Steppenwolf members reunite for virtual reading of Chekhov's 'Seagull'
Yasen Peyankov is no mechanic, but the Steppenwolf Theatre actor/director knows something about high-performance, especially when it comes to theater artists. He's assembled 10 of them, all fellow Steppenwolf ensemble members, for a virtual reading of Anton Chekhov's “The Seagull.”
Directing a cast that includes Amy Morton, Francis Guinan, Tim Hopper and James Vincent Meredith is like having a fleet of Ferraris at his disposal, said Peyankov, who translated, adapted and directed Chekhov's tale of a young artist determined to break new ground and the old guard resistant to change.
“I wouldn't say there was a whole lot of directing going on,” he laughed. “I did talk about moments here and there, the tone and what I was looking for. But I pretty much got out of the way and let them go with their roles.”
An “electrifying” reading from the cast last fall prompted the selection of “The Seagull” as the first of three virtual, subscriber-only productions, which Steppenwolf is providing in place of live shows postponed and canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recorded over two, four-hour sessions using Zoom and a 20-plus person crew, the reading streams for members/subscribers from Tuesday, May 14, through May 27.
“Because of the crisis everybody is available,” Peyankov said. “Everybody is hungry and itching for work. Everyone came in wanting to do this ... wanting to do theater again.”
For Namir Smallwood, who plays Konstantin, the experience helped keep his creative juices flowing.
“I agree with Yasen's Ferrari metaphor,” Smallwood said. “You're working with some of the absolute best in the business bar none. I learned so much from those eight hours watching my fellow actors, listening to them.”
Peyankov says this virtual “Seagull” makes him eager to begin work on his fully staged production, which is set to inaugurate Steppenwolf's new in-the-round theater on July 21, 2021.
“I'm just itching to get into the rehearsal room,” he said. “I'm discovering things I've never seen before ... I'm getting new ideas I'll be able to translate into the rehearsal room.”
The project further fuels Peyankov's lifelong passion for Chekhov's work. He says if he could do nothing but Chekhov, he would be OK with that.
“It is fascinating to read him, fascinating to watch him and fascinating to work on him,” Peyankov said, adding that remains true even in this new medium.
“If we cannot be in the same room ... this is the next best thing and everybody is embracing it,” he said.
The virtual production allows for a kind of intimacy unavailable even to audience members seated near the stage for a live production. It's the ultimate access to actors' expressions, Peyankov said, adding “(the actors) are so close you can see the tears in their eyes and the sparkle in their eyes ... things you would miss if you're sitting in the fifth row.”
Smallwood says the virtual reading suggests “the intimacy the new theater will provide.”
“The new theater is a nod to the early Steppenwolf days when the audience was right on top of actors,” he said.
Peyankov hopes the reading will pique the audience's interest in next year's premiere. More than that, he hopes it will spark “a new respect for Chekhov and what he did for world drama.”
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