Junior Eddy Jordan, right, and freshman Greg Baker, left, play chess during a practice of Act 1 of the “Three Sisters” production before a dress rehearsal on Wednesday night. (Calyx Ward/CU Independent)
CU Presents kicks off its spring season this week with a production of Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29 at the Loft Theatre on campus.
Under Karen M. Dabney’s direction, CU students will perform Chekhov’s dramatic story of the Prozorov sisters in a relatable and contemporary way. Based loosely off the lives of the Brontë sisters, Olga, Masha and Irina struggle to find happiness far from their sophisticated lives back in Moscow.
Dabney brings a fresh edge to Chekhov’s classical ideas of work, old age, family, ambition and love with the use of modern acting techniques that prevent the play from “being bogged down by archaic notions of style,” Dabney said.
Dabney also seeks to reestablish realism by focusing particularly on the metaphor of gambling — a theme that resonates with a modern-day audience.
“Gambling is something most anybody can relate to,” Dabney said. “Beyond the addiction itself, the strategies of ‘You gotta bet big to win big’ and ‘Going all-in’ apply not only to gambling, but to life.”
“Three Sisters” is one of many productions this semester from CU Presents, including “Quilters,” which will begin a two-week run at the University Theatre starting Feb. 14.
“Quilters” will star award-winning CU associate professor Tammy Meneghini under the direction of Lynn Nichols. This will be the fourth time Nichols has directed the musical, having won the 1998 Denver Drama Critics Circle award for the 15th anniversary production of “Quilters.”
Joan McLean Braun, the executive director of CU Presents, expressed particular excitement about “Quilters” because of the inclusion of an art exhibit that will coincide with the play’s performances, which Braun said embodies the “tie-in with the community” that CU Presents aims for. The exhibit, produced by Front Range Quilters, will be on display at the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder until March 7.
In addition to the new production of Mary Zimmerman’s Tony Award-winning play, “Metamorphoses,” coming April 11th to the University Theatre, students can also look forward to a performance by actors of the New York-based Aquila Theatre, performing Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” on March 19 in the Macky Auditorium.
This semester CU Presents will bring a “neat combination of student works and professional touring productions,” Braun said, presenting a “vast spread of artistic opportunities for the community and the campus” this spring.
Tickets for “Three Sisters” can be purchased at tickets.cupresents.org.
Junior Jesse Leepacheco, left, and first-year law student Spencer Rubin act out Scene I during during a practice of Act 1 of the “Three Sisters” production before a dress rehearsal on Wednesday night. Leepacheco plays the role of Andrei, the brother of the three sisters. Rubin plays Pherapont, a man who interacts with Andrei throughout the performance. (Calyx Ward/CU Independent)
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Holly Evans at hoev8916@colorado.edu.
