West Chester University’s Department of Theatre & Dance will debut a world premiere adaptation of the Anton Chekhov classic Three Sisters on Feb. 29 to Mar. 2 at 7:30 PM, and again on Mar. 3 at 2 PM. The premiere will be in the JP Adler Studio Theatre, E.O. Bull Center for the Arts (2 East Rosedale Ave., West Chester). Associate Professor of Theatre John Bellomo adapted and will direct the show. Three Sisters general admission tickets are $15 and $12 for students and seniors with valid ID.

Three Sisters debuted at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1901. In Three Sisters, the Prozorov sisters long to leave their country estate and return to Moscow, but they find themselves trapped by financial hardships, tumultuous affairs, and inner demons. Chekhov navigates the sisters’ beautiful suffering with gentle humor, warmth, and compassion. 

Bellomo adapted Three Sisters from a translation by Victoria Squicciarini, a Russian scholar and Bellomo’s wife.

“I wanted to find the comedy in the script,” said Bellomo. “There are famous letters between Chekhov and Stanislavsky, the show’s first director, in which Chekhov accuses Stanislavsky of ruining his play by making it a tragedy. I’ve seen productions where it’s either slapstick comedy, or it’s tragic. I wanted to see if the two can occupy the same space. When we create theatre, a trap many fall into, is that we play only one emotion, one aspect of the human condition. We know that life is more complex and nuanced than that. We have all witnessed someone or experienced ourselves laughing and suddenly bursting into tears or vice versa. That is what I wanted to capture.”

The show’s scenic design includes pre-recorded video projected onto the set.

“We are experimenting with how we can use digital technology to expand the story beyond what’s currently possible in our physical space,” said Production Manager Christen Mandracchia. “This is research that builds on the inquiries and learnings that came about during the pandemic. Our West Chester University faculty and students are working to keep this innovation alive in the industry.”

Traditional Russian folk music is used in Three Sisters and is played live by the actors/musicians.

David Gold, a junior theatre major, is Aleksandr Vershinin in Three Sisters.

“We spent several weeks of rehearsal studying each character’s inner life, a technique used by Stanislavsky when he first directed the show,” said Gold. “One of the reasons this play still resonates today is because the characters, always longing for happiness, are so relatable. I lost my father recently and based my character of Vershinin on my dad, who was always hopeful for the future and an optimist.”

The cast of Three Sisters includes Ivana Agova (Ensemble), Raven Burckhalter (Ensemble), Sophie Cox (Anfisa/Ensemble), David Gold (Vershinin), Nicci Hardaway (Olga), Emily Harris (Irina), Ania Hawkins-Williams (Ferapont), Ronnie Hernandez (Chebutykin), Owen Kaatz (Kulygin), Lauren Kuerschner (Natashsa), Luke Preston (Tuzenbakh), Exavior Rease (Andrei), Bri Silasavage (Ensemble), Dylan Stevens (Fedotik), Matthew Tindall (Rode), Jack Williamson (Solyony), and Isabella Yackanicz (Masha).

The Department of Theatre and Dance at West Chester University, an accredited institution of the National Association of Schools of Theatre, prepares students for the professional and academic worlds of Theatre and Dance while raising student awareness of civility, diversity, creativity, problem-solving, and social responsibility. The department offers a BA Theatre degree program with elective concentrations in Musical Theatre, Performance, Design, and Production, in addition to a dance minor and theatre minor.

Learn more about West Chester University and its 180 diverse academic opportunities, ranging from accounting to African American studies to marine biology.