Quinnipiac University Theater to present ‘The Seagull’

Press release

HAMDEN, Conn. Quinnipiac University Theater will present “The Seagull” on Feb. 28 and March 1 and 2.

The play, by Russian dramatist Anton Chekov, will take place at the Theatre Arts Center, 515 Sherman Ave.

“’The Seagull’ was the first Chekhov play I ever saw,” director Sammy Zeisel said. “I was in college at the time and it has lived with me ever since. Making this play with the young artists here at Quinnipiac is a dream because, to me, the play is about them. It is a play about young people falling in love, making art and cultivating the strength to stay alive in a world that feels designed to break their hearts.

In the fiercely contemporary production, the student actors will fall in love, break each other’s hearts and find their voices. Along the way, some cultivate the strength to survive in a dispiriting world while others fall between the cracks.

Infused with indie rock and irreverent make-believe, the reimagined version of ‘The Seagull” will examine what it means to be young in a polarized, image-obsessed society in which ambition and celebrity are fetishized with often deadly costs.

“The overall design of this show combines the period aspects of Chekov’s time with modern rehearsal rooms and studio spaces,” said Abigail Copeland, assistant teaching professor in the theater program at Quinnipiac, who is in charge of costume design. “The costumes, for example, will slowly morph from what actors would wear in a rehearsal to what they would wear for a period performance. It’s interesting to see how the two time periods interact visually on stage.”
Tickets for the all-ages show are $20 ($10 for Quinnipiac students) and available by clicking here. Show times are:

• Friday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, March 1 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, March 2 at 2 p.m.