Tag: Theatreplots

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The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov

Theaterlab, New York City.

The 110th anniversary of The Cherry Orchard prompted me to stage this phenomenal play with my company, on the exact dates of the anniversary of its premiere at the Moscow Art Theatre. For this show I wore several hats: director, producer, set designer, event manager, translator, and a few others. You can find the Playbill for the show, including my director's notes, here. Here's the promotional video for the show, which captures the mix of serious and funny that Chekhov writes in every line and we tried to match at every step. Photos: Jeff Becker © 2014 Photos: Jeff Becker © 2014 Photos: Jeff Becker © 2014

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Pirandello's The Giants of the Mountain

Theaterlab, New York City.

On October 15, 2013 the Pirandello Society of America sponsored a reading I adapted and directed of Pirandello's The Giants of the Mountain. This is a “myth” between fable and reality that Pirandello continued to imagine, write, and rework from 1929 to 1934, but eventually left unfinished despite encouraging contracts with American impresarios. Yet, in its present form, the play vibrates with the powerful contradictions of sublime Art torn between the inner necessity to reach out to spectators who may not understand it and the temptation to abandon the world altogether. It was, in the playwright’s opinion, the culmination of his artistic endeavors. The reading took place at Theaterlab and it was part of the series "NOT Made in Italy - Creativity as Displacement" and of the celebrations for the Year of Italian Culture in the United States. For the evening's program in pdf, click here.