Some desire love. Some desire success. Some desire artistic genius.

This is not a play about right or wrong; it is an honest portrayal of the agonies of love and art and the comic tragedies born of this struggle.  In his seminal work, Chekhov lays bear the insecurities and blinding desires of a colourful cross section of Russian society which still evokes resonant parallels with today’s wants and needs.

The play unfolds against the backdrop of a tranquil lake, a constant reminder of nature and simplicity, which serves to bring into stark contrast the chaos which ensues at a large manor house ensconced in the provinces of Russia circa 1890. We follow ten separate lives as they fight for love, artistic integrity, worth and happiness.  Arkadina, a famous but now ageing actress dominates with a vanity born of success as her son, Konstantin, strives to gain his mother’s love, to define himself as an artist and win the heart of Nina – a poor country girl with aspirations of becoming an actress for which she is prepared to sacrifice everything in her life. With the arrival of Trigorin, a famous writer, in the thrall of Arkadina, the true struggle begins as Nina falls madly in love with him – igniting jealousies and fears which ultimately lead us to tread the path of tragedy.

Front Foot Theatre’s immersive production of The Seagull brings to life Chekhov’s masterpiece in a refreshing and innovative new direction. Utilising the Meisner technique, director Sebastien Blanc’s vision is to create a theatrical experience that lives moment to moment, free of all routine and which captures the true heart of human struggle.

Our desire is to bring to life the true intentions of Chekhov with The Seagull; to present a rich, living tableau of humanity’s struggle to find happiness and love; to question the nature of our soul and to animate the hidden drama and tragedy in every character.
Front Foot’s aim is to deliver richly engaging, intimate and detailed performances, using at its core, a unique acting technique developed by theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner. This technique is itself derived from Stanislavski’s Method who in turn worked very closely with Chekhov. The reason for this is that Stanislavski understood Chekhov’s intent: his desire to see real life and real humans on the stage:
“Thought and beauty, like a hurricane or waves, should not know conventional, delimited forms.” Anton Chekhov
We aim to bring you a performance which is instinctive and truly alive in the moment to honour Chekhov’s lament and celebration of the human condition for “everything must be as in real life”.
This is Front Foot’s first production and we hope we can offer you a glimmer of what is to come.
 

Julia Papp performing an extract from The Seagull