7:30 PM with an additional performance Wednesday, May 31 at 8PM. Access Theater is located at 380 Broadway at White Street -- accessible from the A/C/E/N/Q/R/6 trains at Canal Street or the 1 train at Franklin. Tickets range from $7.50 - $30, available at www.instigators.eventbrite.com.