Cherry Orchard

presents 

Cherry Orchard 

By Anton Chekhov 

Directed and Translated by Curt Columbus 

PROJECT DISCOVERY STUDY GUIDE 

The development and distribution of this study guide is generously supported by: 

Bank of America; Rhode Island State Council on the Arts; Mr. and Mrs. Norman E. McCulloch, Jr., 

Trustees of the McAdams Charitable Foundation; Phyllis Kimball Johnstone & H. Earl Kimball 

Foundation; The Grant Sherburne Fund; Newman’s Own Foundation; the National Corporate Theater 

Fund; The Helen G. Hauben Foundation, and many private donors. 

The production is sponsored by The Gould Charitable Trust, The Helen G. Hauben Foundation, and 

The National Endowment for the Arts. 

This production is part of Shakespeare in American Communities: Shakespeare for a New 

Generation, which is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts 

Midwest. 

Prepared by Emily Atkinson, Artistic Associate -- Communications; Caroline Azano; 

Education Assistant; Tyler Dobrowsky, Artistic Associate -- Education 

TRINITY REPERTORY COMPANY 201 WASHINGTON STREET PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND 02903 

(401) 521-1100 

1

Table of Contents 

Theater Audience Etiquette and Discussion 3 

Using This Study Guide in Your Classroom 4 

Background Information on Russia and the Moscow Arts Theater 5-10 

Biography and Most Prominent Works of Anton Chekhov 

Russian History 

Timeline of Russian, American, and Chekhov History from 1860 - 1917 

The Moscow Arts Theater 

Background Information on Cherry Orchard 11-24 

Making it Modern 

The Characters 

The Summary 

Character Plot 

Lost (and found) in Translation 

Translation activity 

Say WHAT? (Chekhov Quotes) 

Interview with the Director: Curt Columbus 

The Role of the Writer and Actor 25-27 

Community Building 

Pair Interviews 

Faint By Numbers 

Walk Like… 

My Chair 

Chorus 

Passing Notes 

Inspiration/ Entering the Text 27-29 

Scenario 

Sculpture Garden 

Milling and Seething 

Comprehending the Text 29-43 

Monologues: An Activity 

Female Monologues from Cherry Orchard 

Male Monologues from Cherry Orchard 

Selected Scenes 

Creating Performance Pieces 44-47 

The Role of Designers 47-53 

Creating Performance 53 

Reflection 54-55 

Bibliography 56-57 

2

THEATER AUDIENCE ETIQUETTE AND DISCUSSION 

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND GO OVER WITH YOUR CLASSES BEFORE THE 

SHOW 

TEACHERS: 

Speaking to your students about theater etiquette is ESSENTIAL. Students should be aware that 

this is a LIVE performance and that they should not talk during the show. If you do nothing else to 

prepare your students to see the play, please take some time to talk to them about theater 

etiquette in an effort to help the students better appreciate their experience. It will enhance their 

enjoyment of the show and allow other audience members to enjoy the experience. The questions 

below can help guide the discussions. Thank you for your help and enjoy the show!! 

ETIQUETTE: 

• What is the role of the audience in a live performance? How does it differ from attending a 

movie? Why can’t you chew gum or eat at a live theater performance? Why can’t you talk? What 

can happen in live theater that cannot happen in cinema? 

• Reiterate that students may not chew gum, eat, or talk during the performance. Please 

make sure all cell phones and pagers are turned off, and recording devices and cameras are 

strictly prohibited. If there is a disturbance, the parties involved will be asked to leave and 

the class will not be invited back to the theater. Students may not leave the theater during 

intermission. 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS BEFORE SEEING THE SHOW AT TRINITY REP: 

• What are the differences between live theater and cinema? (Two dimensional vs. three 

dimensional; larger than life on the screen vs. life-size; recorded vs. live, etc.) Discuss the nature 

of film as mass-produced, versus the one-time only nature of live performances. Talk about 

original art works versus posters. Which do they feel is more valuable? Why? 

• When you get into the theater, look around. What do you see? What do you notice about the 

space? Is it different from what you imagined? How would students direct a play in this kind of 

theater? 

• Actors in a live performance are very attuned to the audience and are interested in the 

students’ reactions to the play. Ask the students to write letters to the actors about the 

characters they played and to ask questions of the actors. Also, they can write reviews of the 

performance to share with the cast and crew. Send these letters to: Trinity Repertory Company, 

c/o Education, 201 Washington St., Providence, RI 02903 or email to: 

education@trinityrep.com. 

3

USING THIS STUDY GUIDE IN YOUR CLASSROOM 

A Letter from Artistic Associate Tyler Dobrowsky 

Welcome to Trinity Repertory and the 40 th season of Project Discovery! The Education Staff at 

Trinity had a lot of fun preparing this study guide, and hope that the activities included will help you 

to incorporate the play into your academic study. It is also structured to help you to introduce 

performance into your classroom through a process developed in partnership with the Brown 

University Arts and Literacy Project, and with teacher Deanna Camputaro of Central Falls High 

School. 

The elements of the process include: 

• Community Building in Your Classroom (Applied Learning New Standards: A1; A2; A5) 

• Inspiration and Background on the Artist (English Language Arts New Standards: E1; E2; E3; 

E5; E6; Applied Learning New Standards: A2; A3; A5) 

• Entering and Comprehending Text (English Language Arts Standards: E1; E2; E3; E5) 

• Creating Text for Performance (English Language Arts Standards: E1; E2; E3; E5) 

• Performing in Your Class (Applied Learning Standards: A1; A2; A3; A4; A5) 

• Reflecting on Your Performance (E2; E3; A1; A2; A5) 

We’ve also included a unit on design, as well as character descriptions and a plot synopsis. Please 

refer, as well, to the Audience Etiquette section on page 3, particularly for students who have never 

attended a live theater performance. If you do no other preparatory work with your students, we 

strongly encourage you to spend some time talking to your students about appropriate behavior 

in the theater. 

We hope that this guide will be a useful classroom tool for you and your students. We are extremely 

interested in your feedback about the plays and study guides, as well as any ideas that you may have 

that can help us to better serve the teachers and students who come to Trinity. We hope that you will 

feel free to call us anytime at (401) 521-1100, ext. 255, or e-mail us at education@trinityrep.com. 

For further information on upcoming productions and other Educational Programs please visit our 

website at www.trinityrep.com. 

Enjoy the show! 

Tyler Dobrowsky, Artistic Associate for Education 

4

Unit One: Background Information on Chekhov, Russia, 

and the Moscow Art Theater 

ANTON CHEKHOV (1860-1904) 

“You write that you wept at my play. You aren’t the only one. 

It’s Stanislavsky who has made them so weepy. I wanted 

something quite different. All I wanted to say to people, quite 

honestly, was ‘Look at yourselves, just how stale and tedious 

your lives are.’…What is there to weep at in that?” - in a letter 

to Serebrov 

“Besides medicine, my wife, I have also literature--my 

mistress." 

Anton Chekhov was born in Tanarog, Ukraine on January 17, 

1860. He was one of six children. A year after he was born, 

Alexander II liberated the serfs (indentured servants living 

on the land of the nobles) in his Emancipation Manifesto. 

Chekhov’s grandfather was a former serf who had bought 

the family’s freedom right before the emancipation. As a 

child, Anton was playful and witty and enjoyed attending 

the theater. At 16, his father went bankrupt and moved the 

family to Moscow. Chekhov stayed behind, and supported 

himself and his education by tutoring. He moved to 

Moscow to rejoin his family after passing his exams, and 

enrolled in the Moscow University Medical School. 

Chekhov paid his tuition by writing short stories for 

newspapers and magazines. By the time he was 20 years 

old, he was hired by the Spectator to write comedy stories. 

By 1886, after being published in several Russian 

magazines, he had gained fame as a writer. After the 

failure of his 1889 play, The Wood Demon, he took a 

sabbatical from writing and went to Siberia, South East 

Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Middle East for 

doctoral research and travel. When he returned in 1892, he 

stopped his medical practice and recommitted himself to 

writing. The four plays for which he is best known 

combine the elements of tragedy and dark comedy: Seagull 

in 1896, Uncle Vanya in 1896, Three Sisters in 1901, and 

Cherry Orchard in 1904. He enjoyed a rich collaboration 

with the Moscow Art Theater, and in 1901 he married Olga 

Knipper, an actress who appeared in each of the four major 

plays. Cherry Orchard premiered on Chekhov’s birthday in 

Moscow on January 17, 1904. Chekhov died six months 

later, of tuberculosis, which had plagued him for most of his adult life. 

Chekhov’s Most Prominent 

Works 

Plays 

The Swan Song 1889 

The Proposal 1889 

Ivanoff 1889 

The Bear 1890 

The Sea-Gull 1896 

The Tragedian in Spite of 

Himself 1899 

The Three Sisters 1901 

Uncle Vanya 1902 

The Cherry Orchard 1904 

Novels and Short Stories 

Humorous Folk 1887 

Twilight and Other Stories 1887 

Morose Folk 1890 

Variegated Tales 1894 

Old Wives of Russia 1894 

The Duel 1895 

The Chestnut Tree 1895 

Ward Number Six 1897 

Miscellaneous Sketches 

The Island of Saghalien 1895 

Peasants 1898 

Life in Provinces 1898 

Children 1899 

5

RUSSIA 1860 – 1917: THE GATHERING STORM 

Living in Russia has never been easy. From the harsh, frozen climate, to the usually 

moribund economic policies, to Russia’s proclivity for maniacal tyrants (or is that tyrannical 

maniacs?), Russia and its people have seen their share of hardship and turmoil. However, 

arguably the most tumultuous 

period in the country’s history 

was the years between the 

emancipation of the serfs in 

1861 and the first Russian 

Revolution, which occurred in 

1905. During this time, an 

incredibly large number of 

former serfs (nearly 23 million, 

or forty thousand times the 

population of Providence) were 

at once liberated…and 

disenfranchised. They were 

allowed the right to own land, 

but left without the means to 

do so, and without any representation in Russia’s monarchal government. This growing sense 

of disenchantment would eventually evolve into full blown revolution by 1917. 

During the 1800’s, Russia’s population doubled in size while the country maintained an 

agrarian, serf based economy, resisting the tide of industrialization which was sweeping 

through Europe. The gap between a burgeoning Europe and a decaying Russia was exposed 

during the Crimean War (1853-1856), which saw Britain, France, assorted Italian kingdoms 

and the Ottoman Empire rout Russia, mostly due to their technological superiority. Tsar 

Alexander II (1818-1881, picture below) saw the writing on the wall (and heard the growing 

whispers of discontent from his people) and decided to abolish serfdom throughout his 

country, hoping the freed serfs would evolve into a prosperous middle class, which would in 

turn help revitalize the economy. Alexander also worried that if he didn’t act soon, the 

decision might not be his to make. “It is better to abolish serfdom from above than to wait for 

the time when it will begin to abolish itself from below,” he 

reasoned to a group of Moscow nobles who protested the 

emancipation. 

His Emancipation Manifesto, which was written two years 

before Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, 

allowed serfs to buy land from their noble landowners. 

However, part of the emancipation required the serfs to make 

redemptive payments and taxes back to the government 

(sometimes for as long as fifty years), which left many of the 

recently freed serfs back at square one: without money, without 

land, and hopelessly in debt to the noble landowners. 

Additionally, the serfs still had no say in the government. 

6

Although serfdom was abolished, since its abolition was achieved on terms unfavorable to 

the peasants, revolutionary tensions were not abated. 

Hoping to stem the revolutionary tide, the government enacted several different reforms. 

Zemstvas were created, which were local governments made up of representatives of various 

social classes to delegate and discuss important local issues. Dissatisfaction among the 

people continued, however, reaching its acme when, after several attempts on his life, 

Alexander II was assassinated by a group of nihilists. 

Alexander III (1845-1894) ruled very differently from his progressive father. He set about 

imposing harsh punishments for all revolutionaries, decreed that only the Russian language 

and religion would be taught in schools (despite his German, Finnish, and Polish subjects) 

and railed against freedom of speech, democracy, constitutions and the parlimentary system. 

Many of Alexander II’s reforms were eradicated or marginalized. After Alexander III’s 

death, his eldest son, Nicholas II, assumed the throne. He would be the last tsar of Russia. 

Nicholas II (1868-1919) was a man uncomfortable with 

leadership, and was not fully prepared to steward Russia 

away from revolution and toward unity. In an effort to 

boost national pride and morale, he unsuccessfully waged 

war with Japan in 1904. Although the Russian navy was 

larger, it was no match for Japan’s sleek naval ships, and 

Nicholas was forced to surrender in humiliating fashion. 

Shortly after the defeat, in 1905, the people of Russia 

marched to the Tsar’s palace in a peaceful demonstration. 

Led by Father Gapon, a Russian Orthodox priest, the 

march was meant to as a non-violent petition for rights, 

including the right for representation in the government 

and the right to vote. The palace guards, confused by the 

crowds walking toward them, opened fire, killing over one 

thousand people (portrait, directly above). Nicholas was not even in the country at the time. 

This marked the beginning of the Russian Revolution of 1905. Soviets (councils of workers) 

appeared in most cities to direct revolutionary activity. Russia was paralyzed, and the 

government was desperate. In October 1905, Nicholas reluctantly issued the famous October 

Manifesto, which conceded the creation of a national Duma (legislature or parliament) to be 

called without delay. The right to vote was extended and no law was to go into force without 

confirmation by the Duma. The moderate groups were satisfied; but the socialists rejected the 

concessions as insufficient and tried to organize new strikes. 

These reforms sated the population for the time being, but many problems still existed: the 

weaknesses of the Russian economy, an inefficient military and a wobbly semi-parliamentary 

government confused about its own power and purpose. Russia teetered on the edge of 

revolution, and World War I pushed it right over. 

7

TIMELINE: Important Events Surrounding Anton Chekhov’s Life 

1859 – Darwin’s Origin of the Species; 

1859 -- Marx’s Critique of Political Economy 

1860 – Chekhov is born 

1861 – Alexander II emancipates the serfs (Chekhov’s grandfather is 

liberated) 

Young Chekhov 

1861 -- Civil War in America 

1863 – Emancipation Proclamation 

1864 – Alexander II creates limited self-governments (zemstvos) 

1865 – Lincoln is assassinated 

1867 – Ibsen’s Peer Gynt; 

1867 -- Marx’s Das Kapital 

First reading of the Emancipation 

Proclamation 

1875 – Chekhov begins magazine “The Stammerer” for family 

circulation; 

1875 -- Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina; 

1875 -- Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone 

1876 – Chekhov’s family evicted; father leaves 

Karl Marx 

1879 – Chekhov enrolls in University to study medicine; 

1879 -- Ibsen’s Doll’s House; 

1879 – Edison invents the light bulb 

1880 – Zolas’ Naturalism in the Theater 

1881 – Alexander II assassinated; Alexander III takes over; 

1881 -- James Garfield is assassinated 

1884 – Chekhov begins practicing medicine; 

1884 -- Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 

The assassination of 

Alexander II 

1887 – Chekhov’s Ivanov; 

1888 – Chekhov begins publishing his stories; The Bear, The Wood Demon, The Swan Song 

are performed, he meets Stanislavsky; 

1888 -- Strindberg’s Miss Julie 

The Moscow Art Theater 

8

1890 – Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler 

1894 – Alexander III dies suddenly; Nicholas II assumes the throne; 

1894 – Shaw’s Arms and the Man 

1895 – Moscow Art Theater opens, Chekhov begins writing 

Seagull, he meets Tolstoy; 

1895 -- Importance of Being Earnest opens 

1896 – Seagull opens, closes after five performances; 

1896 -- Plessy v. Ferguson “Separate but Equal” doctrine 

1898 – Seagull opens at the MAT; 

1898 -- HG Wells writes War of the Worlds 

The Seagull at the MAT 

1899 – Uncle Vanya opens at the MAT; Chekhov sells his 

estate in Melikhovo to a timber merchant who chops down 

all the cherry trees 

1901 – Three Sisters opens at the MAT, Chekhov marries 

Olga Knipper; 

1901 -- President McKinley is assassinated 

1903 – Wright brothers fly 

1904 – Cherry Orchard opens at MAT; Chekhov dies; 

1904 – Nicholas II leads Russia into Russo-Japanese War 

The Russian Revolution of 1917 

1905 -- Russia surrenders to Japan; “Bloody Sunday”; 

Revolution of 1905 results in October Manifesto, guaranteeing rights (assembly, free speech, 

etc) and a parliament (Duma) all of which leads to Revolution of 1917 

ACTIVITY 

Have your students design a timeline for themselves. What important events have 

happened during their life time? What do they consider important? Examples include 

the invention of the internet, Sept. 11 th , 2001 and American Idol. Ask them to explain 

why they included the events they did. You could post the timelines around the room. 

9

THE MOSCOW ART THEATER 

Founded in 1897 in Moscow by 

Konstantin Stanislavsky and 

Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, 

the Moscow Art Theater was 

created as the foundation for 

naturalistic theater in Russia, 

marking the beginning of modern 

theater in the country. At the time, 

melodramas, which emphasized 

heightened emotions and 

situations, were the most dominant 

form of theater. Naturalism aimed 

to hold a mirror up to the audience, 

to provide a slice of everyday life Chekhov and the actors of the Moscow Art Theater, 1899 

with detailed sets and everyday language. Nemirovitch Danchenko and Stanislavsky banded 

together in a sort of revolt against the conservatism of the existing Russian theaters. 

The theater achieved great fame thanks to Stanislavsky’s productions of Chekhov’s four 

major works, beginning with The Sea Gull and ending with Cherry Orchard. Some other 

famous productions include Tolstoy’s Czar Fyodor Ivanovitch, Dostoyevsky’s Brothers 

Karamazov, and Gorky’s Lower Depths. 

Chekhov certainly left his mark on the Moscow Art Theater: still in existence today, the 

theater’s mascot is a seagull, and the MAT is often referred to as The Sea Gull Theater. It 

has been run by Oleg Tabakov since 2000. 

Cherry Orchard at the Moscow Art Theater in 1904 

10

Introducing Cherry Orchard 

Making it Modern: 

Students may at first be put off with Chekhov, considering him not only old, white and 

Russian – but BORING to boot. Since most students seem more attuned to pop culture than 

the socio-economic reasons for the Russian Revolution, it may be easier to relate “Cherry 

Orchard” to what’s going on today. Here is an exercise to help with this. 

1. Ask your students to think of the richest people in America, those fabulous people who 

never have a care in the world and have no concept of how the rest of world lives. You may 

get several answers, but we will use Paris Hilton as an example. Give them time to come up 

with more answers if they have them. 

2. Now ask the students, once you’ve written down a name or two, “What would happen if 

the government suddenly changed and all of the privileges Paris Hilton has in her life were 

suddenly taken away, and she was left with nothing. How would she react? Is it Paris’s 

fault if she loses everything because the government changed the laws? Is it her fault if she 

can't understand that working, (which is something no one in her family has ever done) is her 

only resort? Would you feel sorry for her? Would you laugh at her? Would you try and help 

her? Would you consider her foolish for resisting change?” 

3. Chances are the students will get a little silly, imagining an impoverished Paris Hilton. 

You could let their responses be verbal, or have them write out a monologue from her 

perspective in a journal entry. This journal can be assigned for homework. 

4. Discuss your students' responses. Then inform your students that the ‘Fall of Paris Hilton’ 

is a 2006 version of what was happening to Lovey and her estate in Cherry Orchard. 

11

Cherry Orchard: The Characters 

Lovey Ranevskaya: Lovey is the middle-aged owner of the estate and the cherry orchard. 

She is no stranger to tragedy. She is foolish and loveable. She is 

generous to the point that it hurts both herself and her family. 

Anya: 

Varya: 

Leonid Gaev: 

Anya is the 17 year old biological, sheltered daughter of Lovey, 

constantly doted upon by members of the family. She takes a liking to 

Trofimov and they become quite close, but not romantically involved. 

Varya is Lovey’s adopted daughter, and the manager of the estate. She 

is quick to go into bouts of tears or anger, and is in love with Lopakin. 

Leonid is Lovey’s 51 year old brother, but he certainly doesn’t act his 

age. He is continuously being hushed by his young nieces when he 

goes on rants or mutters difficult billiards shots, he needlessly insults 

those he disagrees with, and he loves candy. 

Yermolai Lopakin: Lopakin used to be the son of serfs that lived on Lovey’s estate before 

their emancipation. He is involved with Varya but will not propose. 

He and Lovey cannot seem to understand one another, as she will not 

listen to his business proposals regarding the cherry orchard. 

Peter Trofimov: Trofimov is the “eternal student,” for he is still at university at 28 

years old. He clashes with Lovey because of her romantic nature 

versus his claim to be “above love.” 

Boris Semyonov-Pischik: Like Lovey, Pischik is also an impoverished landlowner, 

nonchalant about his debts, assuming it will somehow work itself out. 

Charlotta: 

Charlotta, Anya’s governess, is somewhat of a clown, but still a 

significant character, always amusing everyone with her magic tricks, 

and subtly teasing the servants. 

Semyon Yepihodov: Yepihodov is a bookkeeper who loves Dunyasha, and has proposed. 

He is endlessly teased by the other characters for his follies. 

Dunyasha: 

Firs: 

Yasha: 

Dunyasha is a maid in Lovey’s estate and is hopelessly in love with 

Yasha, but gets very little affection in return. 

Firs is the 87 year old, mumbling servant who stayed at the estate even 

after the serfs were freed and misses those good old days. 

Yasha takes advantage of Lovey and Dunyasha, hates Russia, and is 

always talking about how much better France is. 

12

Cherry Orchard: A Summary 

Cherry Orchard opens at Lovey’s estate, where servants and friends are anxiously awaiting 

the arrival of Lovey and her daughter Anya, who have been living in Paris for five years to 

escape the tragic deaths of both Lovey’s husband (to illness) and son (to drowning). In 

France, Lovey took a lover who treated her poorly and robbed her of her riches. Because of 

this and her tremendous generosity, she has fallen into great debt and is in danger of losing 

her famous cherry orchard. While we wait, we learn a bit about the servants and Lopakin, a 

serf-turned-merchant after the emancipation. He tells the story of his harsh childhood and his 

rise to the life of a businessman, while the servants prepare. We learn that Firs stays at the 

estate voluntarily even though she could be free, and that Dunyasha has been proposed to by 

Yepihodov. 

Lovey and her daughters’ long awaited return brings up happy and sad memories, and we are 

introduced to all of the other characters and their stories. We learn of the love triangle 

between the two servants, and the incomplete love affairs between Varya (Lovey’s other 

daughter) and Lopakin, and Anya and the “eternal student,” Trofimov. We see the governess 

Charlotta in her isolation, and the debt that Pischik has fallen into. We also see the effects of 

the liberation of the serfs on former serfs, Lopakin and Firs. But everything revolves around 

the pending date of August 22, when, if Lovey cannot pay off her debts, the cherry orchard 

estate will be sold. While everyone is aware of this, no one seems to be doing anything about 

it. Aside from Lopakin, who insists that Lovey cut down the orchard and build villas in their 

stead to be rented out to pay off the debts, but she does not take his advice. 

While Lovey’s money is dwindling, she continues to frivolously give it away to passersby, 

peasants, and even in loans to Pischik. She also begins receiving daily telegrams from her 

abusive, but ailing lover in France, imploring that he return to her. Firs begins to fall ill, and 

all of the romances continue, save Lopakin and Varya’s, to Varya’s disappointment. 

By August 22, there has still been nothing done, and the orchard is sold. However, Lovey 

and her friends and family are not there, because she has thrown a ball. While the guests 

dance and Charlotta performs magic tricks, Trofimov urges Lovey to stay away from her 

lover and Lovey does not take it well. When Lopakin and Gaev return to the auction, Gaev is 

not happy but Lopakin is overjoyed; he has bought the orchard! He feels fulfilled to have 

risen to a place where he can purchase the orchard his parents were once slaves in, his 

happiness strongly contrasting the dropped mood of the rest of the guests. 

The play ends on a slightly optimistic note; as we see everyone moving out of the house and 

saying their goodbyes. Lovey is going back to France, along with the delighted Yasha, to 

Dunyasha’s dismay. We learn that Firs is in the hospital, and Varya is still livid over the way 

things turned out, so things end poorly between her and Lopakin. Gaev has caved and 

accepted a job at the bank, Yepihodov is to work for Lopakin, Trofimov is to go back to 

university, and Charlotta doesn’t know where to go. The play closes with all of the 

characters offstage having said goodbye and left, and Firs waddling onto the stage in slippers 

and her uniform, having been forgotten by the rest of them. To the sound of the orchard 

being chopped down, she lies down to rest. 

13

Character Outline 

Lovey 

Anya (tutored Lovey’s son Varya (was the son of Gaev 

(daughter) Before his death) (adopted daughter) serfs on estate) (Lovey’s brother) 

Trofimov 

Lopakin 

The Estate Servants: 

Yasha – A young servant 

Dunyasha – A maid 

Yepihodov – A bookkeeper 

Firs – A servant, 87 years old! 

Other Various Characters 

Boris Semyonov-Pischik – A neighboring landowner 

Charlotta – Anya’s governess 

A Passerby, the Stationmaster, the Postman, Guests 

The LOVE Connection 

Lovey s her lover, 

Her lover s Lovey’s money 

Anya s Trofimov, 

Trofimov is “BEYOND LOVE” 

Varya s Lopakin 

Lopakin s Varya, but will not propose 

Yepihodov s Dunyasha 

Dunyasha s Yasha 

Yasha s himself 

14

Lost (and Found) In Translation by Curt Columbus 

Artistic Director Curt Columbus’ new translation of Cherry Orchard 

opens Trinity Rep’s 43rd season. 

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov once remarked that wise men love to learn, 

while fools love to teach. Perhaps that is why it is so daunting to write 

anything about Chekhov the dramatist, because one runs the risk of… 

well, “teaching.” The risk of implying that there is a single interpretive 

gesture with which one can capture the sweep of Chekhov’s plays. The 

risk of suggesting an orthodox approach to acting Chekhov. Nothing 

could be farther from the truth, yet I have found that Chekhov’s plays 

require some kind of introduction for most non-Russian audiences. 

After twenty years of talking to American interpreters of the plays, both professional and 

amateur, I have found that Chekhov is a playwright who reveals himself through repeated 

intimate contact, subtly and incrementally to his texts. So, where wise men fear to tread… 

The Chekhovian play text is a score, which gives us information about the characters and 

plot, but does not provide us with the instrument to play it. Here Chekhov’s genius as a 

playwright is fully understood. The Chekhovian actor must learn to reveal herself utterly in 

the given role. Chekhov provides a well described character, in well observed situations, but 

it is the actor who must finally fill in the rest. It’s the opposite of what one understands to be 

the actor’s job when one is young, when “acting” seems to be putting on the character like a 

costume, applying the mask that becomes someone outside of one’s self. This may be why 

Chekhov is such a contemporary writer, as this is an utterly 20th century conception of acting 

– that of the actor uncovering or revealing his true self in the role. At least, it is possible for 

an actor to find this kind of open-ended interpretation in Chekhov. 

What usually stands in their way is the translation. Many translations that are still performed 

broadly were written at the beginning of the twentieth century, filled with outdated 

colloquialisms and brittle prose. A British sensibility prevails in these early texts, further 

distancing the American actor from the character they are playing. Worst of all, the plays are 

treated as literary texts, intended to be read, never to be performed by an actor for an 

audience. Chekhov’s prose ends up sounding stilted, precious, forced, and humorless. To 

anyone who has read him in the Russian, this is the farthest from the description of the 

simple country doctor’s good prose as anyone could imagine. In Russian, Chekhov is blunt, 

muscular, even coarse. More Nelson Algren or Mark Twain than Oscar Wilde or Edith 

Wharton, Chekhov is simultaneously funny and sad because he is so uncomplicated. I hope 

that my American translations recapture that open-ended simplicity, which is at once 

colloquial and accurate. 

Another hurdle for American audiences was pointed out to me by Austin Pendleton, the 

wonderful actor who played Uncle Vanya in the Steppenwolf production in Chicago. Mr. 

Pendleton had directed and acted in Chekhov’s plays numerous times (this was his fourth go 

at the role of Vanya), and he had observed plenty of American audiences as they watched the 

plays. “One of the biggest problems is the names,” he said. “People tune out when they can’t 

15

keep all of those long Russian names straight.” I had planned to make a very faithful 

translation of the original play, but this observation troubled me. Wouldn’t it be just another 

act of “translation” for an American audience, to provide them clear access to Chekhov’s 

idiom by making the names uniform? In the end, I settled upon very specific forms of 

address for the characters which I maintained throughout the play, in spite of how many 

variants might have appeared in the original text. This is my way of remaining faithful to 

Chekhov, and to my audience as well. 

What is lost in this act of translation are some of the subtleties of Russian names, which 

would be lost on an American audience in any case. I have attempted to preserve the sense of 

the hierarchy of names in certain places, but again, I have used an American equivalent. 

Wherever a slightly more formal address is required, I have rendered it using “Miss” or 

“Mr.” in conjunction with the first name. So, in Cherry Orchard, the main characters are 

“Miss Lovey” or “Mr. Leon,” as opposed to Lyubov Andreevna and Leonid Andreevich, 

their true Russian names. These points are minor, yet it has always been my intention to 

clarify the meaning of this great writer for an American audience, to give him a full and 

appropriate hearing, and never to change or muddy his work. Because audiences simply need 

to hear what Chekhov has to say about happiness, struggle and human connection, now more 

than ever. 

Georgy Tovstonogov, the great, late 20th century Russian director said “Chekhov was ahead 

of his time, and productions of his plays must not look to the past, and perhaps not even to 

the theater of the present; Chekhov is a man of the future, and it is there that he must be 

sought.” He was not suggesting that productions of these rural Russian plays be set in some 

far-flung space colony or reinterpreted as underwater ballet. He was simply pointing out that 

even though the characters may be dressed in structured bodices and long, full skirts, or in 

heavy suits and stiff shirts with vests, the significance of their desires and needs must be 

rediscovered as contemporary with each passing moment in each new production. In this 

way, interpreters can discover what is truly universal, what is truly transcendent about 

Chekhov. 

Of course, that’s just one fool’s opinion. 

Curt Columbus is Artistic Director of Trinity Repertory Company. His translations of 

adaptations include Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. He recently received the Joseph 

Jefferson Citation for New Adaptation for Three Sisters. His translation, Chekhov, The Four 

Major Plays, is published by Ivan R. Dee. 

16

Activity: LOOKING AT THE TRANSLATIONS 

On the following page you will find three different scenes from Cherry Orchard. Each scene 

is broken down into four different translations. 

1. Pick a scene or scenes, and break the students into four groups, assigning them each 

one of the four stanzas. 

2. Have students read their translation as group and answer the following questions: 

• Does the language feel elevated to you? Accessible? Modern? 

• What is your initial opinion of characters you’re reading for? 

• What does his language or choice of words tell you about the character? 

3. Ask each group to give a dramatic reading of their stanza. Each person must have at 

least one line of the stanza. 

• Did the groups perform a similar or a different characterization of Cherry 

Orchard each time? 

• What were some of the similarities of their characterizations? Some of the 

differences? 

4. Hand out a copy of all four translations to each of the students. 

5. Have them read each translation to themselves. Give them a few minutes to study 

and compare each text. 

• Does one translation seem to be more fluid or poetic than the others? 

• Does one translation create a better mental image in your head? 

• Does one translation seem more easily accessible to a student? 

• Which translation do you prefer and why? 

Reflection 

Were you surprised at how different each translation was? Which translation did you 

particularly like and why? What are some things a poet and author must keep in mind when 

translating a piece of work? 

17

Gaev: Yes … this … this thing (he 

touches the bookcase) Dear, respected 

bookcase! We celebrate your existence, 

that has now for over a hundred years been 

dedicated to the ideals of good deeds and 

social justice. Your silent call to fruitful 

endeavor has not faltered in the course of 

that century, encouraging (through tears) 

generations of this family to find courage 

and to believe in a better future, and 

teaching us all the ideals of good deeds 

and social consciousness. 

Pause. 

Lopakin: Yes … 

Lovey: That is just so like you, Leon. 

Gaev (A bit confused): Ball in the right 

pocket! Straight shot down the center! 1 

Four Translations 

Gaev: Yes … It is a thing … (feeling the 

bookcase). Dear, honoured, bookcase! 

Hail to thee who for more than a hundred 

years has served the pure ideals of good 

and justice; their silent call to fruitful 

labour has never flagged in those hundred 

years, maintaining (in tears) in the 

generations of man, courage and faith in a 

brighter future and fostering in us ideals of 

good and social consciousness (a pause). 

Lopahin: Yes … 

Lyubov: You are just the same as ever, 

Leonid. 

Gaev (a little embarrassed): Cannon off 

the right into the pocket! 3 

Gayev: Yes, yes it is. (he caresses the 

bookcase) Dear old bookcase! Wonderful 

old bookcase! I rejoice in your existence. 

For a hundred years now you have borne 

the shining ideals of goodness and justice, 

a hundred years have not dimmed your 

silent summons to useful labor. To 

generations of our family (almost in tears) 

you have offered courage, a belief in a 

better future, you have instructed us in 

ideals of goodness and social awareness 

… 

Pause 

Lopakhin: Right. Well … 

Liubov Andreyevna: Oh, Lonya, you’re 

still the same as ever! 

Gayev (somewhat embarrassed) Yellow 

ball in the side pocket! Bank shot off the 

center! 2 

Gayev: Yes … that is something … 

(feeling the bookcase). Dear, honored 

bookcase, I salute thy existence, which for 

over one hundred years has served the 

glorious ideals of goodness and justice; 

thy silent appeal to truthful endeavor, 

unflagging in the course of a hundred 

years, (tearfully) sustaining through 

generations of our family, courage, and 

faith in a better future, and fostering in us 

ideals of goodness and social 

consciousness … 

(A pause) 

Lopakhin: Yes … 

Lyubov Andreyevna: You are the same 

as ever, Lyonya. 

Gayev (somewhat embarrassed): Carom 

into the corner, cut shot to center table. 4 

1 Columbus, Curt, trans. Cherry Orchard. By Anton 

Chekhov. Ivan R. Dee: 2002. 

2 Schmidt, Paul, trans. Cherry Orchard. By Anton 

Chekhov. HaperPerennial: a Division of HarperCollins 

Publishers: New York, 1999. 

3 Garnett, Constance, trans. Cherry Orchard. By 

Anton Chekhov, Bantam Books: New York, 1958 

4 Dunnigan, Ann, trans. Cherry Orchard. By 

Anton Chekhov, New American Library: New 

York, 1964 

18

Lopakin: I tell you every day. Every day, 

I tell you the same thing. Both the cherry 

orchard and your other land must be rented 

out for summer cottages, you need to do it 

now, today – the auction is very soon! Do 

you understand? Just decide once and for 

all, that you will build the summer 

cottages, and you’ll get as much money as 

you want, and you’ll be saved. 

Lovey: Summer cottages, summer people 

– it’s all so vulgar, forgive me. 

Gaev: I am in complete agreement with 

you. 

Lopakin: I’m either going to scream, or 

yell, or have a fit. I can’t take it! You’re 

killing me! (to Gaev) You old woman! 5 

Lopahin: I do tell you every day. Every 

day I say the same thing. You absolutely 

must sell the cherry orchard and the land 

on building leases; and do it at once, as 

quick as may be – the auction’s close upon 

us! Do understand! Once make up your 

mind to build villas, and you can raise as 

much money as you like, and then you are 

saved. 

Lyubov: Villas and summer visitors – 

forgive me saying so – it’s so vulgar. 

Gaev: There I perfectly agree with you. 

Lopahin: I shall sob, or scream, or fall 

into a fit. I can’t stand it! You drive me 

mad! (to Gaev) You’re an old woman! 7 

Lopakhin: I tell you every day what you 

should do! Every day I come out here and 

say the same thing. The cherry orchard 

and the rest of the land has to be 

subdivided and developed for leisure 

homes, and it has to be done right away. 

The auction date is getting closer! Can’t 

you understand? All you have to do is 

make up your mind to subdivide, you’ll 

have more money than every you can 

spend! Your troubles will be over! 

Liubov Andreyevna: Subdivide, leisure 

homes … excuse me, but It’s all so 

helplessly vulgar. 

Gayev: I couldn’t agree more. 

Lopakhin: You people drive me crazy! 

Another minute, I’ll be shouting my head 

off! Oh I give up, I give up! Why do I 

even bother? (to Gayev) You’re worse 

than an old lady! 6 

Lopakhin: I tell you every day. Every 

day I say the same thing. Both the cherry 

orchard and the land must be leased for 

summer cottages, and it must be done 

now, as quickly as possible – the auction is 

close at hand. Try to understand! Once 

you definitely decide on the cottages, you 

can raise as much money as you like, and 

then you are saved. 

Lyubov Andreyevna: Cottages, summer 

people – forgive me, but it’s so vulgar. 

Gayev: I agree with you, absolutely. 

Lopakhin: I’ll either burst into tears, start 

shouting, or fall into a faint! I can’t stand 

it! You’ve worn me out! (to Gayev): 

You’re an old woman! 8 










York, 1964 

19

Yepihodov: You may not, if I express 

myself, call me to account. 

Varya: I am not calling you to account, 

I’m speaking to you. But you know very 

well that you wander from here to there, 

and you do absolutely nothing. We keep a 

bookkeeper, but it’s beyond me why. 

Yepihodov (offended): Whether I work, 

whether I wander, whether I eat, whether I 

play billiards, that is for others much wiser 

and older to decide. 

Postman (offstage): They’re on their 

way. 

Varya: How dare you talk to me like that! 

(flying into a rage) How dare you? So I’m 

not wise, am I? Get the hell out of here! 

This instant! 9 

Epihodov: You really cannot, if I may so 

express myself, call me to account like 

this. 

Varya: I’m not calling you to account, 

I’m speaking to you. You do nothing but 

wander from place to place and don’t do 

your work. We keep you as a countinghouse 

clerk, but what use you are I can’t 

say. 

Epihodov (offended): Whether I work or 

whether I walk, whether I eat or whether I 

play billiards, is a matter to be judged by 

persons of understanding and my elders. 

Varya: You dare to tell me that! (Firing 

up) You dare! You mean to say I’ve no 

understanding. Begone from here! This 

minute! 11 

Yepikhodov: Excuse my expressivity, but 

you have no right to penalize me. 

Varya: I’m not penalizing you, I’m 

telling you! All you do here is wander 

around and bump into furniture. You’re 

supposed to be working for us, and you 

don’t do a thing. I don’t know why we 

hired you in the first place. 

Yepikhodov (offended): Whether I work 

or not or wander around or not or play 

billiards or not is none of your business! 

You do not have the know-it-all to make 

my estimation! 

Varya: How dare you talk to me like that! 

(In a rage) How dare you! What do you 

mean, I don’t have the know-it-all? You 

get yourself out of here this minute! Right 

this minute! 10 

Yepikhodov: You cannot, if I may so 

express myself, penalize me. 

Varya: I am not penalizing you, I’m 

telling you. You do nothing but wander 

from one place to another, and you don’t 

do your work. We keep a clerk, but for 

what, I don’t know. 

Yepikhodov (offended): Whether I work, 

or wander about, or eat, or play billiards, 

these are matters to be discussed only by 

persons of discernment, and my elders. 

Varya: You dare say that to me! (Flaring 

up) You dare? You mean to say I have no 

discernment? Get out of here! This 

instant! 12 










York, 1964 

20

SAY WHAT?… 

Anton Chekhov had a lot to say. Here are some quotes taken from his letters, short stories, and plays. 

On love … 

Perhaps the feelings that we experience when we are in love represent a normal state. Being 

in love shows a person who he should be. 

Love is a scandal of the personal sort. (from The Piano Player) 

Nothing better forges a bond of love, friendship or respect than common hatred toward 

something. 

There is something beautiful, touching and poetic when one person loves more than the 

other, and the other is indifferent. (From Nadya In After the Theater) 

I promise to be an excellent husband, but give me a wife who, like the moon, will not appear 

every day in my sky. 

On Russia … 

The government is not God. It does not have the right to take away that which it can't return 

even if it wants to. (From The Bet) 

I've thought about how, were we to suddenly receive the freedom about which we talk so 

much when we spar with one another, we would not know what to do with it at first. We 

would expend it on denouncing one another in the newspapers for spying, for love of the 

ruble, we would frighten society with protestations that we have no people, no science, no 

literature, nothing at all! 

In general, Russia suffers from a frightening poverty in the sphere of facts and a frightening 

wealth of all types of arguments. 

On writing … 

The person who wants nothing, hopes for nothing, and fears nothing can never be an artist. 

Everyone judges plays as if they were very easy to write. They don't know that it is hard to 

write a good play, and twice as hard and tortuous to write a bad one. 

It is a poor thing for the writer to take on that which he doesn't understand. 

On wealth … 

Nothing lulls and inebriates like money; when you have a lot, the world seems a better place 

than it actually is. 

Money, like vodka, turns a person into an eccentric. (From Gooseberries) 

On life … 

The world is a fine place. The only thing wrong with it is us. 

21

When a person is born, he can embark on only one of three roads of life: if you go right, the 

wolves will eat you; if you go left, you'll eat the wolves; if you go straight, you'll eat 

yourself. (From Petrin the Fatherless) 

We learn about life not from plusses alone, but from minuses as well. 

You ask "What is life?" That is the same as asking "What is a carrot?" A carrot is a carrot 

and we know nothing more. 

On death … 

They say that in the end truth will triumph, but it's a lie. 

The world perishes not from bandits and fires, but from hatred, hostility, and all these petty 

squabbles. (From Uncle Vanya) 

After us they'll fly in hot air balloons, coat styles will change, perhaps they'll discover a sixth 

sense and cultivate it, but life will remain the same, a hard life full of secrets, but happy. And 

a thousand years from now man will still be sighing, "Oh! Life is so hard!" and will still, like 

now, be afraid of death and not want to die. (From Three Sisters) 

Interview with the Director: 

Curt Columbus 

Curt Columbus joined Trinity Rep as Artistic Director in January 2006. He was the associate 

artistic director of Steppenwolf Theater Company from 2000-2005, where his translations of 

Cherry Orchard and Uncle Vanya were presented 

in the Upstairs Theater. Other Steppenwolf credits 

include translating Maria Arndt and directing The 

House of Lily, Division Street: America and Our 

Town. He was also the artistic director of Chicago 

Park District’s Theater on the Lake and an artistic 

associate at Victory Gardens Theater from 1990- 

2006. His adaptation of Dostoevsky’s Crime and 

Punishment (with Marilyn Campbell), which was 

presented by the Gamm Theater and Writers’ 

Theater in Glencoe, Illinois, was awarded a Joseph 

Jefferson Award for best new adaptation and is 

published by Dramatists’ Play Service. Curt’s new 

translations of Anton Chekhov’s plays have been 

published by Ivan R. Dee, including a volume of 

translations called Chekhov: The Four Major 

Plays. From that collection, Seagull premiered at 

Writers’ Theater in September 2004, and Three 

Sisters premiered at Strawdog Theater in October 

2005. Curt was honored with a 2005-2006 Joseph 

Jefferson Citation for New Adaptation for his 

22

translation of Three Sisters. Curt has also been director of University Theater at the 

University of Chicago, where he lectured in the Humanities. 

The following interview questions for Mr. Columbus were compiled by Tyler Dobrowsky, Artistic 

Associate, Caroline Azano, Education Assistant, and Jessica Corn, Literary Assistant. 

Stanislavsky directed this play as a tragedy, and many other directors have followed suit. 

In what ways is your interpretation - both as a translator, and also a director - different (or 

similar)? 

A great American genius named Mel Brooks once said that "Comedy is tragedy speeded up." 

The problem that I have with a traditional "Stanislavskian" interpretation is that it's slow, 

ponderous, and lingering. I like fast-paced things, and as an American, I'm used to boisterous 

art and culture. Maybe that's why I like to think of my Chekhovian interpretations as 

American. But the events of the play are the same, just speeded up; it's up to the audience to 

decide whether it's a comedy or a tragedy. 

When did you first become interested in the Russian language? What is it about Chekhov 

that inspires/moves you? What was your first experience with Anton, that handsome devil? 

Do you have a favorite particular play or story? 

I started taking Russian at college totally by accident; I was bored with French which I had 

already studied, and Chinese looked too hard, so I picked Russian. I was a very nonchalant 

student, sort of goofing off in my classes, spending all of my time in the theater instead of 

studying. One of my teachers said "You like theater; I want you to read Chekhov." I'd only 

ever read Chekhov in bad English translations, so I said “no thanks.” He persisted, and I read 

Seagull in the original Russian. It changed the way I thought about the Russian language in 

general and Chekhov specifically. I love Chekhov because the people in his stories and plays 

are so human, so flawed, so funny, so obsessed with unimportant things like sex and money. 

All of that is true in Cherry Orchard, which is by far my favorite Chekhov work ever. 

Do you listen to any particular music when you're working on a play? 

Yes, all of my inspirations are musical, every time I work on a play. Not music that will ever 

work its way into the play, but music that makes me think in a particular rhythm. I've been 

listening to the most amazing young singer named Regina Spektor, who is a Russian-born 

American girl, about twenty-two years old. She’s totally raw and funny and sexy. She's my 

inspiration these days. 

Tell me about your casting choices for Firs and Lopakin. 

I cast the play with the actors in my company. The two best actors for the roles of Lopakin 

and Firs were Joe and Barbara. It was certainly intentional that both actors are black, and that 

both characters call into question the themes of class and servitude in the play. But in the 

end, they are amazing actors. 

23

With the characters of Lovey and Gaev juxtaposed with Lopakin, it seems that the masters 

of the house are idle and resistant to change. Whereas if one looks to the history of Russia 

at this time, the aristocracy were bred that way. Money was simply paper they gave away to 

possess everything they were told they should have, they were never meant to actually 

work. So how does a director in this day and age, where idleness is viewed as socially 

wrong lead the audience to have compassion for Lovey and Gaev? 

Idleness is viewed as socially wrong? I think it's socially encouraged -- television, video 

games, internet porn, etc. I think these people are us, sadly; the brilliance of Chekhov is that 

he writes about the human condition. The sad thing is that humans don't really ever change. 

Curt Columbus talking with students about the upcoming season 

And for maybe a simpler question, who do 

you most admire out of these cast of 

characters? 

I admire and love them all. Seriously. 

Why is this play important for students? 

What can students born in the 1990's take 

away from a play written over 100 years 

ago, in another country, and in a totally 

different time period? 

Nothing about this play is rooted in 19 th 

century Russia. Really, Chekhov writes 

about the human condition. Money, real estate, loss, unhappy love affairs. And what do we 

do when faced with the worst case scenario? We go on, as hard as that is to believe. 

Since your arrival last winter, you have spoken quite a bit about the importance of theater 

in education - what is the role of theater and performance in the classroom, and in a 

child's development? Is there anything you would like to say directly to the teachers or 

students, either about future programming with Trinity, or about what you've called "the 

public square"? 

Well, that’s a big question! Certainly one of the things that drew me to Trinity Rep was its 

strong heritage of arts education. Sure I want young people to find out how much fun they 

can have in the theater, but I also believe that performance plays a powerful role in learning. 

That’s why we’re working to increase the work we do in the classrooms. Last year, a special 

grant from the National Endowment for the Arts made it possible for our company actors and 

staff to visit the schools and lead workshops before and after students saw Hamlet. It was 

such a success that we’re committed to building a similar program ourselves around a 

“centerpiece” play each season. This year, it’s Our Town. We want to add depth to the 

students’ understanding of the play, and to encourage them to share their own responses to it. 

It’s going to be a big part of the winter, around here. 

24

Unit Two: The Role of the Actor and the Playwright 

This unit is designed for the actors, directors, and playwrights in your classroom. 

Encourage students to try out the different roles with each activity. 

Community Building 

We are absolutely convinced that community building must be the first order of business in 

entering into any type of group project, no matter what subject matter you are teaching. At 

first, and on the surface, it may seem a frivolous use of time. Students may resist at first. 

However, be assured that community building is absolutely imperative to the success of and 

dedication to the project. As a result of their involvement in activities connected to community 

building, your students will develop relationships with each other and with you in a much more 

human way. 

- Deanna Camputaro and Len Newman 

PAIR INTERVIEWS: Tying Themes to One’s Own Experience 

Divide students into pairs. Find interesting ways to pair students (i.e. distribute slips of paper with 

complementary words and ask students to mill around the room looking for the complementary word 

of another student – for example, king and queen, mother and child, etc.) Their task is to interview 

one another and introduce their partners to the class. Write the following questions on the board for 

the students to ask each other: 

Have you ever lost something in your life that you thought you would have forever because of 

something you did or did not do? (for example, your allowance, a friend, a good 

grade, etc.) 

How did you feel when it was taken away from you? 

Did you do anything about it? 

After the interview, ask students to introduce their partners to the whole class using the questions as 

descriptions. 

FAINT BY NUMBERS: Building Trust 

From Acting, Learning and Change by Jan Mandell and Jennifer Wolf 

Have the class count off until everyone has his or her own number. Ask each participant to 

mill around the room, relatively close to the center. Encourage students to keep eye contact 

with one another. As you call out one of the numbers, the person with that number faints 

slowly by collapsing their body. Everyone in the group must catch him/her before he/she 

falls. Encourage respect, concentration and support of one another. Then ask the group to 

walk again. Continue to call off numbers one at a time. Increase to two numbers once 

students are proficient. 

WALK LIKE: Building Physicalization for Character Work 

Note: Model this exercise first! 

This exercise is similar to how some actors develop the physicalization of their characters. 

Brainstorm with the students how differently each person holds their body as they walk. Which part 

of themselves do they lead with as they walk? What do they do with their arms? Do they make eye 

contact? Then, call out the following characters and your students’ own brainstorms, and ask students 

to “walk like” this character around the room. Encourage a sense of play and imagination. 

25

Walk like someone who just woke up from an amazing dream. 

Walk like you just woke up from a nightmare. 

Walk like a person who just fell in love. 

Walk like a rock star. 

Walk like a person whose love has just been rejected. 

Walk like a person with enormous pride in themselves. 

Walk like a ruler of the city. 

Walk like someone who feels enormous guilt. 

Walk like a bully who wants to pick a fight. 

Walk like a queen. 

Walk like a country bumpkin. 

MY CHAIR: Introducing Improvisation 

One person sits on a chair in the middle of the classroom. This is the “chair person” who announces 

that this is his or her chair, and he/she is not going to move. The teacher, teaching artist or 

classroom facilitator might want to assume the role of the “chair person” with students who are 

unfamiliar with performance work. Ask for student volunteers to assume a character who needs the 

chair. Some examples might include: 

• An old man with a prosthetic leg 

• A woman in labor 

When choosing a character, make sure that students consider what kind of character might need the 

chair. Encourage them to find urgent reasons and convincing arguments why the “chair person” 

should give up the seat. Have each character come up individually and try to convince the person to 

give them him/her the chair. The person on the chair should never give up the seat, but counter each 

argument. Characters exit the scene when they feel that they have exhausted their argument, or when 

the “chair person” says “Go Away.” 

Post-activity Reflection: What are some of the important facts that an actor must know about a 

character in order to play him/her? What was difficult about this exercise? What was easy? When 

did students find it easiest to converse with the chair person? 

CHORUS-Building Listening Skills 

Chorus is a listening game in which teams of students have to function as one character. You will 

act as the facilitator of the game, which is something like a game show host. Begin by dividing the 

class into two teams. Have them sit in two lines facing each other. One team is A and the other is B. 

Tell each team to huddle up and choose (as a group) a one-word topic. It can be any (appropriate) 

word. Once they have chosen the word, team A should come and whisper the word to you. You then 

instruct Team B that they will have to talk about this word until you tell them to stop. 

You will choose the individual speaker by pointing at him or her. The things that they say do not have 

to be factual! They can make up anything that they wish as long as they keep on talking. This 

person must continue to speak about the topic until you point at someone else. The next person has to 

pick up exactly where the last person left off. 

For example: 

The topic is “lemon.” 

26

You point at speaker one… Speaker One: Lemons are yellow and grow on… 

You point to a different speaker…Speaker Two: trees in warm places. They are… 

You point to another speaker….Speaker Three: sour and good in tea and as lemon ices…… 

It probably won’t go that smoothly, but continue to point at different people until someone either fails 

to pick up where the last sentence left off, runs back over what the last person said (for instance, 

Speaker Four starts off with “lemon ices”) or simply can’t think of anything to say. At that point, 

Team B has lost and must get up as a group and act out a quick, ridiculous activity. Team A gets to 

create the scene. Some student-generated examples: 

‣ drowning in a vat of chocolate pudding 

‣ a flock of chickens being chased by a fox 

‣ being washed down a drain 

Once Team B has performed to thunderous applause, Team B gives you the word that they 

chose, and the entire process is repeated for Team A. 

Post-activity reflection: Was it more difficult to listen and pick up where the other person left off, or 

to come up with things to say? How did the teams function? Was this an easy exercise? If so, why? 

Was it difficult? What made it hard? 

PASSING NOTES: Reflection 

End your class five minutes early. Ask students to write you a personal note about how they thought 

the class went for them. Each day give students a new prompt such as: 

What was successful about today’s class? Why was it successful? 

What could you/your group do to improve your work? 

What questions do you have about the work we’re doing in class? 

Inspiration/Entering the Text 

SCENARIO 

This exercise serves to introduce the students to dramatic storytelling by creating one-page dialogues 

based on themes from Cherry Orchard. Divide the class into smaller groups and ask them to create a 

short, two-minute improvisation based on one of the scenarios provided below. Ask students to write 

a short, one-page dialogue between the characters, and, if time allows, ask the students to share their 

work in an informal performance. 

1. Character A is meeting Character B for the first time in years, and seeing B reminds A of the 

son that A lost years ago 

2. Character A is in love with Character B, but Character B loves someone else 

3. Character A just bought the house of Character B, leaving Character B homeless 

4. Character A is trying to convince Character B to stay away from someone who has stolen 

from them 

5. Character A and Character B are close relatives and are seeing each other for the first time in 

five years 

27

SCULPTURE GARDEN 

From The Arts/Literacy Project, Brown University 

Divide the class into three groups. Assign each group a line from below. Instruct the students to 

create a sculpture using each other, with a minute of preparation. They can create the sculpture one at 

a time by building on each other’s moves or just quickly creating a frozen pose working together as a 

group. Encourage contact and physical connections. Coach your students with the following tips: 

Support your own weight 

Maintain a strong body position 

Maintain focus and commitment 

Make eye contact if needed and heighten connections within the group 

Call each group up one by one to present their group sculpture. 

Note: You can also have students working independently to create their own unique sculptures. 

LOVEY: 

1. The playroom, my sweet, beautiful room...I used to sleep here when I was little. 

2. I won't survive being this happy. 

3. Happiness awoke next to me every morning… 

4. Oh, my sins... 

5. When your life is so gray, you say all kinds of stupid things. 

LOPAKIN: 

1. A silk purse out of a sow's ear… 

2. Let him talk. 

3. There's no time to talk… 

4. I beg you to listen, there's no other way out. None. 

5. Wait till springtime… 

GAEV: 

1. Like that we'll attack on three fronts--and we'll have it all wrapped up. 

2. There's a reason why all the country folk love me… 

3. Remember them, four violins, a flute and a double bass. 

4. About human pride… 

5. Already, not much left… 

ANYA: 

1. I'm so tired...all the little bells… 

2. I got to ride in a balloon. 

3. I used to love it so much I thought there wasn't a better place on earth than right here 

in our orchard. 

4. Mama, come home soon. 

5. Goodbye, old life! 

VARYA: 

1. I think about it, but nothing ever happens. 

2. Your pretty pin looks like a bumble bee. 

3. If only the lord would help us! 

4. I just need to work every minute of every day… 

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5. If only trouble would get lost. 

TROFIMOV: 

1. I was told to wait till morning, but I couldn't wait... 

2. It turns out I'm an eternal student. 

3. What is there to be proud of? 

4. Who knows even about that? 

5. I'm afraid of these serious faces and serious conversations. We'd be better off staying 

silent. 

Post-Scene Discussion: How did members of the class interpret the words differently? 

What was the difference between being the sculptor and the clay? Which did you like best? 

How did you work together? 

MILLING AND SEETHING 

Revised from Shakespeare and Company and Teaching Artist Mauro Hantman 

This exercise expands on the Community Building exercise “Walk Like,” helping the 

students to begin to physicalize the themes and situations of the characters in Cherry 

Orchard. Ask students to look over the Story Synopsis and Character Tree in the Resource 

Unit on pages 13-14 to introduce them to the story. 

Clear a space in the room and ask students to walk around the room. Ask them to walk from 

the center of the room to one corner of the room, then to go back to the center and pick 

another corner of the room. Ask students to mill around the room in this way, keeping the 

room balanced, not clumping up in the center or in one corner. Then call out the following 

characters and situations from Cherry Orchard and ask them to walk like a person with these 

circumstances. 

Walk like a very wealthy woman. 

Walk like you have just been rejected by the one you love. 

Walk like you are a very old servant man. 

Walk like you are a beggar. 

Walk like you know that there’s someone who loves you but you don’t care. 

Walk like you are frustrated because no one will listen to you. 

Walk like you are angry at everyone and everything 

Walk like you are remembering the death of two of your family members. 

Walk like you are considering moving far far away. 

Walk like you are about to destroy your lover’s love letters. 

Walk like you have just lost the home you grew up in. 

Post-Activity Discussion: What choices and situations might the people in these situations 

face? How did you use your body to communicate the situation? What parts of your body 

did you emphasize? 

29

Comprehending the Text 

101 WAYS TO READ A MONOLOGUE: An Activity 

A monologue is a long speech or soliloquy made by one person. Sometimes it can be tough 

for a young actor to take on a piece of text and perform it on their own, so this activity is a 

way to get your students to forget their inhibitions and have fun with it. 

1. Pick one or more of the monologues below, and hand them out to your students. You 

can assign or let them choose which monologue they want to do, and give them a few 

minutes to read it over a few times and familiarize themselves with it. 

2. In partners, let them read it out loud to one another a few times in whichever way 

they want to. 

3. Pick a few brave souls to come up and read/perform their own interpretation of the 

monologue for the rest of the group. 

4. After this, by your own, and using your students’ suggestions, throw out different 

ways to read the monologue. Feel free to be as wacky as you want -- this is supposed 

to be fun. You can filter the suggestions, and pick one that you think would work and 

let them do it that way. Let each volunteer perform the monologue, or part of the 

monologue, three different ways before moving on. Some examples of different ways 

to read it include (but are definitely not limited to): an aerobics instructor, a drunk, 

someone who desperately has to go to the bathroom, a big fat Persian cat, singing it, 

whispering it, telling it like it’s a scary story, like an opera singer, like they are in a 

musical, like a Star Wars character…you can even use celebrity names and have them 

imitate them using the monologue. 

5. After every willing student has performed, take some time to talk about what they got 

from it. Did it help them understand the monologue better? If so, how? Did they 

find that any of the interpretations, as silly as they may have been, actually worked 

and made some sense? Which ones, and why? Can they understand the comedy of 

Chekhov more clearly now? How does this help them as actors? 

30

FEMALE MONOLOGUES 

Anya: We made it to Paris, it was cold there, too, snowing. My French is terrible. Mama 

was living on the sixth floor, we went up, there are all of these French people there, men, 

women, an old priest with some book, it’s smoky, it’s crowded. Suddenly I felt so bad for 

Mama, so bad, I held her so tight, I squeezed her hands, I couldn’t let go. Mama just melted, 

she started to cry… Her house near Menton, she’d already sold it by then, she had nothing 

left, nothing. I didn’t have a single kopeck either, we barely made it back. And Mama 

doesn’t get it! We’re sitting in the station, having dinner, and she orders the most expensive 

things, then tips the waiters a whole ruble. Charlotta, too. Yasha demands his own meal, it’s 

just awful. You know she has her servant, that Yasha, we brought him back with us. 

Charlotta (thoughtfully): I don’t have an actual passport, I don’t know how old I am, 

although it seems to me that I’m quite young. When I was a tiny girl, my father and mother 

traveled around to the county fairs and put on shows. They were quite good. I performed the 

salto mortale and other tricks. And when papa and mama died, a German lady took me in 

and educated me. Which was good. I grew up, and then I became a governess. But where 

I’m from, who I am – I don’t know… Who were my parents, maybe they weren’t even 

married… I don’t know. (takes a pickle from her pocket and eats it) I don’t know anything. 

(pause) I want someone to talk to, but there’s no one… I don’t have anyone. 

Lovey (looks in her purse): I had so much money yesterday, and now there’s so little. My 

poor Varya economizes and feeds everybody milk soup, they only give the old servants dried 

peas, and I waste it all so stupidly… (drops her purse, gold pieces fall out) Well, that’s gone 

everywhere… (she becomes frustrated) … Thank you so much, Yasha. Why did I go to 

town for breakfast… That horrible restaurant of yours, the tablecloths smelled like soap… 

Why did we drink so much, Leo? Why did we eat so much? Why did we talk so much? 

You kept talking so much today about nothing. About the seventies, about decadent art 

forms. Who was listening? Talking to the waiters about decadent art! 

Lovey: Then say something else, you have to say something else… (adjusts her dress, a 

telegram falls out) My heart is heavy today, you can’t imagine. I’m so upset in here, every 

sound makes me jump, I’m shaking all over. But I can’t go to my room, to be by myself, in 

silence is just as frightening. Don’t judge me. Peter… I love you, like my own child. I 

would gladly give Anya to you, I swear, my dear, but you have to study, you have to finish 

university. You don’t do anything, you just go from place to place, it’s very strange… 

Right? Yes? And we have to do something about your beard, it’s grown all funny… 

(laughs) You are funny looking! 

31

MALE MONOLOGUES 

Gaev: Yes… This… this thing… (he touches the bookcase) Dear, respected bookcase! 

We celebrate your existence, that has now for over a hundred years been dedicated to the 

ideals of good deeds and social justice. Your silent call to fruitful endeavor has not faltered 

in the course of that century, encouraging (through tears) generations of this family to find 

courage and to believe in a better future, and teaching us all the ideals of good deeds and 

social consciousness. 

Gaev: Yes… (pause) If you’re fighting some kind of terrible disease, and they offer you all 

different kinds of treatments, you know that only means it’s incurable. I keep thinking, 

wracking my brains, and I come up with all kinds of solutions, all kinds of treatments, but 

that only means there isn’t a single one. It would all be fine if we could just get our Anya 

engaged to a very rich man, or if we could go to Yaroslavl and try our luck with that aunt, the 

countess. That aunt is very, very rich. … Don’t whine. That aunt is very rich, but she 

doesn’t have any great love for us. First, my sister goes and marries an attorney, not a 

member of her own class… (Anya appears at the door) Marries beneath her station, and 

proceeds to carry on, hard to say how, well, in a not very virtuous fashion. She’s good, she’s 

kind, sweet, I truly love her, but there’s no easy way around this, best to just say it: she’s a 

loose woman. You can see it in her every gesture. 

Trofimov: We talked a long time last night, but we couldn’t agree on anything. Humanity’s 

reason to be proud is something slightly mystical, according to all of you. That may be, you 

could be right, in your way. But if we consider it straight on, without pretension, what is 

there to be proud about? What reason is there to feel proud? Man, as a physical specimen, is 

not particularly well constructed. What reason is there, when the vast majority of human 

beings are crude, ignorant, and profoundly unhappy? We should stop thinking so highly of 

ourselves. We should just get down to work. 

Pischik: I have high blood pressure, I’ve already had two strokes. It’s hard for me to dance, 

but you have to run with the pack, as they say, bark and wag your tail. Anyway, I’m as 

strong as a horse. My dear departed father was quite the comedian, he used to say that all the 

Semyonov-Pischiks were descended from the very same horse that Caligula rode into the 

Roman senate… (sits) The trouble is, we have no money! The hungry dog looks only for 

meat… (snores, then wakes up suddenly) That’s me… can only think about money… 

Yasha: Why are you crying? (drinks his champagne) In six days, I’ll be in Paris again. 

Tomorrow we’ll be on the express train and rolling along, if you could see us. I can hardly 

believe it. Vive la France!… This place isn’t for me, I can’t live here… there’s nothing you 

can do about that. I can’t stand all the ignorance, everywhere I look. (drinks his champagne) 

Why are you crying? If you had behaved yourself, you wouldn’t have anything to cry about. 

32

ehave like a proper gentleman, and tends to be a little too long-winded. 

Selected Scenes from Cherry Orchard 

The following scenes are excerpted from Columbus’ translation of Cherry Orchard. Each 

scene represents a development in the plot, and is introduced with setting and plot 

information. It is the actor’s task to carefully read the text and look for clues about the 

characters and their actions. 

ACT ONE SCENES 

TWO MALES, ONE FEMALE 

Dunyasha: 

Lopakin: 

Dunyasha: 

Lopakin: 

The dogs didn’t sleep all night long, they can sense their mistress is coming. 

Come on, that’s ridiculous…. 

My hands are shaking. I’m going to faint. 

You’re so dainty, Dunyasha. All dressed up like a lady. And that hairdo. It’s 

not right. You need to remember your place. 

Yepihodov enters with flowers. He is wearing a jacket and spit polished boots, which squeak 

loudly. As he enters, he drops the flowers. 

Yepihodov: 

Lopakin: 

Dunyasha: 

(picking up the flowers) The gardener sent these over, he recommended that 

you put them on a table. (gives them to Dunyasha) 

And bring me some beer while you’re at it. 

Yes. Sir. (exits) 

Yepihodov: There’s a frost, it’s below the point of freezing outside, and yet the cherry 

trees are all in blossom. I cannot say that I approve of our climate. (sighs) I 

cannot. At the same time, one cannot assist the climate in any way. And, sir, 

allow me to say in addition, that it has been three days since I bought these 

boots and they, let me tell you, squeak with utter abandon. Can you tell me 

what I might lubricate them with? 

Lopakin: 

Yepihodov: 

Shut up. You’re boring. 

Something unfortunate befalls me daily. But I don’t complain, I’m inured to 

it, it even causes me to smile. (Dunyasha enters and gives Lopakin his beer) 

I better go. (he bumps into a chair and knocks it over) See, you’ll pardon the 

33

expression, but that’s the kind of circumstance, by the by… It’s actually quite 

remarkable. (exits) 

Dunyasha: 

Lopakin: 

Dunyasha: 

Lopakin: 

Dunyasha: 

Lopakin: 

Dunyasha: 

Guess what? He proposed to me! 

Ah! 

I don’t know how to… He’s a sweet little man, but then he opens his mouth, 

and you can’t understand a word he says. It sounds normal, he really means 

what he’s saying, it just doesn’t make any sense. I even sort of like him. And 

he’s out of his head in love with me. He’s really unlucky, every day, it’s 

something else. We tease him behind his back, we say “There goes 

Trouble…” 

(listens) Wait, I think I hear them coming. 

They’re coming! What’s wrong with me, all of a sudden I’m cold. 

It’s them, they’re coming. Let’s go meet them. Is she going to recognize me? 

We haven’t seen each other for five years. 

(excited) I’m really going to faint, I’m just going to faint! 

TWO FEMALES 

Dunyasha: 

Anya: 

Dunyasha: 

Anya: 

Dunyasha: 

Anya: 

Dunyasha: 

Anya: 

We almost gave up waiting for you… (takes Anya’s coat and hat) 

I didn’t sleep for the last four nights on the way home… now I’m freezing. 

When you left before Lent, there was snow, and everything was frozen, and 

look at it now. Sweetheart! (laughs and kisses her) I’d almost given up 

waiting for you, my sweetheart, darling… I have so much to tell you, I can’t 

stand it another minute… 

(fading) Always something… 

The bookkeeper, Yepihodov, he proposed to me the day after Easter. 

It’s always the same thing with you. (fixes her hair) All my hairpins fell 

out… (she seems to be near collapse with fatigue) 

I don’t even know what to think. He loves me, so much! 

(looking at her door, softly) My room, my window, it’s like I never left. I’m 

home! Tomorrow morning I’ll get up and run through the orchard… If only I 

could fall asleep! I didn’t sleep the whole way, I was worn out worrying. 

34

Dunyasha: 

Anya: 

Dunyasha: 

And guess who came three days ago – Peter Trofimov. 

(happily) Peter! 

He’s been sleeping out in the shed, living out there. They say he’s afraid, of 

getting in the way. (looks at her pocket watch) I should go wake him up, but 

Varya won’t let me. You, she says. Let him sleep. 

TWO FEMALES 

Enter Varya, with a large key ring on her belt. 

Varya: 

Dunyasha: 

Varya: 

Anya: 

Varya: 

Anya: 

Varya: 

Anya: 

Varya: 

Anya: 

Varya: 

Dunyasha, go make coffee, now… Mama is asking for some. 

Right away. (exits) 

Well, thank God, you all made it. And you’re home. (sweetly) My little baby 

is back. My beautiful girl is back!! 

I went through so much. 

I can only imagine. 

We left the week of Lent, when it was so cold. Charlotta talked the whole 

way, kept doing her magic tricks. Why did you have to shackle her to me? 

You couldn’t go by yourself. You’re only seventeen! 

We made it to Paris, it was cold there, too, snowing. My French is terrible. 

Mama was living on the sixth floor, we went up, there are all of these French 

people there, men, women, an old priest with some book, it’s smoky, it’s 

crowded. Suddenly I felt so bad for Mama, so bad, I held her so tight, I 

squeezed her hands, I couldn’t let go. Mama just melted, she started to cry… 

(through tears) Don’t tell me, please don’t tell me… 

Her house near Menton, she’d already sold it by then, she had nothing left, 

nothing. I didn’t have a single kopeck either, we barely made it back. And 

Mama doesn’t get it! We’re sitting in the station, having dinner, and she 

orders the most expensive things, then tips the waiters a whole ruble. 

Charlotta, too. Yasha demands his own meal, it’s just awful. You know she 

has her servant, that Yasha, we brought him back with us. 

I saw him, that hooligan. 

35

Anya: 

Varya: 

Anya: 

Varya: 

Anya: 

Lopakin: 

Varya: 

Anya: 

Varya: 

So? Have they paid the interest? 

With what? 

Oh my god. 

In August they’re going to auction off the estate. 

My god. 

(sticks his head in the door and bleats) Baaaa-a! (exits) 

(through tears) I am going to beat that one… (shakes her fist at him) 

(hugs her, softly) Varya, did he propose? (Varya shakes her head no) It’s 

obvious he’s in love with you… Why haven’t the two of you talked, what are 

you both waiting for? 

I think about it, but nothing ever happens. He’s so busy, we just never… he 

doesn’t pay attention to me anyway. God help me, it’s even hard for me to 

look at him… Everyone keeps talking about our wedding, they keep 

congratulating me, when in fact there’s nothing to it, it’s like a nightmare… 

(in a different tone) Your pretty pin looks like a little bee. 

Anya (sadly): Mama bought it. (goes toward her room, suddenly excited) But in Paris, I got 

to ride in a balloon! 

Varya: 

My little baby’s back! My beautiful girl is back! (Dunyasha returns and 

begins to prepare the coffee) I work all day long, baby, and all I do is dream. 

I want to find you a rich husband, then I can rest easy, wander off by myself 

into the wilderness, go to Kiev, to Moscow, make pilgrimages to all the holy 

places… Just walk and walk. So beautiful! 

ONE MALE, TWO FEMALES 

Anya: 

Varya: 

Varya: 

Anya: 

The birds are singing. What time is it? 

It must be three. Time for you to go to bed, baby. (leads Anya into her room) 

So beautiful! 

How come you’re not asleep, Anya? 

I wasn’t sleeping. I couldn’t. 

36

Gaev: 

Anya: 

Gaev: 

Varya: 

Anya: 

Gaev: 

Varya: 

Gaev: 

Anya: 

My little dumpling. (kisses Anya’s face and hands) My girl… (through tears) 

You aren’t my niece, you’re my angel, you’re everything to me. Believe me, 

you must. 

I believe you, Uncle Leo. Everyone loves you, and respects you… but you 

have to learn to be quiet, just be quiet. What were you just saying about my 

mother, your own sister? Why did you need to say that? 

Yes, yes… (he covers his face with his hands) It’s true, it’s awful! My god! 

And earlier I gave that speech to a bookshelf, so stupid! As soon as I stopped 

talking I realized that it was stupid. 

It’s true, you do need to learn to keep quiet. Stop yourself from talking, that’s 

all. 

If you can keep quiet, you’ll be calmer, too. 

I’m quiet. (kisses Anya and Varya’s hands) Quiet. Just one thing, about 

business. On Thursday, when I was at the county courthouse, well, there was 

this group of men, talking about this and that, and it seems that we could take 

out a loan on a promissory note in order to pay off the mortgage at the bank. 

If only the Lord would help us. 

On Tuesday I’ll go there, I’ll talk to them. (to Varya) Don’t whine. (to Anya) 

Your Mama will talk to Lopakin. He could never refuse her… And you, once 

you’ve rested, will take a trip to Yaroslavl to the countess, your great aunt. 

Like that we’ll attack on three fronts – and we’ll have it all wrapped up. 

We’ll pay the mortgage, I’m sure of it… (pops a candy in his mouth) On my 

honor, if you like, on my knees, the estate will not be sold! (excited) I swear 

by my future happiness! Here’s my hand on it, you can call me a worthless, 

dishonest man, if I allow this auction to take place! I swear by my whole 

being! 

(calm returning to her, she is happy) You are so sweet, Uncle Leo, so smart! 

(hugs him) Now I’ve calmed down! I’m calm! I’m happy! 

ACT TWO SCENES 

ONE MALE, ONE FEMALE 

Yasha: 

There goes Trouble! He’s stupid, between you and me. (yawns) 

37

Dunyasha: 

Yasha: 

Dunyasha: 

Yasha: 

Dunyasha: 

God, I hope he doesn’t shoot himself. (pause) I’ve gotten very nervous, 

everything upsets me. They took me in to work for them when I was a little 

girl, so I’m used to the good life now. My hands are whiter than white, like a 

lady’s. I’ve gotten delicate, refined, I’m soft, and things frighten me… It’s 

terrible. And if you lead me on, Yasha, I don’t know if my nerves can take it. 

(kisses her) My little peach! Girls have to look after themselves, you know, 

and there’s nothing I like less than a girl who behaves badly. 

I’m really in love with you, you’re so educated, you can talk about so many 

things. (pause) 

(yawns) Yep… Course, I think that if a girl says she loves you, she must have 

loose morals. (pause) It’s nice to smoke a cigar in the fresh air. (listens) 

Someone’s coming… it’s the mistress… (Dunyasha embraces him 

impulsively) Go home! Go like you were down by the river, swimming, go 

that way, and if you run into anyone and they ask about me, tell them we just 

ran into each other. I can’t stand this. 

(coughs quietly) Your cigar gave me a headache… (exits) 

ONE FEMALE, TWO MALES 

Lopakin: 

Lovey: 

Lopakin: 

Gaev: 

Lopakin: 

Lovey: 

Lopakin: 

Lovey: 

Lopakin: 

Deriganov is planning to buy your estate, he’s very rich. They say he’s 

coming to the auction personally. 

Where did you hear that? 

The whole town is talking. 

Our aunt in Yaroslavl has promised to send us money, although we don’t 

know when, or how much… 

How much will she send? A hundred thousand? Two hundred? 

Well, maybe ten thousand, fifteen, and we’ll be grateful to have it. 

You’ll forgive me, but you all are the most simple-minded people, the most 

impractical, the strangest people I’ve ever met. I tell you, “your estate will be 

sold,” plain and simple, and you still don’t get it. 

What should we do? Tell us, what? 

I tell you every day. Every day, I tell you the same thing. Both the cherry 

orchard and your other land must be rented out for summer cottages, you need 

38

to do it now, today – the auction is very soon! Do you understand? Just 

decide once and for all, that you will build the summer cottages, and you’ll get 

as much money as you want, and you’ll be saved. 

Lovey: 

Gaev: 

Lopakin: 

Gaev: 

Lopakin: 

Lovey: 

Lopakin: 

Lovey: 

Gaev: 

Lovey: 

Lopakin: 

Gaev: 

Summer cottages, summer people – it’s all so vulgar, forgive me. 

I am in complete agreement with you. 

I’m either going to scream, or yell, or have a fit. I can’t take it! You’re 

killing me! (to Gaev) You old woman! 

Wha-? 

Old! Woman! (starts to leave) 

(frightened) No, don’t go, stay, my dove. I’m begging you. Maybe we’ll 

think of something! 

Think of what?! 

Don’t go, I beg you. It’s so much more entertaining when you’re here… 

(pause) I keep waiting for something, as if the house will simply just fall 

down around us. 

(deep in thought) Bank shot off the corner… Straight down the middle… 

We have sinned so much. 

What sins do you have… 

(pops a candy in his mouth) They say I’ve wasted my entire fortune on 

candy… (laughs) 

ONE MALE, ONE FEMALE (ONE OFFSTAGE VOICE) 

Anya: 

Trofimov: 

Anya: 

Thank goodness that man scared Varya, now we’re alone. 

Varya’s afraid we’re going to fall in love, so she won’t leave us alone all day 

long. She’s so narrow minded, she can’t understand that we are beyond love. 

To move past the petty and illusory things that keep one from being free and 

happy, that’s the goal, the whole meaning of our lives. Forward! We are 

moving toward that bright star that shines on the horizon, we are unstoppable. 

Forward! Don’t stop, my friends! 

(claps her hands) You are such a good speaker! (pause) It’s so wonderful 

here tonight. 

39

Trofimov: 

Anya: 

Trofimov: 

Anya: 

Trofimov: 

Anya: 

Trofimov: 

Anya: 

Yes, the weather is remarkable. 

What have you done to me, Peter, I don’t love the cherry orchard the way that 

I used to. I used to love it so much I thought there wasn’t better place on earth 

than right here in our orchard. 

All Russia is our orchard. The whole country is vast and beautiful, there are 

so many other amazing places. (pause) Think about it, Anya: your 

grandfather, and his father, and all of your ancestors were slave owners, they 

had other living souls in their possession. Every bit of fruit, every leaf, every 

tree in this orchard looks out at you with a human face, you have to hear their 

voices. Think about possessing another living soul – and that’s bred into each 

one of you, everyone in your family – your mother, you, your uncle, none of 

you notice these people, people you still wouldn’t let walk through your front 

door… We are all at least two hundred years behind the rest of the world. 

And we have exactly nothing left to us. We have no relationship to our past, 

we only sit and philosophize, complain about our troubles, or drink vodka. It 

is so clear that in order to start living in the present, first we need to atone for 

our past and be done with it. But we can only atone for the past through 

suffering, through extraordinary, uninterrupted labor. You must understand 

this, Anya. 

The house we live in has not belonged to us for a very long time, and I will 

leave it, I swear to you. 

If you have keys to that house, throw them in the well, and walk away. Be 

free, like the wind. 

(transported) That was perfect, what you just said. 

Trust me, Anya, you have to! I’m not thirty yet, I’m young, I’m still a 

student, but I’ve already endured so much! In the winter, I’m hungry, sick, 

anxious, poor, I’m like a beggar – where hasn’t my fate tossed me, where 

haven’t I been! And yet, every minute of every day, day and night, my soul is 

filled with an inexplicable premonition. I can see our future happiness, Anya, 

I already do… 

(thoughtful) The moon is rising. 

The sound of Yepihodov playing a sad song on his guitar. The moon rises. Somewhere near 

the poplars, Varya is looking for Anya and calling, “Anya, where are you?” 

Trofimov: 

Yes, the moon is rising. (pause) There is our happiness, there it comes, 

getting closer and closer, I hear its footsteps. If we don’t see it, if we don’t 

recognize it, what’s does it matter? Others will! 

40

Varya: 

Trofimov: 

Anya: 

Trofimov: 

Varya: 

(offstage) Anya! Where are you? Hey! 

There’s that Varya again! (angrily) It’s infuriating! 

Who cares? Let’s go down to the river. It’s nice there. 

Let’s go. (they leave) 

(offstage) Anya! Anya! 

TWO FEMALES, ONE MALE 

Lovey: Leon’s still not here. What he’s doing in town this long, I can’t understand! 

It should be all over, either the estate is sold or the auction didn’t happen, why 

is he keeping us in suspense? 

Varya: 

Trofimov: 

Varya: 

Lovey: 

Trofimov: 

Varya: 

Lovey: 

Varya: 

Lovey: 

Varya: 

(trying to calm her) He must have bought it, I’m sure. 

(ironically) Yes. 

Our aunt sent him her power of attorney, so that he could buy the estate in her 

name to transfer the debt. She did that for Anya. I’m sure that Uncle Leon 

bought it, God willing. 

That old woman sent fifteen thousand to buy the estate in her name – she 

doesn’t trust us – and that’s not even enough to pay the interest. (covers her 

face with her hands) My fate will be decided today, my fate… 

(teasing Varya) Madame Lopakin! 

(angrily) You eternal student! They’ve already kicked you out of university 

twice. 

Why are you getting so mad, Varya? So what if he teases you about Lopakin? 

If you want to marry him, then marry him, he’s a good, interesting man. If 

you don’t want to marry him, then don’t. No one’s going to force you, 

darling… 

I take this all very seriously, Mama, to tell you the truth. He’s a good man, 

and I like him. 

Then marry him. What are you waiting for, I don’t understand? 

Mama, he has to propose to me. For two years now, people keep talking 

about it, everyone talks about it, except him. He either doesn’t say anything, 

or he jokes about it. He’s off getting rich, he’s busy, and I’m not enough for 

41

him. If only I had some money, even a hundred rubles, I’d take it all and run 

away, far away. I’d go to a convent. 

Trofimov: 

Varya: 

That’s grand! 

(to Trofimov) Someone who is a student ought to be smart! (softly, crying) 

You’ve gotten so ugly, Peter, so old! (to Lovey, no longer crying) I will not 

live without work, Mama. I just need work every minute of every day. 


Yepihodov: Something unfortunate befalls me daily, and I, if you will allow yourself this 

expression, just smile, even laugh. 

Enter Varya from the great room. 

Varya: 

Yepihodov: 

Varya: 

Yepihodov: 

Postman: 

Varya: 

Yepihodov: 

Varya: 

Yepihodov: 

Varya: 

Haven’t you left yet, Semyon? You are such a disrespectful person, really. 

(to Dunyasha) Get out of here, Dunyasha. (to Yepihodov) First you break a 

pool cue playing billiards, now you’re wandering around the drawing room 

like a guest. 

You may not, if I may express myself, call me to account. 

I am not calling you to account, I’m speaking to you. But you know very well 

that you wander from here to there, and you do absolutely nothing. We keep a 

bookkeeper, but it’s beyond me why. 

(offended) Whether I work, whether I wander, whether I eat, whether I play 

billiards, that is for others much wiser and older to decide. 

(offstage) They’re on their way. 

How dare you talk to me like that! (flying into a rage) How dare you? So 

I’m not wise, am I? Get the hell out of here! This instant! 

(frightened) I would ask you to express yourself in a more delicate fashion. 

(beside herself) Get out of here this instant! Go to hell! (he goes toward the 

door, she follows. The Postman is heard shouting “They’re coming!”) There 

goes Trouble! If only trouble would get lost! So I never had to lay eyes on 

you again! 

(exits, from offstage) I’m going to complain to the authorities about you. 

You’re back, are you? (grabs Firs’s cane from near the door) Go on, go 

on… Go on, I’ll show you… Going? Are you going? I’ll show you… 

42


Laughter and whispers are heard in the other room, then Varya appears at the door. 

Varya: 

Lopakin: 

Varya: 

Lopakin: 

Varya: 

Lopakin: 

Lopakin: 

Varya: 

Lopakin: 

Varya: 

Lopakin: 

Varya: 

Lopakin: 

(looks around among the luggage for a long time) It’s funny, I can’t find it 

anywhere… 

What are you looking for? 

I packed it myself and now I can’t remember. (Pause.) 

Where are you going now, Miss Varya? 

Me? To the Ragulins… I’ve agreed to be their housekeeper… keep their 

house, you know. 

That’s in Yashneva? That’s fifty miles. (Pause.) 

Life is over in this house… 

(searching through the luggage) Where is that… Or maybe, did I put it in the 

trunk… Yes, life in this house is over… pretty soon it won’t even be here… 

And I have to leave for Kharkov now… on the same train actually. A lot to 

do there. And here, in the country, I’m leaving Yepihodov… I’ve hired him. 

Really! 

Last year around this time, it was already snowing, you remember, and now 

it’s so nice and sunny. ‘Course, it’s really cold… Three below. 

I haven’t looked. (pause) Our thermometer is broken anyway…(Pause. 

Voices are heard in the yard, calling, “Mr. Yermolai!”) 

(as if he’s waiting for just this call): Coming! (exits quickly) 

Varya sits on the floor, her head on a bundle of clothes, sobbing softly. 

ACTIVITY: After the students have read through the scenes, clear a large playing 

space. Rehearse the scenes by having the groups come into the playing space in the 

order of the sequence of the scenes. Once each group has had the opportunity to 

rehearse in the space, present the scenes in an informal presentation. 

43

UNIT FOUR: Creating performance pieces 

Performance happens in all shapes and sizes. It occurs when groups present creative solutions to 

kinesthetic challenges during “entering the text phase.” Performances can be presentations of 

writing, excerpts from skills-building activities, reflections about artwork, opinions about seeing 

the play, or exercises in finding one’s personal aesthetic. Performances do not need to be 

elaborate productions, but can be presented in the classroom, some without much practice, others 

with some revision. The emphasis is on content and experiential learning more than on 

developing artistic skill. 

-Deanna Camputaro and Len Newman 

INTERPRETATION: The Artist’s Prerogative 

Now that the students have had a chance to work with text, and to see the play performed, 

they may be interested in crafting their own piece for presentation. As you have seen, both 

actors and directors (not to mention designers!) take great liberties in interpreting the text to 

support their vision of the play. Encourage your students to think creatively as they envision 

their production. Have them ask themselves the following questions: 

‣ What themes of this play are still relevant today? 

‣ What other language style could make this play more contemporary? 

Before you begin to feel overwhelmed by the idea of a full-blown production, keep in mind 

that a culminating event can take any number of different forms. The primary goal of the 

performance is to share the work of the students, not necessarily to host a professional 

production. Below are a few ideas for culminating events. Be sure to set a realistic goal for 

the group, based on your timeline for the project! 

THE PASTICHE MODEL: This model, which is probably the easiest to assemble, consists 

of a selection of the scenes from the play. The presentation usually consists of three or four 

scenes or monologues from the play linked thematically, performed in the original language 

of the text. 

THE TABLEAU MODEL: Using short pieces of text that can be read individually, or as 

groups, the students form tableaus to help tell the story of the play and physicalize its salient 

themes. 

THE FRAMING MODEL: To tell the story in a slightly more modern way, characters 

from the play are placed in a modern context. For instance, in Cherry Orchard, Dunyasha, 

Yasha, and Yepihodov wind up on “The Jerry Springer Show.” This model allows the 

students to develop a “modern” script for one part of the presentation, while allowing for 

them to intersperse actual scenes from the play. 

44

THE “CONCEPT” MODEL: This one could be anything! Students identify themes from 

the play and develop their own scenes in response to the things that they have read. Keep in 

mind that the students’ interpretation may take the form of scenes, songs, poetry, artwork, or 

all of the above. This is, of course, the most difficult and time-consuming model, but 

probably the most rewarding for the students. If you choose to go with a concept, be certain 

to allow yourself enough time for development and rehearsal! 

Once you have developed and rehearsed your piece, the next step is to share it with an 

audience. Be sure to invite an audience with whom the students will be comfortable, and to 

stage your performance in a space that is conducive to student success. 

WARMING UP ON THE PERFORMANCE DAY 

All performers get nervous prior to performing, so assure your students that this is a perfectly 

natural (and healthy) reaction to appearing on stage. The nervous energy is one of the things 

that makes your performance exciting! Still, it’s a good idea to focus all of that good energy 

so that it doesn’t turn into pure stage fright. The following exercises will help students to 

prepare themselves both mentally and physically for performance. 

SHAKE IT OUT 

Model this exercise first. 

Have students stand in a circle, placing yourself in a position for all to see you. For a 

backwards countdown of five each time, shake out each arm and each leg. Have everyone 

yell out the numbers, and encourage full energy and shakes. After five, do each appendage 

for four counts, then three, and so on. 

BREATHING FOR CONCENTRATION AND STAGE FRIGHT 

Practice the following deep breathing exercises to focus and prepare students to deal with the 

rush of adrenaline before performance. 

Inhale into the diaphragm. 

Hold. 

Exhale slowly counting backward from 10. (It helps to have one person count aloud.) 

Roll the head slowly from side to side, ear to shoulder. 

Drop the head slowly toward the floor on an exhale, bending at the knees and hips. 

Return to standing on an inhale, with the head slowly coming up last, building back 

up through the vertebrae. 

Lift the shoulders on an inhale. 

Drop them on an exhale. 

DICTION AND VOCAL WARM-UPS 

The following exercises are the same techniques used by actors to learn how to speak clearly, 

increase clarity of diction, and to warm up their voices before a performance. 

As a group, clearly and distinctly repeat the vowel sounds “A-E-I-O-U” out loud, 

concentrating on how your lips and jaw go from a wide position on “A” to a narrow position 

on “U.” Exaggerate this motion and the difference between the sounds. After a few 

45

epetitions, try saying the following phrases out loud as a group. Try to speak as clearly and 

forcefully as possible, and exaggerate the sounds of the words. 

“You know you need unique New York.” 

“Red leather, yellow leather, good blood, bad blood.” 

“Sally sells seashells by the sea shore.” 

“Whether the weather is cold, or whether the weather is hot, we’ll be together whatever the 

weather, whether you like it or not.” 

“I see Isis’s icy eyes.” 

If you have extra time, try saying the tongue twisters with a particular accent – Southern, 

“very proper” British, Cockney, New York or Long Island, stereotypical “Ro Dilun,” etc. 

What happens to the vowels in each of these accents? 

Ask the students how the tongue twisters feel to practice. Which ones are harder or easier? 

OTHER ELEMENTS OF CULMINATING EVENTS 

You may have students that are not interested in performing. Some students are shy, others 

are simply disinterested, and many have other talents that they bring to the table that should 

be utilized. Some students have already begun to act as playwrights. Be sure to display their 

written work as a part of the culminating event. In the theater, all of the members of the 

ensemble work together to develop a performance piece, so everyone is recognized. 

While you may not have the ability to build a set, visual artists may want to design the set 

upon which their performance piece belongs. Drawings, paintings and models displayed for 

the audience will help them create a setting in their mind’s eye. The same is true for costume 

designs. Visual depictions of their vision of the play are fun to look at, and indicate, just as 

clearly as performance, a student’s comprehension of the play. 

MORE IDEAS FOR PREPARING FOR THE PERFORMANCE DAY 

ADVERTISEMENTS 

• Ask students to create posters and programs on the computer or by hand 

(recruit the artists in your class). 

• Make copies of the scripts available to teachers and students. 

• Create and sell tickets. 

• Invite other classrooms, family and friends. 

WELCOME THE AUDIENCE 

• Explain the process of creating the performance and the goals of the unit. 

• Demonstrate some of the warm ups and exercises used during the unit. 

• Introduce each section of the performance with excitement, enthusiasm and 

respect for the performers. 

46

POST -SHOW CELEBRATION 

• Bow to your audience. This takes rehearsal, so reserve some time during your 

unit to practice. 

• Have a post show discussion with students and audience. Ask the audience to 

offer their constructive feedback on what they observed about the 

performance. 

UNIT FIVE: THE ROLE OF THE 

DESIGNERS 

BUILDING THE ENSEMBLE: Pair Interviews: Part II 

Refer to the original directions for pair interviews on pg. 25. Give the students a question or 

questions to ask each other that may result in a very animated response. For example: 

Can you describe your most embarrassing moment? 

What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you? 

Have the students divide up into pairs and conduct their interviews. After they have finished 

the interview, tell them that you’re not interested in the words. You want each partner to 

identify two movements that their partner made while answering the question that summed 

up everything they had to say about the topic. Each partner must choose the two movements 

that defined their partner’s answers. 

Once they have all identified their movements, have them go up a pair at a time and present 

the movements to the class. Once each group has had a chance to present their movements, 

have the group stand in a long line and set a rhythm. Each person must do his or her two 

movements in a specified time frame (i.e; each person gets four seconds to do their two 

movements.) Go down the line sequentially with each person doing his or her movement. 

Post-activity reflection: How observant were the students in terms of watching the physical 

gestures and expressions of their partners? What tells a more interesting story, spoken words 

or physical gestures? Which are more interesting to watch? Why? 

47

PAIR INTERVIEWS PART III: Silent Movie 

Using the subjects from the interview above, have each pair chose one story from their pair 

interviews. Using only their bodies, movement, and very basic props, the students must 

convey the entire monologue without ever speaking. 

Post-activity reflection: How comfortable were students communicating only with 

movement and gesture, as opposed to words? How effective were they in conveying the 

point of the interview without using words? How important is visual story-telling in live 

performance? 

INSPIRATION: EXPLORING THE WORLD OF THE PLAY 

Deep and meaningful comprehension of the play is not limited to actors and playwrights. The 

insightful perceptions of designers, and their profound knowledge of the world of the play, 

help to create an environment in which the actors can tell their story. If you have students 

that are reluctant to take part in performance as actors, encourage them to participate as 

designers. The following information and activities are included to encourage student 

comprehension through the process of design and the designer’s approach to the text. 

While it is the playwright’s job to write a good script, and the director and actors’ jobs to 

bring those written words to life, designers play an invaluable role in creating the visual and 

aural world of the play. While a play could be presented on a bare stage with a minimum of 

sets, lights, props and costumes, the creation of a complete physical environment helps both 

the actors and the audience fully realize and enjoy the story. Design elements such as sets, 

lights, costumes and sound help to establish a number of details for the audience, such as: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time period: Is it modern-day, Victorian, in the future? 

Location: Indoors, outdoors, a home, a prison? 

Time of day: Morning, night? 

Time of year: Winter, summer, spring, fall? 

Circumstances of the characters: Rich, poor? 

Personalities of the characters: Flashy, subdued, somber? 

Designing a play is a very detailed process and involves a deep understanding of the play and 

a lot of research. The first thing a designer does is read the script, recording his or her 

response to the play, and what he/she envisions as the world of the characters. 

Next, designers meet with the director to familiarize themselves with the director’s intentions 

in his or her interpretation of the script. The directors will tell the designers if they have 

specific requirements for the set, costumes, lighting, etc. and will explore and brainstorm the 

world of the play with the designers. With this information, the designers will go off on their 

own to do their own research. This often involves historical research, in addition to finding 

images, colors, and patterns that they think are important and relevant to the direction in 

which the play is headed. They begin to sketch ideas for their designs and then meet with the 

director again to discuss them. 

48

As the designs are solidified, the designers may build set models, draw lighting plots, or 

costume sketches for different characters. The designers will tweak their designs throughout 

the process, so that all of the pieces of the show create a unified vision of the world of the 

play to be presented to the audience. 

INSPIRATION: WHO DOES WHAT? 

THE SCENIC DESIGNER 

The scenic designer is responsible for designing the set. It is his or her job to create scenery 

that appropriately represents the physical world of the play. 

THE LIGHTING DESIGNER 

Although the lighting designer’s work may be subtler than that of the scenic designer, it is 

lighting that allows us to see the actors and the stage. And, indeed, the first rule of lighting 

design is making sure the audience can see everything they need to see! Color and quality 

of light can make a scene feel warm or cool, can make characters look well or sickly or 

ghostly, and can also help to create a number of spectacular effects on stage. 

THE COSTUME DESIGNER 

Like the scenic designer, the work of the costume designer has an immediate impact on the 

audience. Costumes are the clothes that the characters wear, and are very important in 

communicating a great deal of information to the audience. In additional to all of the 

background types of information (time period, location, etc.) costumes say a great deal about 

the characters that are wearing them. Costumes often tell us about a character’s profession, 

status in life, age, and personality. 

THE SOUND DESIGNER 

The sound designer is an increasingly important figure in the production process of a play. 

In addition to creating or finding sound affects (i.e; door bells, car horns, any other 

background noises) sound designers select (and sometimes compose) music for plays. If a 

production requires amplification, the sound designer must select the appropriate equipment 

and find a way to make the amplified voices sound appropriate. 

THE GRAPHIC DESIGNER 

Although not directly related to the production of the play, the graphic designer does 

something very important. He or she designs the advertising materials and posters that let 

people know that a show is going on. The graphic designer has a very difficult and specific 

task, which is to try and sum up the entire play in one image that will be striking and 

attractive to prospective audience members. 

These are just a few examples of the other artists whose expertise contributes to the 

production of a play. Depending on the production, other participating designers may 

include make-up designers, pyrotechnics experts, dance choreographers, combat 

choreographers, props designers (sometimes called props masters) and special companies 

that create effects such as “flying” the actors! 

49

ENTERING THE TEXT: What Am I Looking For? 

Designers read the text of a play in a slightly different way than the actors do. Designers are 

looking for clues that tell them about the physical world of the play. Divide the classes into 

several groups representing the different design elements. Ask for volunteers to read aloud 

the following dialogue. Have the designers note how many “clues” there are in the text that 

tell them what they need for their various designs. 

Anya: Let’s go through here. Mama, do you remember this room? 

Lovey (happily, through tears): The play room! 

Varya: It’s so cold, I can’t feel my hands. (to Lovey) Your rooms, the white one 

and the violet one, are exactly like you left them, Mama. 

Lovey: The play room, my sweet, beautiful room… I used to sleep here, when I was 

little… (cries) And I feel so little again… (kisses her brother, Varya, then her 

brother again) Varya hasn’t changed at all, you still look like a nun. And I knew 

Dunyasha right away… (kisses Dunyasha) 

Gaev: That train was two hours late. What is that? Is that standard procedure? 

Activity: How much information were the students able to extract from this short piece of 

text? See if they can answer the following questions? 

‣ What type of building are they in? 

‣ How many rooms does it have? 

‣ How many doors? 

‣ What time of day is it? 

‣ How many props are needed in this scene? 

‣ Who are the characters? 

‣ What are they doing? 

These are some of the questions that the students must ask themselves in order to begin their 

work as designers. First they must answer the broad questions like time and place. Then, 

they can start to work on the details. 

COMPREHENDING THE TEXT: DETAILS, DETAILS! 

The designer does not take all of his or her ideas from the text. Much functional 

information is provided by the playwright, but many of the details of the design 

come from the director’s and the designer’s imagination, their vision of the play. 

While these choices must work within the context of the whole play, and should 

be based on information found in the script, most text is not proscriptive. Design 

choices help to communicate this collaborative interpretation to the audience. 

50

The Role of the Designers: Perceptions 

Ask for volunteers to read the character monologues used in the monologue exercises. 

Activity: What impressions did these monologues make on you? Did you have a picture in 

your mind? What did the character look like? How was he or she dressed? Would this 

character wear a particular color? Style? Texture? 

FOR THE COSTUME DESIGNERS: 

Ask each student to design costumes for the Cherry Orchard characters. Refer to any of the 

text samples that are found in this guide, or to a copy of the script. Pass out the costume 

design examples below, and ask them to answer in their designs the following questions: 

‣ What taste does this character have? 

‣ How is their personality expressed through their clothing? 

‣ How concerned are they about their appearance? 

‣ What are some of their favorite things to wear? 

‣ What sorts of fabrics and colors would they wear? 

Examples of Costume Designs: 

Encourage the students to use fabric and other material swatches, and to draw their own 

designs with pastels, watercolors, pens or pencil, or to make a collage/composite from 

51

magazines. Ask them to use their imaginations as they experiment – the designs need not be 

realistic or perfect. Continue to stress that design is a process! 

Once students have completed some preliminary design ideas, clear a space in the classroom. 

Announce a character’s name, and ask the costume designers to come into the space and 

share their designs for that character, describing how and why they made their choices. 

Repeat for the remaining characters. 

Post-activity reflection: How did your perceptions of the characters differ from other 

people in the class? Did your vision of the character change as other people shared their 

ideas? 

FOR THE GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: 

Design a poster for the play Cherry Orchard, using any scene or character monologue as the 

basis for your idea. To begin, look over the posters Trinity Rep’s graphic designer Michael 

Guy has designed for previous shows at Trinity Rep. What do you learn about each show 

from the poster? Which posters are you most interested in? Why? Which poster makes you 

want to come see the show? What is the function of the poster in the artistic process? Create 

a poster you feel best represents the show, using any variety of creative materials. Include 

the following criteria on the poster: 

Name of Play: CHERRY ORCHARD 

Playwright’s Name: Anton Chekhov 

Director’s Name: Curt Columbus 

Address of Theater: Trinity Repertory Company, 201 

Washington St., Providence, RI 02903 

Phone Number of the Box Office: 351-4242 

52

FOR THE SET DESIGNERS: 

Create a model or collage of the world of Cherry Orchard in which the story could occur. 

How would you approach the design of a show? What does the world of these characters 

look like? What will be interesting both theatrically and functionally? What colors, shapes, 

textures, and materials (wood, steel, glass, fabrics) will you use? Feel free to use pictures, 

magazines, household products, or anything that you feel belongs in your conception of the 

world of Cherry Orchard. Above is a set sketch from 1776 for students interested in creating 

a set sketch. 

CREATING PERFORMANCE: CHERRY ORCHARD in 3-D 

Hold an exhibition of all student-created work from this unit of study. 

GALLERY: 

Ask students interested in showing their original art and posters to name, frame and 

mount their work, encouraging creative use of the space around the classroom. 

Arrange the set and costume designs around the room on small tables, and ask 

students to write short descriptions of their designs and to justify and explain the 

choices they made when creating the work. 

FOUND SPACE: 

Choose several of the playwright’s scenes from the pages 35-52. Cast actors and a 

director for each scene and schedule rehearsal time while the gallery is being 

assembled. In one corner of the room, clear a playing space. Perform the scene 

studies after the students have finished looking at the art, designs and posters on the 

walls. 

53

UNIT SIX: REFECTION 

BUILD A RUBRIC 

One of the first reactions that students have to seeing a performance is their need to identify 

whether it was “good” or “bad”. It is imperative that you take the time to develop a 

constructive language for reflection on all activities, as the students will eventually be 

assessing not only themselves, but also their classmates. Developing a rubric with your 

Reflection should be an ongoing process. Whether your students are reflecting on their own 

aesthetic understanding of material, or on their process of community building, time should be 

allotted for reflection and assessment. Reflection should also take place in the form of critique and 

development of rubric. 

- Deanna Camputaro and Len Newman 

Though we’ve listed this part of the process last in the study guide, developing a rubric and a 

language for reflecting on student work should be one of the first things you do. We suggest you 

develop a set of questions and a rubric for assessment WITH YOUR STUDENTS. Please develop 

these sets of standards early in your unit so students will know what makes their work effective and 

how they can improve upon it. 

students will help to discourage such sweeping, negative and ultimately useless comments, 

such as “That was horrible!” by forcing students to explain their reaction to an activity, based 

on a set of standards developed by the group. It is also a good idea to have students identify 

elements that worked and elements that didn’t work, no matter what the activity. Different 

activities will have different criteria for success, so take these student-generated rubrics and 

post them visibly in your classroom to use throughout your performance unit. 

Remember that art is subjective and people tend to have completely emotional responses to 

it. Avoid the use of the words “good” and “bad” in discussions as these carry a value 

judgment. Try, for example, “effective” and “less effective”, which are not absolute, and 

require a more informed explanation. While emotional responses will play a role in the 

building of your rubric, the students should also use their knowledge of the art form, the 

content of the play, or any other relevant information to form their opinions and their 

assessment tool. In fact, the development of the rubric is one more way in which we measure 

the student’s comprehension of the material. Use some of the following questions to begin to 

develop a rubric for performance: 

• When you see a performance, what makes you enjoy it? 

(Potential responses: it’s funny, it tells a story, it makes me cry) 

• What do you think are the elements of a good performance? 

(Potential responses: you’re loud, you show your emotion, focus) 

54

• What steps did you need to take to create a performance? 

(Potential responses: brainstorming, an outline, rehearsal) 

• What elements of your performance were effective? 

(Potential responses: we were loud, there was action) 

• What would you change for next time to make the work stronger? 

• What elements were used in the performance to clearly communicate to the audience? 

KEEP A LOG 

A log is the record of a journey. Ask students to keep a record of their own journey as you 

study and see the production of Cherry Orchard. Leave time at the end of each class for 

students to write in the journal. Help them with prompts such as: 

• What are some of the lines you particularly enjoyed? Why? 

• Personal impressions of the characters and reactions to the ideas or subjects that come 

up as you read and participate in the activities and scenes. 

• Notes on how you would perform one of the characters. What draws you to them? 

• Comments on the importance of a recurring word or phrase. 

• What do you think the title signifies? 

• Which exercises in class did you enjoy? What made the scene or activity engaging 

and interesting for you? 

• What skills do you think you need to improve on the scene you performed? 

• What was the best part of the performance you took part in and/or saw at Trinity Rep? 

• What were your impressions of the set, acting, lighting and staging after watching the 

show at Trinity Rep? How was the space used? Were the actors committed to their 

performance? Do you agree with the choices of the director, actors and designers? 

What would you have done differently? 

REFLECT INDIVIDUALLY – Use Note Cards 

• Read the students journals and create note cards to pass out to students that include 

your reflections. 

• After each class ask students to reflect on the work of the day on the note card. Ask 

them specific questions that came up in the class. Read the student reflections to plan 

for the next day’s class or to learn more about individual issues and questions. 

REFLECT IN SMALL AND LARGE GROUPS 

• Using the prompts above ask the entire group to reflect on the performances. 

• Ask individual students to reflect on one specific aspect of the performance. 

• When doing small group work, ask students to focus on a specific aspect of the 

performance to work on (i.e. focus on improving commitment of your performance). 

ORIGINAL REVIEW 

Ask students to review Cherry Orchard from their unique perspectives as young adults. 

Send the reviews to your local newspaper or to Trinity Rep at education@trinityrep.com. 

55

The Education department will choose one or two reviews to print in the theater’s newsletter 

and to exhibit at the end of the school year. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

TEXTS ON CHEKHOV AND RUSSIA 

• Callow, Philip. Chekhov: The Hidden Ground. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1998. 

• Gottlieb, Vera (trans.). Anton Chekhov at the Moscow Art Theater. New York: 

Routledge, 2005 

• Harcave, Sidney. The Russian Revolution of 1905. London: Collier Books, 1964. 

• Hosking, Geoffrey. Russia: People and Empire. Cambridge: Harvard University 

Press, 1997. 

• Marshall, Herbert. The Pictorial History of the Russian Theater. 

• Rayfield, Donald. Anton Chekhov: A Life. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 

1997. 

• Sedgewick, Fred. Shakespeare and the Young Writer. London: Routledge, 1999. 

• Troyat, Henri. CHEKHOV: A Biography by the Author of TOLSTOY. New York: 

E.P. Dutton, 1986. 

CHEKHOV FILMS 

• The Cherry Orchard. 1999. Directed by Michael Cacoyannis, with Charlotte 

Rampling, Alan Bates, and Frances de la Tour 

• The Cherry Orchard. 1959. Directed by Daniel Petrie, USA’s Play of the Week, with 

Helen Hayes and EG Marshall. 

• The Cherry Orchard. 1980. Directed by Richard Eyre for TV, with Judi Dench and 

Anna Massey. 

• Chekhov. 1974. A Documentary directed by A. Leoniv 

• The Sisters. 2005. A modern version of Three Sisters directed by Arthur Allen 

Seidelman with Eric McCormick and Mary Stuart Masterson. 

• Upheaval. 2002. An adaptation of the short story directed by Itamar Kubovy, with 

Frances McDormand. 

• Speed for Thespians. 2000. A documentary about guerilla performances of The Bear 

directed by Kalman Apple, with Jamie Harris and Camilla Enders. 

• August. 1996. An adaptation of Uncle Vanya, directed by and starring Anthony 

Hopkins. 

• Vanya on 42 nd Street. 1996. (New York actors rehearsing Uncle Vanya) directed by 

Louis Malle, featuring Julianne Moore and Wallace Shawn. 

PERFORMANCE AND THEATER EDUCATION SOURCES 

• Ball, David. Backwards and Forwards: A Technical Guide for Reading Plays. 

Southern Illinois University Press: 1983 

• Berry, Cicely The Actor and The Text. Applause Books, New York: 1987 

56

• Boal, Augusto. Games for Actors and Non-Actors. Routledge: 1992 

• Johnstone, Keith. Impro: Improvisation and the Theater. Theater Arts Books: 1989 

• Spolin, Viola. Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher’s Handbook. 

Northwestern University Press: 1986 

CHEKHOV AND CHERRY ORCHARD WEBSITES 

• For comprehensive resources on reading Chekhov: www.sparknotes.com 

• Comprehensive resources on reading Chekhov, Cherry Orchard, and Russian history: 

http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/cherry/ 

• Theater Database: 

http://www.theatredatabase.com/19th_century/anton_chekhov_001.html 

• Chekhov monologues: http://www.monologuearchive.com/c/chekhov_anton.html or 

http://www.theatrehistory.com/plays/chekhovmono.html 

• For an index of articles on Chekhov: 

http://www.theatrehistory.com/russian/chekhov.html 

• Anton Chekhov quotes: http://www.notable-quotes.com/c/chekhov_anton.html 

• A collection of short stories by Chekhov: 

http://www.shortstoryarchive.com/c/anton_chekhov.html 

• An article by Maxim Gorky on Chekhov: 

http://www.imagination.com/moonstruck/clsc6w4.html 

• For the basic information with many resources: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cherry_Orchard 

• For a comprehensive biography on Chekhov: 

http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/chekhovbio.html 

• To access Chekhov’s most famous works in original Russian: 

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1702/index.html 

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