Graduate Ensemble Opens Season with Anton Chekhov's THE THREE SISTERS, 11/12-22

The Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA (CWRU/CPH MFA) Acting Program will present The Three Sisters in the Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre ("The Helen") at PlayhouseSquare for 10 performances only, November 12-22, 2014. Written by Anton Chekhov and directed by CWRU/CPH MFA Program Director Ron Wilson, this landmark piece of theatre opens the second season for the MFA Class of 2016.

"I have had a love affair with the plays of Anton Chekhov for too many years to count," says Wilson. "Chekhov's understanding of the frailties and absurdities of humanity are unmatched. He is able to see the humor in the pain and the pain in the humor as his characters struggle with what it means to exist. He also presents his characters without judgment. He leaves that to the audience."

THE THREE SISTERS Cast - MFA Class of 2016

NICK BARBATO (Andrei) hails from Syracuse, New York, where he attended Le Moyne College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a theatre arts minor. He recently played Leo in CPH's The Little Foxes.

JEREMIAH CLAPP (Vershinin) is a native of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, where he has appeared in Farragut North (Steven), Twelfth Night (Malvolio), Henry V (Chorus) and Back of the Throat (Bartlett).

ALEC HYNES (Baron Tuzenbach) graduated from Cornell College with a Bachelor of Special Studies in Theatre, Religions and Performance Studies. He has worked regionally in Iowa with Riverside Theatre, and with Working Group Theatre.

Following the death of their father, sisters Olga, Masha, and Irina dream of returning to Moscow, the glorious city of their youth which represents all things civilized and cultured. Yet, as their yearning increases, the reality of their current provincial lives grows more stifling. Chekhov's The Three Sisters is a masterpiece of modern theatre that explores the universal - and sometimes comical - struggle to find meaning in our lives.

MEGAN KING (Masha) graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith last June with her Bachelor of Arts in theatre performance. She also holds an Associate of Fine Arts from Arkansas State University Beebe. She recently played Alexandra in CPH's The Little Foxes.

JAY BEN MARKSON (Kulygin) graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre and creative writing. Markson is also the associate artistic director and an ensemble member of MaineStage Shakespeare.

RICKIE McDOWELL (Solyony) is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre arts. McDowell has a passion for all aspects of film, ranging from acting to producing.

KATHRYN METZGER (Olga) received her Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts and English from CWRU. She recently appeared as Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew at Island Stage Left.

KATIE O. SOLOMON (Irina) graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science from Towson University's theatre program with a concentration in performance. She is a proud founding member of Baltimore's Stillpointe Theatre Initiative.

ARON LONG (Ferapont) appeared in the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program's production of Twelfth Night last season and recently graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater.

LAURA STARNIK (Anfisa) recently appeared in the Oberlin Summer Theater Festival in Come Back, Little Sheba. Regional credits include This is Not the Play, Cleveland Public Theatre; and Humble Boy, Middletown and Sons of the Prophet, Dobama Theatre.

DAVID VEGH (Chebutykin) is excited to be part of this production of The Three Sisters. He recently joined the theatre faculty at Case Western Reserve University where he will direct Lobby Hero in 2015.

KATJA YACKER (Natasha) is a sophomore undergraduate student at Case Western Reserve University double majoring in theatre and psychology. She has previously appeared in Measure for Measure and Waiting for Lefty for CWRU's Eldred Theatre.

ANTON CHEKHOV (Playwright/1860-1904) was a physician, playwright and short story author and is considered to be one of the greatest writers of the modern era. He was born in Taganrog, a port town in southern Russia, and later attended medical school in Moscow, paying his tuition by writing short sketches of Russian life for local newspapers. Upon graduation, Chekhov traveled throughout Russia tending to the sick, often free of charge. He found inspiration to write short stories while travelling, and won the Pushkin Prize in 1887 for his short story collection At Dusk. While he showed a talent for writing, the poor reception of his play The Seagull caused Chekhov to renounce theatre. However, director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko and his colleague Konstantin Stanislavski loved The Seagull and remounted it to great success. They went on to commission the production of Chekhov's other plays, Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. Chekhov's dramatic principles are still used today, and his stream of consciousness style inspired such writers as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. After showing symptoms of tuberculosis for three years, Chekhov was officially diagnosed in 1897. He died in Badenweiler, Germany, in 1904.

RON WILSON (Director) returned to Cleveland in 1999 to serve as the chairman of the Department of Theater at Case Western Reserve University and the director of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting program. He has been the resident fight choreographer with CPH since 1999, and directed more than 60 productions in his career. Directing credits for the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program include In Arabia We'd All Be Kings, Arcadia, Hurlyburly, Bus Stop, Hay Fever, Cloud Nine and The Real Inspector Hound. Other directing credits include The Triumph of Love, Cincinnati Play House in the Park; and The Comedy of Errors, Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Directing credits also include musical theatre, opera, mime and movement theatre. Acting credits include The Guardsman, Room Service and The Underpants, Cleveland Play House; and All's Well That Ends Well, CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program.

The design team for The Three Sisters includes Cameron Caley Michalak (Scenic Design), Angelina Herin (Costume Design), Michael Boll (Lighting Design), and James C. Swonger (Sound Design). Also on the team: Stage Manager Maryann Morris and Production Assistant Meghan Cvetic.

For a complete cast and creative team bios, go online at http://clevelandplayhouse.com/cwru-cph-mfa/2014- 2015/the-three-sisters