Thesis About The Cherry Ochard And Peter Tromiov

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The Challenge of Finding the “Soul” Of Peter Trofimov

Introduction

I have been privileged to be given the part of Peter Trofimov as my thesis role in the Regent University production of The Cherry Orchard in October 2012, as directed by Scott Hayes. In this essay, I will talk about the challenges in doing this part, and how to handle them. I will explain why I believe the techniques of Michael Chekhov are the most appropriate to build the base of a Chekhov character.

Before you can even begin a journey on attacking a Chekhov part you have to understand the time period of when it was written. But more important, you have to understand the Russian culture, and yes I would even go as far as saying you have to “dress” yourself with the Russian feeling of the time. Now this is a challenge. How can one do this? For my own part I am lucky and privileged to have the opportunity to work with this play, as I have a background that consists of training at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts. I’ve also been fortunate enough to go to Moscow to perform the play Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol. Due to these experiences I have a firm foundation in tackling a Russian character. Using my previous experience in tandem with my research I will find the soul of the character Peter Trofimov.

How can I “dress” myself and my character with this Russian feeling I mentioned earlier? Is it necessary to travel to Russia? I would say yes, but not necessarily physically. The way I would work to find the “feeling of Russia” is through literature, first and foremost reading all of Chekhov’s plays and short stories, because this is where you find the “soul” of his characters. How can one reach the core of truth in Chekhov’s characters and in my case the c...

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...rld of Chekhov for someone who is new to his plays, and for someone like me who has “battled “a Chekhov part before, it confirmed the feeling of the material I already had about the world of Chekhov.

Works Cited

Chekhov, Anton. The Cherry Orchard. The Online Books. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

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Hirst, David L. Tragicomedy: Variations of melodrama: Chekhov and Shaw. London:

Routledge, 1984.

The Cherry Orchard Study Guide - Anton Chekhov. ENotes.com." ENotes - Literature

Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 26 Nov. 2011.

The Cherry Orchard. Wikipedia. November 19, 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cherry_Orchard

Michael Chekhov. Colorado State Thespians. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

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