By Laurie Monroe
It is one thing to produce a play, but another to capture its essence. While Oakland’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance presents around 12 productions in an academic year, all of which pay close attention to scenery, costumes, lights, sound and equipment, only rarely does producing a play involve a study-abroad component.
But that is exactly the opportunity two OU students and three faculty members had last December when they traveled to the Ukraine for an in-depth, hands-on study for the play Chekhov in Yalta. The ten-day research trip included visiting Chekhov’s home, now a museum, in Yalta.
Since the group traveled during the off-season they “really got one-on-one time with the curators,” says Tom Suda, special instructor of theatre and director of the OU production of Chekhov in Yalta, “and we got to see a lot more than the average person.”
Going to the roots of the play enhanced the details, accuracy and scope of the play’s components.
As Suda put it: “You can see it in a video, you can see it in a picture. But it’s another thing to be able to get up and feel the texture of the house.”
After gaining admittance to floors in Chekhov’s home, which generally are not open to the public, the museum curators “let us touch everything, see everything, document everything, photograph everything,” says Pavlo Bosyy, assistant professor of theatre, who is originally from Ukraine and served as the group’s translator.
Coming back with this wealth of knowledge and inspiration allowed for an accurate set reproduction of the patio and back of Chekhov’s home, right down to the design of the windows and the plants in the garden. The set for the play, which was produced in February, also included a historically correct balcony arch which became the entryway for the audience. The research also improved the authenticity of the costumes. The museum curators allowed the visitors to examine original clothing saved by Chekhov’s sister, Masha.
“It was useful to see Chekhov's garments, to see the quality and color palette that he chose,” says Christa Koerner, theatre production major and costume designer for the production, who graduated this spring. She calls the experience “extraordinary.”
The play itself is written about specific happenings of Chekhov’s life with real places and real characters. Some of the dialogue is taken directly from Chekhov’s actual plays, “making it more of an introduction to his works,” according to Suda.
This introduction could lead to a full-fledged production of one of Chekhov’s plays by OU’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance. There are plans to bring the OU production of Chekhov in Yalta, with original cast, to Yalta in spring 2009 as part the plans to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Chekov’s birth.
Laurie Monroe is a junior majoring in communication from Metamora, Mich.