comedy, n.
the genre of dramatic literature dealing with the comic or with the serious in a light or satirical manner
irony, n.
the use of words to express something other than, and especially the opposite of, the literal meaning
topsy-turvy, adj.
with the top or head downward
tragedy, n.
a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (such as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or terror
It’s uncanny how much art imitates life. It’s well known that Anton Chekhov went to medical school, but Chekhov’s family had worked their way out of serfdom to the merchant class. In 1857, his father Pavel owned a grocery store but struggled to keep the business afloat. Pavel fled Moscow to avoid his creditors but left behind his two sons, one of whom was Anton. Because of the debts, the family home was auctioned off, and the business went bankrupt. From then on Chekhov lived alone, making ends meet by tutoring young students. Fast forward to 1903, Chekhov had begun writing what would become his mostproduced work, The Cherry Orchard. The imitation of Chekhov’s life can be seen through the lives of Lopakhin, a child of lower-class parents, Trofimov, a tutor to students, and even Ranevskaya, with her family fortunes in flux. Many of Chekhov’s plays also have that quality of life’s imitating art with The Cherry Orchard the most realistic of them all. Consider that Chekhov anticipated with such precision, and 14 years in advance, the end of Russian serfdom. In fact, in this work, he imagines a civil unrest that presages not only 1917 in Russia, but 1994 in South Africa or 1989 in Berlin, to name just a few.
The Cherry Orchard
Unlike in his earlier works, Chekhov was committed to writing a comedy here, but as his health took a toll, this play grew more sorrowful throughout the acts. The Cherry Orchard is technically subtitled, “a comedy in four acts.” And while the tragedy in the play might make an audience feel too guilty to laugh, these characters are written with such frankness, vulnerability, and love that the comedy is born out of irony. We laugh not because of the circumstances but because our humanity is so magnified onstage; we are reminded that none of us suffers alone. There’s a topsy-turvyness about the play—the poor inherit the earth; the end is the beginning; and the tragic is hilarious. Today, we flip the play too, bringing this grand work that started in the Moscow Art Theatre to the Kondoleon Studio, inviting our audiences to join in one of the most famous stage directions ever written: “laughing through tears.” —Ashley M. Thomas, Production Dramaturg
A 2022–23 SEASON STUDIO PRODUCTION
SEPTEMBER 29–OCTOBER 1, 2022
Production
DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
Assistant Stage Manager
James Bundy, Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean Florie Seery, Associate Dean Chantal Rodriguez, Associate Dean
Andrew Petrick
Associate Safety Advisor
Megan Birdsong
PRESENTS
Associate Production Manager
The Cherry Orchard
Kino Alvarez
Technical Supervisor
by Anton
Chekhov translation by Paul Schmidt directed by Joan MacIntosh Creative Team Production Dramaturg
Ashley M. Thomas Stage Manager
Chloe Xiaonan Liu
Constanza Etchechury López Crew
Cast
in alphabetical order Yepikhódov
Charlotta
Firs
Dunyásha
Malachi Beasley Sam Douglas
Maggie McCaffery Ranyévskaya
Yásha
Ánya
Semyónov-Píshchik
Gáyev
Várya
Lopákhin
Karl Green
This translation of The Cherry Orchard was originally presented by the Rushmore Festival—Woodbury, New York.
Nat Lopez
Trofímov
Sufiyan Farmer
The Cherry Orchard is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by TRW PLAYS 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. trwplays.com
Rea Brown Leyla Levi Evdoxia Ragkou Caro Riverita
Malik James
Karen Killeen
Abigail C. Onwunali Amelia Windom Nomè SiDone yao
Administration Associate Managing Director
Matthew Sonnenfeld Management Assistants
Fanny Abib-Rozenberg Ramona Li Andrew Aaron Valdez House Manager
Spencer Knoll Production Photographer
T. Charles Erickson
David Geffen School of Drama productions are supported by the work of more than 200 faculty and staff members throughout the year.
Special Thanks
Setting: On Ranyevskaya’s estate, May through October. There will be one ten (10)-minute intermission.
This production is supported by The Benjamin Mordecai III Production Fund.
Jennifer Archibald, Colleen Rooney, Minjae Kim, and Yale Cab 55 COVER IMAGE: “Orchard Cherry Tree in Blossom” from The Fruit Grower’s Guide (1891) by John Wright.
Land Acknowledgment
Yale University acknowledges that Indigenous peoples and nations, including Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Niantic, and the Quinnipiac and other Algonquian speaking peoples, have stewarded through generations the lands and waterways of what is now the state of Connecticut. We honor and respect the enduring and continuing relationship that exists between these peoples and nations and this land.
The Studio Productions are designed to be learning experiences that complement classroom work, providing a medium for students at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale to combine their individual talents and energies toward the staging of collaboratively created works. Your attendance meaningfully completes this process. THE BENJAMIN MORDECAI III PRODUCTION FUND, established by a graduate of the School, honors the memory of the Tony Award-winning producer who served as Managing Director of Yale Repertory Theatre, 1982–93, and as Associate Dean and Chair of the Theater Management Program from 1993 until his death in 2005. All patrons must wear masks at all times while inside the theater, except when eating or drinking. The taking of photographs or the use of recording devices of any kind in he theater without the written permission of the management is prohibited.
SEPTEMBER 29–OCTOBER 1, 2022
Production
DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
Assistant Stage Manager
James Bundy, Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean Florie Seery, Associate Dean Chantal Rodriguez, Associate Dean
Andrew Petrick
Associate Safety Advisor
Megan Birdsong
PRESENTS
Associate Production Manager
The Cherry Orchard
Kino Alvarez
Technical Supervisor
by Anton
Chekhov translation by Paul Schmidt directed by Joan MacIntosh Creative Team Production Dramaturg
Ashley M. Thomas Stage Manager
Chloe Xiaonan Liu
Constanza Etchechury López Crew
Cast
in alphabetical order Yepikhódov
Charlotta
Firs
Dunyásha
Malachi Beasley Sam Douglas
Maggie McCaffery Ranyévskaya
Yásha
Ánya
Semyónov-Píshchik
Gáyev
Várya
Lopákhin
Karl Green
This translation of The Cherry Orchard was originally presented by the Rushmore Festival—Woodbury, New York.
Nat Lopez
Trofímov
Sufiyan Farmer
The Cherry Orchard is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by TRW PLAYS 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. trwplays.com
Rea Brown Leyla Levi Evdoxia Ragkou Caro Riverita
Malik James
Karen Killeen
Abigail C. Onwunali Amelia Windom Nomè SiDone yao
Administration Associate Managing Director
Matthew Sonnenfeld Management Assistants
Fanny Abib-Rozenberg Ramona Li Andrew Aaron Valdez House Manager
Spencer Knoll Production Photographer
T. Charles Erickson
David Geffen School of Drama productions are supported by the work of more than 200 faculty and staff members throughout the year.
Special Thanks
Setting: On Ranyevskaya’s estate, May through October. There will be one ten (10)-minute intermission.
This production is supported by The Benjamin Mordecai III Production Fund.
Jennifer Archibald, Colleen Rooney, Minjae Kim, and Yale Cab 55 COVER IMAGE: “Orchard Cherry Tree in Blossom” from The Fruit Grower’s Guide (1891) by John Wright.
Land Acknowledgment
Yale University acknowledges that Indigenous peoples and nations, including Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Niantic, and the Quinnipiac and other Algonquian speaking peoples, have stewarded through generations the lands and waterways of what is now the state of Connecticut. We honor and respect the enduring and continuing relationship that exists between these peoples and nations and this land.
The Studio Productions are designed to be learning experiences that complement classroom work, providing a medium for students at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale to combine their individual talents and energies toward the staging of collaboratively created works. Your attendance meaningfully completes this process. THE BENJAMIN MORDECAI III PRODUCTION FUND, established by a graduate of the School, honors the memory of the Tony Award-winning producer who served as Managing Director of Yale Repertory Theatre, 1982–93, and as Associate Dean and Chair of the Theater Management Program from 1993 until his death in 2005. All patrons must wear masks at all times while inside the theater, except when eating or drinking. The taking of photographs or the use of recording devices of any kind in he theater without the written permission of the management is prohibited.
comedy, n.
the genre of dramatic literature dealing with the comic or with the serious in a light or satirical manner
irony, n.
the use of words to express something other than, and especially the opposite of, the literal meaning
topsy-turvy, adj.
with the top or head downward
tragedy, n.
a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (such as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or terror
It’s uncanny how much art imitates life. It’s well known that Anton Chekhov went to medical school, but Chekhov’s family had worked their way out of serfdom to the merchant class. In 1857, his father Pavel owned a grocery store but struggled to keep the business afloat. Pavel fled Moscow to avoid his creditors but left behind his two sons, one of whom was Anton. Because of the debts, the family home was auctioned off, and the business went bankrupt. From then on Chekhov lived alone, making ends meet by tutoring young students. Fast forward to 1903, Chekhov had begun writing what would become his mostproduced work, The Cherry Orchard. The imitation of Chekhov’s life can be seen through the lives of Lopakhin, a child of lower-class parents, Trofimov, a tutor to students, and even Ranevskaya, with her family fortunes in flux. Many of Chekhov’s plays also have that quality of life’s imitating art with The Cherry Orchard the most realistic of them all. Consider that Chekhov anticipated with such precision, and 14 years in advance, the end of Russian serfdom. In fact, in this work, he imagines a civil unrest that presages not only 1917 in Russia, but 1994 in South Africa or 1989 in Berlin, to name just a few.
The Cherry Orchard
Unlike in his earlier works, Chekhov was committed to writing a comedy here, but as his health took a toll, this play grew more sorrowful throughout the acts. The Cherry Orchard is technically subtitled, “a comedy in four acts.” And while the tragedy in the play might make an audience feel too guilty to laugh, these characters are written with such frankness, vulnerability, and love that the comedy is born out of irony. We laugh not because of the circumstances but because our humanity is so magnified onstage; we are reminded that none of us suffers alone. There’s a topsy-turvyness about the play—the poor inherit the earth; the end is the beginning; and the tragic is hilarious. Today, we flip the play too, bringing this grand work that started in the Moscow Art Theatre to the Kondoleon Studio, inviting our audiences to join in one of the most famous stage directions ever written: “laughing through tears.” —Ashley M. Thomas, Production Dramaturg
A 2022–23 SEASON STUDIO PRODUCTION