Gull

SEAGULL

About the lack of love and the intricate web of mutual relations. About theater, acting. About art, but also about this life. About unfulfilled dreams, ambitions, the need to choose, the inevitable passing. About a restless soul. About the brutality of everyday life and the search for the beautiful. About ourselves. Although Antoni Chekhov set his “comedy in four acts” in the countryside at the turn of the 20th century, this universal story could happen anywhere. The text was first staged in 1896 in St. Petersburg — this realization turned out to be a fiasco (the play was played only a few times). The title was “disenchanted” by Konstantin Stanislavsky himself, who realized “The Seagull” in 1898 at the Moscow Artistic and Universal Theater. A silvery image of the bird was later placed on the curtain of the theater and was also included in its logo.

The Polish premiere took place at the Municipal Theatre in Krakow on March 2, 1907, with Andrzej Mielewski as Konstanty, Irena Solska as Nina and Aleksander Zelwerowicz as Dorn. Since then, “The Seagull” has seen many realizations. Not surprisingly, this text is one of the most mysterious and open to a multitude of interpretations of the master's dramas.

A stay in the province becomes an excuse to tell the story of ten individualities. The atmosphere is stuffy, the protagonists are consumed by lethargy, further frustrations caused by non-fulfillment come to light, whether in the private or professional field. No one really lives here, everyone clings to their own illusion.

Some seem to be at the top, others are just aspiring to it. So there is both the outstanding actress Arkadina, and the young Nina, who desperately dreams of a similar occupation, the successful writer Trigorin, and Trieplev, the son of Arkadina, who aspires to become an independent artist. There are also those who, instead of creating, want to inspire, like Masha, disillusioned with life, dreaming of becoming someone's muse. Why do you always wear black? - asks Masha the poor rural writer Medvedienko. It's mourning, he replies. After whom? — asks. After my life, says the girl.

This, perhaps, the most famous dialogue from “The Seagull” captures well the moods of all the characters. Everyone lacks something, they long for love, they long for artistic fulfillment. They lose themselves when they lack the courage to follow their dreams or face the fact that the pursuit ends in failure.

“Despite some comedy in The Seagull, the tragedy inherent in the characters and the relationships between them comes to the fore. And this drama of theirs — I hope the viewer will also read it and will be able to translate it into their reality, on their loved ones, on themselves. I believe he will come out of this show confused — at the same time with the feeling that he had a great time, but also that we provided him with reflections.” — Cezary Iber, director Premiere: March 22, 2025

Duration: 2 h 30 min (with break)