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The Cherry Orchard

Learn more about the crumbling grandeur of Russian aristocracy at the turn of the 20th century in Chekhov's masterpiece, The Cherry Orchard with dramaturg Shelley Graham.
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The Comedy-Tragedy Debate in The Cherry Orchard

March 27, 2025 09:44 PM
The debate over whether The Cherry Orchard is a comedy or a tragedy began with Chekhov himself and his director (and sometimes friend) Konstantin Stanislavsky.
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Contextual Resources for The Cherry Orchard

March 27, 2025 09:29 PM
The creative team began working on this production a little more than a year ago. In my role as production dramaturg, I was happy to create a website of resources first for the creative team, and then when we went into rehearsals, for the cast. And now that we are opening the show, the resources offer valuable perspectives to our audiences as well.
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Moving to the Cherry Orchard

March 20, 2025 08:14 PM
After months of rehearsing on a taped cement floor with acting blocks in place of benches and frames in place of doors, the company finally moves to the theatre space, to a stage with levels and furniture, working doors and chairs out in the audience. The beloved cherry orchard feels so much more real now.
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“That’s How Things Are”: The Weight of Waiting in The Cherry Orchard

March 20, 2025 03:10 PM
Near the end of his life, Anton Chekhov who had suffered from tuberculosis and depression throughout his life, decided to move to the seaside town of Yalta in order to heal. On January 18, 1904, he wrote to his wife, the actress Olga Knipper, “I’m writing The Cherry Orchard very slowly. Sometimes I feel it’s a success, sometimes a failure…It’s all very ordinary, but that’s how things are, unfortunately.”
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Study Guide for The Cherry Orchard

March 11, 2025 10:53 AM
For this production we are trying something new! You'll still see some dramaturgical information in your printed program, including the dramaturg's note, "The Weight of Waiting in The Cherry Orchard."
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Ten Interesting Facts about The Cherry Orchard

February 25, 2025 07:50 PM
One of the wonderful things about being a dramaturg is discovering interesting bits of information here and there about the play and the playwright. These are often things that never make themselves visible in the production, but offer fascinating insights nonetheless. Here are ten of those interesting facts we've learned about Chekhov and The Cherry Orchard.
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