Gabriela Danger | Assistant Entertainment Director
For its next production, FIU Theatre is taking on “Uncle Vanya”, an 1897 Russian play written by Anton Chekhov with many poignant questions about life’s meaning, told through the interactions of a group of equally miserable characters.
The four act play deals with themes of loneliness, regret, aimlessness, passion; though it is often viewed through a nihilistic lens, hope– if you squint.
It is certainly a story where it seems like nothing happens on the surface, but has a lot more going on underneath.
Though “Uncle Vanya” is a period piece, according to director Justin Packard, it is also,
“ […] a living, evolving, accessible reflection of human beings then and human beings now. A lot has changed since Chekhov’s time, and yet NOTHING has truly changed. These characters, these themes, these moments should all be all-too familiar to you, our contemporary audience.”
Like in many Russian classics, this play finds a lot of its characters struggling. From the titular Uncle Vanya himself (actually named Ivan Voynitsky), to the depressed traveling doctor Astrov, playing these characters requires getting into the right mindset.
Richard Weber, a BFA musical theater major who plays Astrov in the production, mentioned that his character struggles particularly with “finding the light.”
“Astrov even says ‘there’s no light for me anymore’ […] so I think the hardest part about playing him is getting into that essence of, ‘I’ve been through so much, and yet, I’m still trying to work through it,’” Weber said.
Richard K. Weber and Zuleiny Garcia-Reyes | Photo courtesy of Ivan Lopez, school of Theatre
Majorly taking place in the home estate of one of the characters, atmosphere is a great component in drawing audiences into the time period.
Set designer Alexis King commented on the symbolism found within the set’s physical design and motifs.
“My biggest personal touch is the deep, wine red color of the walls,” King said. “I wanted to represent not only the passion in each character, but also represent the metaphor of getting blood on your hands, because this family and story is messy and chaotic.”
One of the things that set “Uncle Vanya” apart from shows FIU Theatre has done in the past is the way it was written as well as its content.
Packard spoke on the importance of “Uncle Vanya” for Chekhov’s career, as well as the educational value for young performers.
“[This play] provides our students the chance to dig into the rich and complicated layers of [Chekhov’s] language, his historical perspective, and the genesis of what many modern acting techniques are based on,” said Packard.
Jazmine Jimenez and Zuleiny Garcia-Reyes | Photo courtesy of Ivan Lopez, school of Theatre
Weber spoke on one unique technique used when practicing for the production, the etude. Essentially, the etude is an improvisational exercise that actors do to connect with their character through events that happen offstage or off script.
“It’s where a character starts one way, and there’s a clear event in the middle that changes them forever,” Weber said.
Weber imagines that between some of the acts, there’s an etude that happens, which brings the characters back to the stage differently than when they left it. It’s up to the actor to explore this change as they see fit.
“We’re seeing things about the character that aren’t necessarily in the script,” Weber said. “So for example, Astrov has this really deep rooted alcohol problem, or, a substance abuse problem. Through these etudes, I get to explore that angle, and there’s more of that for his character.”
“Not only is [“Uncle Vanya”] my first play scenic designing, but it’s also different from any show I’ve ever worked on before,” said King. “There are aspects of nature, history, and so much more. Specifically in Act Two, there is an amazing source of nature that is used onstage!”
Alex Gabriel Perez and Nicholas Quintana | Photo courtesy of Ivan Lopez, school of Theatre
Even though the play has some darker and more serious themes, FIU Theatre is putting its own spin on it.
“We’re trying to find the light in all of this… that really makes these characters, I think, human,” Weber said. “There was this very powerful quote that he gave us: ‘hope isn’t something super intangible. It’s not like a spider web. It isn’t like whispers. Hope is like… someone with blood stains on them, with dirt in their fingernails, fighting for something.’”
Find the light yourself with “Uncle Vanya”, showing from Nov. 15-24 at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center at MMC campus.
About Post Author
