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Uncle Vanya

February 10 – March 11, 2018
(Opening night: Thursday, February 15)

Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre
Conrad Prebys Theatre Center

By Anton Chekhov
Translated by Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky
Directed by Richard Nelson

An exhilarating revival that pairs one of the greatest plays ever written with the world’s most celebrated translators of Russian literature. Vanya and his niece Sonya struggle to care for the estate owned by Vanya’s brother-in-law, a wealthy and celebrated professor. When this local legend returns with a beautiful new wife and announces his plans to sell the estate, hidden passions explode and the lives of the entire family come undone. This Globe-commissioned world premiere translation, performed in an unusually intimate and conversational style, provides an up-close encounter with a classic of world drama that every theatre-lover must see.

This production is supported in part by the Jean and Gary Shekhter Fund for Classic Theatre.

This translation of Uncle Vanya by Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky was commissioned by The Old Globe with generous support from the Jean and Gary Shekhter Fund for Classic Theatre.

Production Sponsors
Mary Beth Adderley
Brian and Silvija Devine
Hal and Pam Fuson
Jean and Gary Shekhter

 

 

Press Release                               Program

Photos

Production Photos & Video

Barry Edelstein talks about Anton Chekhov’s classic.
The cast of Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
The cast of Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Celeste Arias as Eléna, Jay O. Sanders as Ványa, and Yvonne Woods as Sónya Alexándrivna in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Celeste Arias as Eléna, Jay O. Sanders as Ványa, and Yvonne Woods as Sónya in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Celeste Arias as Eléna and Jay O. Sanders as Ványa in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Celeste Arias as Eléna and Jay O. Sanders as Ványa in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Jay O. Sanders as Ványa and Yvonne Woods as Sónya Alexándrivna in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Jay O. Sanders as Ványa and Yvonne Woods as Sónya in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Celeste Arias as Eléna, Jay O. Sanders as Ványa, Roberta Maxwell as Márya, Jesse Pennington as Ástrov, and Yvonne Woods as Sónya in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Celeste Arias as Eléna, Jay O. Sanders as Ványa, Roberta Maxwell as Márya, Jesse Pennington as Ástrov, and Yvonne Woods as Sónya in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
The cast of Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
The cast of Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Celeste Arias as Eléna, Yvonne Woods as Sónya, Jay O. Sanders as Ványa, and Roberta Maxwell as Márya in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Celeste Arias as Eléna, Yvonne Woods as Sónya, Jay O. Sanders as Ványa, and Roberta Maxwell as Márya in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Jesse Pennington as Ástrov and Jay O. Sanders as Ványa in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Jesse Pennington as Ástrov and Jay O. Sanders as Ványa in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Jesse Pennington as Ástrov, Celeste Arias as Eléna, Yvonne Woods as Sónya, Jay O. Sanders as Ványa, and Roberta Maxwell as Márya in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Jesse Pennington as Ástrov, Celeste Arias as Eléna, Yvonne Woods as Sónya, Jay O. Sanders as Ványa, and Roberta Maxwell as Márya in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Jesse Pennington as Ástrov and Celeste Arias as Eléna in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Jesse Pennington as Ástrov and Celeste Arias as Eléna in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Jay O. Sanders as Ványa, Jon DeVries as Serebryakóv, Kate Kearney-Patch as Marína, and Celeste Arias as Eléna in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Jay O. Sanders as Ványa, Jon DeVries as Serebryakóv, Kate Kearney-Patch as Marína, and Celeste Arias as Eléna in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Celeste Arias as Eléna and Jon DeVries as Serebryakóv in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Celeste Arias as Eléna and Jon DeVries as Serebryakóv in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Celeste Arias as Eléna and Yvonne Woods as Sónya in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Celeste Arias as Eléna and Yvonne Woods as Sónya in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Jay O. Sanders as Ványa in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Jay O. Sanders as Ványa in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, directed and translated by Richard Nelson, running February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.

Publicity Photos

Jay O. Sanders appears as the title character of Ványa. Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Jay O. Sanders appears as the title character of Ványa. Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Director Richard Nelson. Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Director Richard Nelson. Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Jon DeVries, Roberta Maxwell, and Jay O. Sanders in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
(from left) Jon DeVries, Roberta Maxwell, and Jay O. Sanders in Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
The cast of Uncle Vanya with director and translator Richard Nelson (back row, second from left), translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
The cast of Uncle Vanya with director and translator Richard Nelson (back row, second from left), translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
The cast of Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
The cast of Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo by Jim Cox.
Translator and director Richard Nelson. Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo courtesy of The Old Globe.
Translator and director Richard Nelson. Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo courtesy of The Old Globe.

 

Translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo courtesy of The Old Globe.
Translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Photo courtesy of The Old Globe.
Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Artwork courtesy of The Old Globe.
Uncle Vanya, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and directed and translated by Richard Nelson, runs February 10 – March 11, 2018 at The Old Globe. Artwork courtesy of The Old Globe.

Cast and Creative

Cast

Creative

Anton Chekhov (Playwright, 1860–1904) first turned to writing as a medical student at Moscow University, from which he graduated in 1884. Among his early works were short monologues (“The Evils of Tobacco”) and one-act farces (The Bear, The Proposal, The Wedding). His first completed full-length play was Ivanov (1887), followed by The Wood Demon (1889), The Seagull (1896), Uncle Vanya (1899), Three Sisters (1901), and The Cherry Orchard (1904).

Richard Nelson (Co-Translator, Director) Mr. Nelson’s plays include The Gabriels (Hungry, What Did You Expect?, and Women of a Certain Age) and The Apple Family plays (That Hopey Changey Thing, Sweet and Sad, Sorry,and Regular Singing), which were produced at The Public Theater in New York, toured internationally, and filmed for public television. His other plays include Illyria, Oblivion, Nikolai and the Others, Farewell to the Theatre, Conversations in Tusculum, Frank’s Home, How Shakespeare Won the West, Rodney’s Wife, Franny’s Way, Madame Melville, Goodnight Children Everywhere (Olivier Award for Play of the Year), The General from America, New England, Two Shakespearean Actors (Tony Award nomination for Best Play), Some Americans Abroad (Olivier nomination for Comedy of the Year), and others. His musicals include James Joyce’s The Dead with Shaun Davey (Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical) and My Life with Albertine and Private Confessions, both with Ricky Ian Gordon. His films include Hyde Park on Hudson (Focus Features), Ethan Frome (Miramax), and Sensibility and Sense (“American Playhouse”). With Larissa Volokhonsky and Richard Pevear, he has co-translated Ivan Turgenev’s A Month in the Country, Nikolai Gogol’s The Inspector, Mikhail Bulgakov’s Molière and Don Quixote, and Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard (all published by Theatre Communications Group). He is an honorary associate artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company and a recipient of the Arts and Letters Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the PEN/Laura Pels “Master Playwright” Award.

Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (Co-Translators) Mr. Pevear was born in Boston, grew up on Long Island, and attended Allegheny College (B.A., 1964) and University of Virginia (M.A., 1965). After a stint as a college teacher, he moved to the Maine coast and eventually to New York City, where he worked as a freelance writer, editor, and translator, as well as a cabinetmaker. He has published two collections of poetry, many essays and reviews, and 38 books translated from French, Italian, and Russian. Ms. Volokhonsky was born in Leningrad, attended Leningrad State University, and upon graduating joined a scientific team whose work took her to the east of Russia, to Kamchatka and Sakhalin Island. She immigrated to Israel in 1973 and to the United States in 1975, where she attended Yale Divinity School and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Soon after settling in New York City, she was married to Mr. Pevear, and a few years later they moved to France with their two children. Together they have translated 30 books from Russian, including works by Leo Tolstoy, Mikhail Bulgakov, Nikolai Gogol, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Boris Pasternak. Their translation of Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov received the 1991 PEN/Laura Pels Translation Award, and their translation of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina was awarded the same prize in 2002. In 2006 they were awarded the first Efim Etkind International Translation Prize by the European Graduate School of St. Petersburg.

Jason Ardizzone-West (Scenic Design) is a set designer based in Yonkers, New York. His recent designs include Illyria, Hungry, What Did You Expect?, and Women of a Certain Age with Susan Hilferty (The Public Theater), Lana Del Rey(world tour), Circus – Wandering City (national tour/ETHEL String Quartet and The Ringling), 36th Marathon of One-Act Plays (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Caroline, or Change (Tantrum Theater), Bullets Over Broadway (national tour/NETworks Presentations), and Adele Live in New York City with Es Devlin (NBC). His upcoming designs include Jesus Christ Superstar Live! (NBC), One Thousand Nights and One Day (Prospect Theater Company), The Royale (Cleveland Play House), and Three Wise Guys (The Actors Company Theatre). Mr. Ardizzone-West received a bachelor of architecture from Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, and an M.F.A. from New York University’s Department of Design for Stage & Film. He is also a member of USA 829. ardizzonewest.com.

Susan Hilferty (Costume Design) has designed over 350 productions across the globe, including in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Malaysia, Spain, Brazil, Germany, and South Africa. Her many Broadway designs include Wicked (Tony, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk Awards, Olivier Award nomination), Hands on a Hardbody, Spring Awakening (Tony nomination), Lestat (Tony nomination), Annie, Into the Woods (Tony and Drama Desk nominations, Henry Hewes Design Award), and Frank Wildhorn’s Wonderland. Her designs for opera include Rigoletto (Metropolitan Opera) and Manon (LA Opera, Staatsoper Berlin). She just completed her 101st Off Broadway design—Richard Nelson’s Illyria—and Uncle Vanya is her 31st collaborationwith him. She works with many well-known artists, including Athol Fugard, the South African writer with whom she worked as set and costume designer and often as co-director on over 34 productions since 1980. Ms. Hilferty also designs for film, dance (Alvin Ailey), the circus (Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey), and concerts (Taylor Swift’s Speak Now World Tour). Her many awards include the Obie Award (Sustained Excellence of Design), The Lilly Award, and The Ruth Morley Design Award. In addition, she chairs Graduate Design for Stage & Film at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Mark Koss (Costume Design) was the costume designer for Marvel Universe LIVE! Age of Heroes and the associate costume designer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Circus XTREME, both produced by Feld Entertainment. His other credits include The Little Mermaid directed by Glenn Casale and co-designed with Amy Clark (Paper Mill Playhouse, national tour); Songbird directed by JV Mercanti (Off Broadway); 9 to 5, Cabaret, Hair, The Producers, Sister Act, and Fiddler on the Roof, all directed by Glenn Casale (California Musical Theatre); Animals Out of Paper and Dead Man’s Cell Phone (San Francisco Playhouse); The Threepenny Opera (Shotgun Players); Pericles (The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival); and The Who’s Tommy (Ray of Light Theatre, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award). He received his M.F.A. from New York University.

Jennifer Tipton (Lighting) is well known for her lighting for theatre, opera, and dance. Her recent work in theatre includes Richard Nelson’s Illyria (The Public Theater). Her recent work in opera includes Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette (Metropolitan Opera), and her recent work in dance includes Alexei Ratmansky’s Romeo and Juliet (Bolshoi Ballet). Ms. Tipton teaches lighting at Yale School of Drama. She received The Dorothy & Lillian Gish Prize in 2001, the Jerome Robbins Award in 2003, and the United Scenic Artists Gracie Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship in 2008.

Will Pickens (Sound Design) is glad to be debuting at The Old Globe. He recently worked on the Broadway productions of M. Butterfly and Indecent (Cort Theatre), Dames at Sea (Helen Hayes Theatre), Honeymoon in Vegas (Nederlander Theatre), The Realistic Joneses (Lyceum Theatre), Bronx Bombers (Circle in the Square theatre), A Time to Kill (John Golden Theatre), and Death of a Salesman (Ethel Barrymore Theatre). His Off Broadway credits include KPOP (Woodshed Collective/Ars Nova/Ma-Yi Theater Company), Othello (New York Theatre Workshop), Smokefall (MCC Theater), Together We Are Making a Poem in Honor of Life (P.S. 142), Alexandria and Empire Travel Agency (Woodshed Collective), and The Gabriel Plays trilogy, Party People, Grounded, Josephine and I, The Apple Family Plays tetralogy, Wild with Happy, and Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them (The Public Theater). Mr. Pickens has also designed regionally at Asolo Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, TheaterWorks, Walnut Street Theatre, The Wilma Theater, Olney Theatre Center, and more. He is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local USA 829 and Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association. willpickens.com.

Caparelliotis Casting (Casting) has cast the Globe productions of The Importance of Being Earnest, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Ken Ludwig’s Robin Hood!, Skeleton Crew, Red Velvet, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, The Blameless, Meteor Shower, tokyo fish story, Constellations, The Last Match, Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Rich Girl, Arms and the Man, Buyer & Cellar, The White Snake, The Twenty-seventh Man, The Royale, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Water by the Spoonful, Time and the Conways, Bethany, The Winter’s Tale, The Few, Double Indemnity, The Rainmaker, Other Desert Cities, Be a Good Little Widow, A Doll’s House, The Brothers Size, Pygmalion, and Good People. Their Broadway casting credits include Junk, Meteor Shower, A Doll’s House Part 2, The Front Page, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The Glass Menagerie, Jitney, The Little Foxes, The Father, Blackbird, An Act of God, Airline Highway, Fish in the Dark, It’s Only a Play, Disgraced, Holler If Ya Hear Me, Casa Valentina, The Snow Geese, Orphans, The Trip to Bountiful, Grace, Dead Accounts, The Other Place, Seminar, The Columnist, Stick Fly, Good People, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, The House of Blue Leaves, Fences, Lend Me a Tenor, and The Royal Family. They also cast for Manhattan Theatre Club, Atlantic Theater Company, Signature Theatre Company, LCT3, Ars Nova, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, McCarter Theatre Center, and Arena Stage, among others. Their film and television credits include HairBrained with Brendan Fraser, “American Odyssey” (NBC), “How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC pilot), “Ironside” (NBC), and Steel Magnolias (Sony for Lifetime).

Theresa Flanagan (Production Stage Manager) is excited to be working on her third project with Richard Nelson, following Illyria (The Public Theater) and The Gabriel Plays (The Public Theater, international tour). Her other recent New York credits include First Daughter Suite (The Public Theater), Under My Skin (Little Shubert), Everything You Touch (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), Three Days to See, Queen of the Mist, and Almost, Maine (Transport Group), and A Walk in the Woods (Keen Company). She is also a Master Teaching Artist with Roundabout Theatre Company.