THE CHEKHOV PROJECT: I AM A SEAGULL
Schip James Laming, Groningen, The Netherlands
August 15 – 22 , 2019
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
