Uncle Vanya

UNCLE VANYA

or Never Looking Back on Life

by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

Translation:

Ivan Nikolov 

Director/Dramatis:

Nikolay Lambrev-Michailovski

Set & Costume Designer:

Chaika Petrusheva

Music:

Dobrin Vekilov-Doni

Light Designer:

Lalio Hristov

Assistant Director:

Vasil Riahov

Multimedia:

Slavi Georgiev

Chekhov has defined the lifestyle of his characters as ‘Scenes from Country Life’. Still, as with any good and inventively composed play, nothing is what it seems: neither Uncle Vanya is a tired and quiet intelligent man nor is Professor Serebryakov only a pompous intellectual, nor is Yelena Andreyevna just a bored beauty; neither is Astrov a bitter and incisive doctor, nor is Sonya just sad. These scenes are also imbued with passion, love, and—more life, dreams, and disappointments.

‘…Life goes around like a fairground carousel … But then a day comes when you stop at the mirror willing to eliminate what has been until now. You reject the present in fury and agony, willing to save your soul and body, rushing in a quest for novelty… You have missed and lost values; you have been blind or just unsuccessful in your life, dreams, love, and mutuality in your relationship with others. You fling yourself into the mirror to break it, willing to retrieve something you have seen there, in the crystal pieces. To immerse yourself in it. To feel that you are a man who matters, that you make a difference, that your life is worthwhile. You believe that this is the real thing, but then again this pursuit also proves to be an illusion or just a work of imagination and a desire to catch up with what you have missed or not experienced… And then what? Give up on life or live with the truth about yourself for the days in store for you are yours. After realizing what is impossible from now on, it is hard and difficult to accept yourself as you are. Still, the commitment to move on has been granted by God and it would be silly not to accept it. It is also silly not to master in your heart the patience to move on. Only those who have survived the ache of what has been missed and unachieved, are possibly able to take frustration as an energy to keep on living. How many of us pass this test? Chekhov in his hard life dogged by illness, struggles, and agony succeeded, believing…’

Nikolay Lambrev-Michailovski about Uncle Vanya and Anton Chekhov

DRAMATURG:

PhD Svetlana Pancheva

Assistant Director:

Irina Ivanova

Photo of poster:

Bozhidar Markov

Poster and leaflet designer:

Yanina Petrova

Photographer:

Bozhidar Markov

Premiere: 21st and 22nd of February 2020