The Seagull Study Guide (12MB) - Goodman Theatre

The International Spread of Realism
BY ELIZABETH MORK
Prior to The Seagull’s game of lotto – a Russian
equivalent to the game bingo – the everyday was finding
its way onto the stage. Russia’s movement toward
realistic interpretations of life within the theater was in
response to a growing trend that began first in Norway
and then in Sweden. Anton Chekhov’s experiments
of bringing the everyday into the theater was being
pioneered by two “Fathers of Realism.”
Henrik Ibsen, the famed Norwegian playwright, left
audiences with mouths agape at his portraits of society.
His character-driven stories fit within the framework of a
well-made play. Ibsen illustrates the telling trivialities of
life through a mathematical structure of time, character
development and plot. His use of props and set design
often function as signifying marks for a character’s
behavior. Ibsen also utilizes objects on stage to define
his characters. In order for the audience to find these
stage conventions relevant, Ibsen had to bring life, in all
its banalities and habits, into the theater. We watch his
characters decorate Christmas trees, dust the mantel
and crotchet shawls in dimly lit living rooms. His child
characters are often melancholy instead of cheerful.
Likewise, Ibsen portrays children with disabilities that
allude to flaws in the adult characters. In Little Eyolf, for
example, the child Eyolf suffers from physical disabilities
that occurred because of an accident he had as an
infant while his parents were not in the room. Similar to
the use of everyday objects on stage, the appearance
of sickly and unhappy children aids in creating a holistic
reality. In seemingly basic rituals and set design, Ibsen
was capable of conveying complex levels of unspoken
tension, detail and history.
Sweden also was experimenting with Realism. August
Strindberg, an eccentric Swedish playwright, took
Ibsen’s work in Realism still further. Strindberg was
adept at crafting works that were “a slice of life” on
stage. He rebelled against traditional stage conventions
such as false set pieces, rooms fabricated out of
canvas backdrops and unrealistic footlights. Strindberg
demanded that his work be done with the use of real
material. If a door is to slam shut, the actor should
actually slam a real door. Strindberg’s belief was only
then will the audience have the true experience of
seeing, hearing and viewing the proper action of the play.
Similarly to Ibsen, Strindberg was fond of using common
props to add greater depth of meaning to his characters
and his stories.
Chekhov was brought up in the theater when these
two Realism practitioners were hitting their respective
strides. Prior to Masha’s habitual use of snuff and
vodka, Strindberg’s Julie had her wine and Ibsen’s Nora
had her bonbons. Both the use and absence of these
items tell far more than any spoken dialogue. These
conventions build into Chekhov’s use of reality. For
instance, how the character does the action and speaks
of the action, along with the other charcters’ perceptions
about the action, all combine to add layers of meaning to
a simple habit, such as Masha taking snuff.
Realism is still present in most modern forms of
entertainment. Recall a favorite television show or movie
character. What habits take place during an average day
in the character’s life? Does the action illustrate specific
personality traits of the character?
August Strindberg. Image courtesy of New York Public Library.
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