SEAGULL
QUANTUM THEATRE Playwright Anton Chekhov Adaptation & Director Joanie Schultz Scenic Design Chelsea M. Warren Assistant Scenic Design Emily Landis Costume Design Damian E. Dominguez Lighting Design C. Todd Brown Sound Design & Composition Ryan McMasters Director of Production Alex Ungerman Technical Director Cubie McCrory Scenic Charge & Props Artisan Emily Landis Starring Evan Hines, Maxine Coltin, Ken Bolden, Phoebe Lloyd, Julia Rocha, Gwendolyn Kelso, Daniel Krell, Paul Anderson, Lisa Velten Smith, Brett Mack Production Photographer Beth Barbis
*see critical response below
DC Theater Arts, Andrew Walker White: “Adaptor and Director Joanie Schultz has taken a sprawling, three-plus-hours slog of a play, condensed it to some two hours’ traffic, and, to top it all off, has also unleashed her company of talented actors to explore Chatham’s grounds…The result is a concise, environmentally vivid rendering of a play that seems set literally in the countryside, complete with all the cicadas, birds, and even rabbits, whose timing for entrances and exits is exquisite, I must say. The sense of place is fully realized, and the energy of the space alone is worth the ticket. Quantum Theatre specializes in staging productions in spaces that are not theaters, using neutral spaces as opportunities for actors to explore new relationships with their audiences and each other…
The design team here is stellar…Given this production’s choice of site Chelsea Warren’s task, as scenic designer, was something of a challenge; there needed to be some sort of performance area for the dialogue, and for the opening play-within-a-play, but there also needed to be visual breathing room for the surroundings, which do so much of the “scenic” work from an audience’s perspective. The placement of posts and gauze curtains, easily dropped and raised, creates the illusion that both the stage and the environment are working together. C. Todd Brown’s lighting, meanwhile, apart from the usual stage wash, features some discreetly-lit drum faces lining the pond behind the stage, which — if you look closely — adopt red, beady eyes during the opening sequence.”
Pittsburgh Tatler, Wendy Arons: “That change, along with other choices, has the effect of making this version of Seagull feel fresh and immediate, even though in terms of language, costuming, and props it remains set in the 19th century Russian countryside. Part of the immediacy comes from the immersive realism of the production’s setting: designer Chelsea Warren has situated the playing space in front of a picturesque pond on the Chatham University campus, which means that the opening scene of the play – which is meant to take place outdoors, on a makeshift stage near a lake – has an uncanny verisimilitude. I can’t imagine there have been many productions of this play in which the character of Trigorin can cast a fishing line into a natural body of water to take his mind off the pressures of writing. Moreover, the size and isolation of the elderly Sorin’s (Ken Bolden) country estate feels palpable as the characters wander up the hill behind the pond or call out from a distant building; it very much seems as if we are peeking into these characters’ lives and witnessing their private (and not-so-private) dramas as members of their world.”
Broadway World, Greg Kerestan: “It wouldn't be a Quantum review without discussing the location, and scenic designer Chelsea Warren has done wonders staging the show on the pond at Chatham University. The dark-academia setting of the campus blends well with the natural beauty of the pond and greenery, all of which DOES conjure the feel of a quaint but not-so-rustic artists' retreat. Whether strolling and taking pictures before the show, or meeting and greeting after the ending, it was so easy to feel myself as an artist among the show's artists, part of the tapestry of love and creative idealism that has brought both happiness and misery to so many. Between the script, the cast, the director and the weather, it was an unforgettable night of feeling many, many things at once.”
Pittsburgh Entertainment Central, Mike Vargo: “Quantum Theatre produces plays on location, and the location for Seagull enables the play to truly sing. The stage is outdoors at the bottom of a gently sloping ravine, next to the pond on the Chatham University campus. A country estate indeed. The address is 107 Woodland Drive, between Shadyside and Squirrel Hill, and Seagull runs until August 17. Visit Quantum on the web for tickets and further information. Then, once you’re there, thank Chelsea Warren for the scenic design that makes the location work to the utmost.”
TribLive Review, Alexis Papalia: “These actors were also given so much space to work with, courtesy of the outdoor setting…The play is also set next to a lake, which becomes a character and symbol unto itself. The pond was a perfect setpiece for the action of “Seagull.” Scenic designer Chelsea Warren created a compact but complete set that allowed the audience to easily see and follow every second of the action…I won’t give too much away, but the breathtaking acting, scene-setting and directing came together in the play’s final scene. Gauzy curtains, tense piano music and a wordless but mesmerizing performance from Lloyd as Constantine made for perhaps the best five minutes of theater I’ve seen this year.”
Pittsburgh Quarterly, Stuart Sheppard: “the shimmering set, next to a romantic pond on the Chatham University campus, which could be right out of a Merchant Ivory production. This is an enlightening show for those unfamiliar with Chekhov, and even more so for those who know this play, but would love the epiphany of seeing it as if for the first time. “
Pgh Lesbian: “The set is itself worthy of an entire review. Kudos to the design team.”