Theatre Lab Presents THE CHERRY ORCHARD June 9

Theatre Lab's production of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard will open June 9. The play is being produced as part of The Theatre Lab's "Creating a Role" class, in which acting students hone their performance skills through the staging of a complete play.
Since its premiere in Moscow in 1904, the play has come to be seen as a seminal work of dramatic realism. First directed by the Russian acting teacher Constantin Stanislavski, who saw it as a tragedy while Chekhov maintained it was a comedy, the play has spurred a wide range of interpretations in productions around the world.

The Theatre Lab's production, directed by Jessica Burgess, will feature an imaginative use of the performance space as the actors play scenes through the theatre. The seating arrangement of the audience will be shifted at the act break to accommodate the staging of the play around the space.

Burgess said she wanted the performance style to be very natural, and that it was important the actors achieved a level of comfort in their roles.

"Some of the most interesting moments happen as a result of the actors naturally exploring their characters," Burgess said. "One of the great things about this process is that we had eight weeks of rehearsal. That time really allows the actors to feel the play and their characters in their bones."
Burgess is the founding Artistic Director of The Inkwell, Washington, DC's resource for new plays by emerging artists, and is a three-time recipient of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Young Emerging Artists Grant. She currently is Artistic Associate at Round House Theatre in Bethesda.

The Cherry Orchard will run for one weekend, June 9-11, with performances at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students. The Theatre Lab is located at 733 8th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. Information and tickets can be found online at www.theatrelab.org or by calling (202) 824-0449. 

The Theatre Lab is the largest independent theatre school in Washington, with classes for students of all ages and experience levels. The Theatre Lab is also well known for its community outreach, offering hundreds of scholarships to children, teens, and adults who wouldn't otherwise be able to study acting, as well as Life Stories, a groundbreaking program that brings the tools and techniques of storytelling and filmmaking to marginalized or disadvantaged groups of people.