Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull: Tahera-directed play sheds light on mental health of struggling artists
Adapted by Syed Saad, The Seagull’s next show is scheduled for October 3 at Ranga Shankara. Here’s an interview with director-actor Tahera
By Reema Gowalla
Legendary Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov’s timeless piece The Seagull has once again come alive on the Bengaluru stage. Adapted by Syed Saad and directed by Tahera, the two-hour play revolves around four central characters, as the narrative mindfully mixes the themes of ‘unrequited love’, ‘fame’, ‘pursuit of art’ and ‘the struggles of being an artist’ — factors that are relevant even 128 years after the play was first performed. Presented by Arena Theatre Productions, the play is all set for its latest show at Ranga Shankara on October 3.
Said to be a “tale of the harshest truths of life and how certain key decisions shape one’s life”, The Seagull traces the journey of ‘struggling writer’ Constantine, ‘veteran actress and mother’ Irina, ‘famous writer’ Boris Trigorin and ‘young actress’ Nina. Everyone gathers on the estate of Constantine’s uncle, Sorin, to watch a play with Nina in the lead. But the event ends up altering every character’s life. Speaking of the play, Chekov once said that it has “a great deal of conversation about literature, little actions and tons of love”.
The cast includes Rupali Krishnan, Prithvi Raj, Gautam PB, Subharti Kundu, Arnav Agarwal, Tahera and Syed. Premiered in May 2024, the play keeps innovating for each new show. In a candid chat with TheatreRoom, Tahera spoke about recreating ancient Russia on stage, how the play has been adapted for the contemporary audience and its renewed focus on mental health as a theme. Excerpts:
Q. Tell us about the making of the play…
A. We adapted Chekhov’s The Seagull to cater to our audience. The original play is too language-heavy. We simplified it, so that people can grasp the text without much difficulty. Even the setting has been changed to suit the new adaptation, while the cast and characters have also been rearranged a bit. The upcoming Ranga Shankara edition will mark our eighth round of shows. Honestly speaking, we’ve had a lot of fun making this play. Of course, since it’s a classic, there are challenges and complexities involved. In fact, every time it feels like how are we going to do it? But once done, it’s really nice to see all the characters. It’s rewarding to be able to spend time with the script and understand the depth of each character. That’s something we’ve really enjoyed doing as a team. One of the other elements that I liked experimenting with are the little abstract movement pieces, peppered in the narrative. These serve as a breather in an otherwise text-heavy script. These are not contemporary dance pieces per se, as none of us are into movements arts. But these components, along with the lighting and music, have definitely helped in putting together a well-rounded, entertaining show.
Q. The Seagull dabbles in a number of themes. Was it difficult for you to recreate the classic for a modern audience?
A. Yes, absolutely. The Seagull deals with themes such as life, love, agony and literature. Trying to make the story relevant for the modern audience was quite a challenging task. Interestingly, even though it’s a classic, the narrative also sheds light on mental health problems, and that’s the bit I have put more focus on in the adaptation. Themes such as artists’ struggles, their insecurities and complex nature as well as their relationship with other people find emphasis in the story. The Seagull was written more than 100 years ago, but the plot is still relevant in today’s world. We still see people in the arts world — be it writers or performers — struggle to make ends meet, while they continue to pursue their passion. That’s something I have highlighted in this adaptation. While reading the original script, that’s where I felt I should tone things down and bring that bit to the audience.
Q. How would you describe the story of your adaptation?
A. The story is set in Russia. It follows the dynamics between a mother and her son, and how complex their relationship turns when the mother starts having an affair with a writer. Then, there is a girl who’s initially in love with the son, but later falls for his mother’s lover. So, a love triangle is happening there. But honestly, I would say this is a story about choices. There are different characters, whose lives are in parallel. It’s about how the choices that one makes determines their future. Overall, we get to see how the life of every character ends up, because of the choices they made in the past. The narrative shows that reality.
Q. Tell us a little about the set design, lighting and the movement pieces you mentioned earlier..
A. Personally, I feel I must give the audience an ‘awe’ moment. Sometimes, we try to spoon-feed them, worrying that they may not understand what we’re doing on stage. But with movement pieces, you can leave things open-ended, nudging the audience to draw their own conclusions and continue mulling things over, even after they leave the auditorium. You leave the audience thinking about what has happened or what is going to happen.
In this adaptation of The Seagull, there’s one movement piece in the beginning and another just before the interval. These pieces start off in a very abstract manner. Everybody’s like, “What’s happening?” But that’s exactly how I wanted them to be. Eventually, everyone can decipher how things are unfolding. The dance moment before the interval clarifies and summarises the entire bit. In order to get the actors a little comfortable with moving around on stage, we also had a couple of workshops for them before the rehearsals began.
In terms of music, the background score forms an integral part of the play, which I think holds true for any performance. The music that we added to the story amplifies the characters’ emotions and the overall feel of the play. You’ll also notice a vibrant mix of colours in the backdrop. We have tried to replicate 20th century Russia with wooden furniture, carpets and a patchwork of colours.
Catch the latest show of The Seagull at Ranga Shankara on October 3 (7.30pm). You can book your tickets here.
