Piven Theatre extends its 2009-10 season with the Chicago premiere of Sarah Ruhl's adaptation of Chekov's Three Sisters, directed by Artistic Director Emeritus Joyce Piven. The production will run October 16 - November 21, 2010 at Piven Theatre Workshop, 927 Noyes Street. Press opening is Monday, October 18, 2010 at 7:00PM.
Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov depicts an entire village of unlucky lovers struggling with the bittersweet distance between reality and dreams. This classic tale is given another look in a new version adapted by Sarah Ruhl, one of America's most acclaimed young playwrights, and author of In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), Late: a cowboy song and The Clean House. The Chicago Premiere is directed by Chicago theatre veteran Joyce Piven, the co-founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of Piven Theatre Workshop. The three sisters: schoolmistress Olga, unhappily married Masha and idealistic Irina, are stuck in a backwater town, and long to get to Moscow where they imagine their lives will be transformed. Discover the humor and heartbreak of one of the world's great plays, retold by one of the most original voices in contemporary theatre.
"With her wonderful talent and ear for language, Sarah has created a beautiful, accessible translation of Chekov's Three Sisters, and I am honored to stage the Chicago Premiere of this beautiful, melodic story," says Joyce Piven. "I met Sarah when she was just 10 years old, studying at the Workshop, and even then she had a depth beyond her years. Since then she has grown from student to exceptionally gifted playwright. I cannot say adequately what it has meant to me to work on this translation."
Three Sisters features Brent T. Barnes (Kulygin), Ravi Batista (Irina), Dave Belden (Andrei), Marcus Davis (Fedotik), Kevin D. Ambrosio (Ferapont), John Fenner Mays (Chebutykin), Andy Hagar (Tuzenbach), Amanda Hartley (Natasha), Jacob Murphy (Rode), Saren Nofs-Snyder (Masha), Jay Reed (Solyony), Kathy Ruhl (Anfisa), Dan Smith (Vershinin), and Joanne Underwood (Olga).
The creative team for Three Sisters includes Aaron Menninga (scenic design), Andrew Iverson (lighting design), Bill Morey (costume design), Jesse Gaffney (properties) and Collin Warren (composition & sound design). Wendy Woodward is the Stage Manager.