Theatre for the Modern Age
Uncle Vanya
Anton Chekhov's classic text brought to life at Theatre Works, June 2023. Directed by Bronwen Coleman
“Director Bronwen Coleman has added a magnificent and refreshing twist to this traditional Chekhov tale, by reimagining Dr Astrov as female....The cast brings a natural realism to the stage and make every moment count.” Weekend Notes
“Individual, dynamic, incisive and …funny... Pia O’Meadhra as Elena absolutely gets the comedy... Dion Mills also gets it right; he brings out most sharply in flights of rhetoric the comedy of futile resentment, of despair, of sexual frustration, and of being blandly exploited." Stage Whispers
Background image by Greg Elms,
Photos by Michaela Ebony
"What will you do with your one wild and precious life?"
Returning to the family's country home with his gorgeous, much younger wife, the revered Professor Serebryakov is in turn adored and secretly resented by the extended family that have supported him for years. The shock announcement that he’s thinking of selling the estate causes years of bitterness and disappointment to bubble to the surface, and threatens to horribly dismantle the lives of those who call it home. Both comic and tragic, Uncle Vanya is Chekhov at his finest. Sex, gout, and existential angst all come in to play as the characters wrestle with what it is to be human.
Performed by the actors of the APC ensemble, this powerful and dynamic new translation from Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky lends itself to the APC's signiture, rigorous approach. This season will offered audiences a rare chance to witness human behaviour on stage just as Stanislavsky and Chekhov intended.
Written by Anton Chekhov
Directed by Bronwen Coleman
Performed by Dion Mills, Pia O’Meadhra, Alex Marshall, Sebastian Gunner, Catherine Morvell, Ismail Taylor-
Kamara, Clare Larman, Helen Doig, and Thilan Ahangama
Production Design by Harry Gill
Lighting Design by Sidney Younger
Sound Design by Bronwen Coleman
Stage Manager: Fia Søfting
Produced by Sophie Muckart, Mikhaela Bourke and The Anthropocene Play Company