The Chekhov Project – I am a Seagull
15 -22 August, 2019
Schip James Laming, Groningen, The Netherlands
In the frame of Noorderzone Performing Arts Festival Groningen.
Magnificent cinematic happening in the spirit of Anton Chekhov
For the past sixteen at an age-old farm near New York, a special group of award-winning actors, writers, musicians, cooks and costume designers have been gathering each summer. Why? To prepare their annual Chekhov performance: an intense week of sharing and acting, all culminating in a single unique play, made for and together with the local community. It is a modern tradition in the spirit of Anton Chekhov, the Russian playwright who was unrivalled in his portrayal of the idle, well-to-do bourgeoisie. Evoking Chekhov’s The Seagull – for instance in the way that everyone falls for the wrong person – this artistic movie sublimely melds together images. It is a masterful mix of a theatrical event and the accompanying tension behind the scenes. Raw, unexpectedly beautiful and quite heartbreaking too.
Director: Brian Mertes
Artistic manage: Melissa Kievman
Performers: Gabe Ebert, Didi O’Connell, Rob Campbell, Gayle Rankin, Annie Baker, Glen Berger, Joan MacIntosh, T.R. Knight, Wendy Vanden Heuvel, Guy Boyd, Lynn Cohen
Script: Stephanie Fleischmann
Editor: Ian Olds
Cinematography: Miklos Buk
Choreography: Jesse J. Perez
Puppet design: Julian Crouch
Design: Deb O
Composers: Daniel Kluger, Daniel Baker, Brandon Walcott
Costumes: Olivera Gajic
Music: Saskia Lane, Lila Blue, Damon Daunno, Lucas Papaelias, Phil Roebuck, Phoenix Roebuck, Gabe Ebert, Elvy Yost, Elena Moon Park, Vicky Finney, Marc Osterer, Jason Candler, Josh en James Crouch
Light: Alejandro Le Roux
Production: Wendy vanden Heuvel, Julie Buck, Johnny Moreno, Samara Levenstein
Assistant director: Alex Harvey