By Kate Berry
The first theatrical auditions of the semester for the University of Maine School of Performing Arts are underway. This semester’s production is “The Cherry Orchard.”
Auditions for this year’s University of Maine School of Performing Arts production “The Cherry Orchard” are under way.
Written by Anton Chekhov, “The Cherry Orchard” was the playwright’s last play written before he died in 1904. The play was directed in the Moscow Art Theatre by Constantin Stanislavski.
Marcia Douglas is directing the University of Maine’s production of the show. She chose this particular Chekhov play because of a past director she met in college.
“I started as a dancer and received a scholarship to go to Colorado State University in performing arts. There was no dance major. There was a theater major. So I thought, “that’s what I’ll do,”” Douglas said. “The very first play I was in, I met this new faculty member in the theater department. He was directing The Cherry Orchard and he cast me. I had never had to talk onstage. It was terrifying, but it was life changing. That was 50 years ago, and he just died this spring.”
Douglas’ favorite playwright is Chekhov, but this will be her first Chekhov play that she directs. There is a reason behind why she has not yet directed one of his plays.
“This is really tough stuff. It’s tough acting-wise,” Douglas said. “It’s just time for me to do this play. I really hold it dear and I’m really excited for it.”
The play not only has special meaning for Douglas, but back in the early 20th century, “The Cherry Orchard” changed theater forever.
Before Chekhov, the theater used the “star” system — one main actor while the others disappeared in the background. Chekhov believed in making acting more honest and connecting with truth. He focused on the ensemble, meaning everyone involved makes the play work and not just the star.
“You can’t do a production without everybody,” Douglas said. “The big parts and the small parts, backstage technicians and designers — it takes everyone together to make a theatrical piece. This was a new idea at the time.”
“Everybody’s creativity is involved. The result of that kind of work is way more than any one person could do.”
Auditions for the play took place on Wednesday Sept. 9 and Thursday Sept. 10. Since this particular play is considered tough for actors, Douglas looked for certain attributes in the auditioners’ performances.
“They need to be honest in the moment and bring the words to life,” Douglas said. “I’ve asked them to prepare a Chekhov monologue. Can an actor make the words their own? The whole point is making it your own. You can’t guess what the director wants. I know it when I see it.”
John Logan, a third-year mass communication and theater student, chose to audition because of his love of acting. Although he has never performed in a Chekhov play before, he read “The Cherry Orchard” over the summer while he was at the Theater At Monmouth. He loved it.
“I’m obviously excited about potentially getting cast, but more than that I’m excited to get to audition,” Logan said. “Auditioning is such a rush. It’s interesting because no matter how good you think you are or how many shows you’ve been in, you are always forced back to square one, where you have to come in completely prepared to show the director your dedication to being part of their vision.”
Alan Estes, a third-year theater student at UMaine auditioned for “The Cherry Orchard” for a number of reasons.
“I am auditioning purely due to the challenge of Chekhov’s text,” Estes said. “He was renowned for setting a play where the actors needed to have created a submerged character within the text. It’s something I’ve always thought about trying, but now I have the opportunity to audition and possibly act in a Chekhov play.”
Estes also auditioned because of the positive past experiences he has had in the theater program at the university.
“The group of people we have here are quite the community, and I try to insert myself as much as possible in order to feel a part of said community,” Estes said. “It truly is an amazing experience, even to watch.”
The Cherry Orchard is set to be performed on Nov. 7 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Hauck Auditorium. Tickets are $10 each or free with a student MaineCard.