The Instigators, a rising theater company known for its “striking, no nonsense portrayal of classic work,”^ now tackles Anton Chekhov’s THE SEAGULL for a four week run in TriBeCa. This imaginative, daring production uses a new, agile adaptation of the text and employs a live soundscape that blends actor-created sound effects with original music.
The first of Chekhov’s four major plays, THE SEAGULL is about a family of theater artists, and the single month-long sojourn in the country that transforms their lives forever. Konstantin, a young and idealistic playwright, dreams of creating new art forms, but a visit from his famous-actress-mother and her famous-writer-boyfriend overwhelms and demoralizes him. He feels more and more suffocated as his love for the star-struck neighbor girl grows increasingly unrequited. With humor and keen insight, THE SEAGULL exposes the absurdity of the human condition and the poignancy of the need to live an extraordinary life.

With the recent popularity of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, Russian drama has been making a comeback. But long before The Great Comet hit the Broadway stage, there was Anton Chekhov: the 19th-century Russian playwright famous for works like The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya, and The Seagull. With that in mind, if you can’t afford a ticket to The Great Comet, or if the musical has whetted your appetite for Russian literature, The Instigators’ immersive production of Chekhov’s The Seagull is well worth the effort. I say effort because you’re going to have to climb four flights of stairs to reach the gallery in which the play is performed. But you’ll be glad you did. Directed by Lillian Meredith and performed at Access Theater, The Seagull is a brilliant staging of Chekhov’s masterpiece, thanks to an immersive setting, great blocking, and tremendous acting. The story follows a group of friends and family members vacationing in a country estate in 19th century Russia. Among the main players are Irina Arkadina, a celebrated, egotistical actress; Trigorin, Irina’s lover and a famous writer; Irina’s son Konstantin, a budding writer who often finds himself frustrated by Irina …Read more