Chekhov’s ‘The Sea Gull’ to be performed at Goshen College, March 23-April 1

Event: Goshen College spring mainstage play – “The Sea Gull” by Anton Chekhov
Dates and times: March 23, 24, 30, 31 at 8 p.m.; March 25 and April 1 at 3 p.m.
Location: Umble Center
Cost: $8 general admission, $5 students & seniors
For more information: To reserve tickets, call the Goshen College Welcome Center at (574) 535-7566 or e-mail welcomecenter@goshen.edu

GOSHEN, Ind. – The Goshen College Theater Department’s spring mainstage play will be Anton Chekhov’s “The Sea Gull,” which is a tragicomedy that explores the subtle humor, drama and deep, honest truth of everyday interactions.

The production is scheduled for March 23, 24, 30, 31 at 8 p.m., and March 25 and April 1 at 3 p.m. in Umble Center.

The play explores the tensions between the human need for other people and the simultaneous lack of attention and inability to connect with the people close by. Director Michelle Milne said, “I am interested in looking at the ways we don’t see what is around us. We don’t notice when someone is struggling, we’re often caught up in our own lives. I’m interested in how we are all close together, we encounter each other every day – but do we really see each other?” Audiences might notice extra people walking through scenes when they aren’t called for, guns randomly appearing without characters acknowledging their danger, actors not looking at each other when they are talking.

“The Sea Gull” also examines the question of society’s role in individual “success,” “failure” and the ability to keep on living. Chekhov’s characters are both lovable and tragic. The audience will follow them through unrequited love, unachieved dreams and unsuccessful art, all while laughing and crying at their oh-so-familiar humanity.

The set and props include a lot of live tree branches and paper. “The set and props create a poetic environment,” Milne said. “There is a crossing over of indoor/outdoor in that characters bring things like a couch and a piano outside to enjoy the comforts of indoor life while they watch a play or socialize. For indoor scenes, the branches creep into the room – especially during a stormy scene, when the outside begins to push into the inside. These things, to me, reflect the wholeness of life that Chekhov was trying to capture – the lack of distinct boundaries.”

“This is a really tight ensemble,” Milne said. “They work together well, are generous with themselves as performers, are playful, committed and take a lot of risks.”

In the cast: sophomore Gina Rambow of Battle Creek, Mich. (as Arkadina), junior Mike Honderich of Goshen (as Treplyev), sophomore Ben Noll of Lancaster, Pa. (as Sorin), first-year Beth Glick of Goshen (as Nina), Adam Schellenberg of Clovis, Calif. (as Shamrayev), first-year Louise Hubinont of Belgium (as Paulina), junior Emily Swora of Shoreview, Minn. (as Masha), sophomore Tyler Yoder of Goshen (as Tigorin), junior Ben Jacobs of Goshen (as Dorn), junior Jesse Landis-Eigsti of Lakewood, Colo. (as Medvedyenko), first-year Kevin Mulia of Singapore (as Yakov) and sophomore Grace Eidmann of Antioch, Ill. (as Maid).

In the crew: Director Michelle Milne, Assistant Director Sarah Noah, Stage Manager Grace Magnan, Assistant Stage Managers Sarah Jensen and Laura Landis, Set and Costume Designers Louise Hubinont and Nick Loewen, Light Designers Lara Dentler and David King, Sound Designer Sam Yoder, Music Compilation Emily Swora, Hair and Makeup Grace Eidmann and Ben Jacobs, Props Master/Designer Annali Smucker, Costumer Aaren Myers, Props and Costume Assistant Angie Noah, Light Operator Sarah Jensen and Sound Operator Doug Hallman.

The Goshen College production will include an original theme song by cast member junior Jesse Landis-Eigsti (Lakewood, Colo.).

Umble Center is accessible to wheelchairs and people with other physical limitations.

Tickets cost $8 for general admission and $5 for students and senior citizens. They can be reserved by calling the Welcome Center at (574) 535-7566 or e-mailing welcomecenter@goshen.edu.

Editors: Photographers can take play preview photos on Wednesday, March 21 at 7 p.m. during rehearsal. Call Doug Liechty Caskey to confirm at (574) 535-7393. For more information about this release or to arrange an interview, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.