Drew University Students, Faculty to Perform Chekov's "Three Sisters"

Drew University’s theatre arts department will perform Chekov’s classic play, Three Sisters, from November 12 to 15 in the Kean Theatre inside the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts. The event is open to the public. Acting alongside the student actors are members of the Drew faculty.

Anton Chekhov’s classic play Three Sisters, written in 1901, traces the life of a former Moscow family coping with both hard times and life in a small town. There are marriages, affairs, desperation, and a search for meaning in the midst of hardship.

“It’s a big, whopping classic play,” Francesca Morabito, 22, who plays Natasha said. “The cool thing that Chekhov does is that it’s a lot funnier than you think it’s going to be.” Morabitio is a member of the Drew University class of 2015.

Theatre Arts Professor Chris Ceraso, a professional actor with an extensive résumé, plays a sentimental army doctor and family friend who visits the three sisters on one of their birthdays.

English Professor Jim Hala is relegated to the role of the go-fer in a government office, capturing his doddering character both physically and emotionally. The play is directed by Theatre Arts Professor Daniel LaPenta.

Drew’s theatre arts program was recently ranked 7th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Students say their experience prepares them for careers in the performing arts.

“Our professors really let us do what we want to do,” says Kyle Biemiller, 21, also a member of the class of 2015. “We’re allowed to do shows other schools may not be able to do.” Morabito agreed, “Any student who comes here can do an incredible number of things.”

Three Sisters will be performed at 7 p.m. Wednesday and at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. There is also a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. The Kean Theatre is located on the Drew campus at 36 Madison Ave. in Madison. Tickets are $10 (two for the price of one on Thursday); reservations can be made by calling 973.408.3030 or via keanboxoffice@drew.edu.

About Drew University

Drew University is a private, liberal arts university located in Madison, New Jersey, in the New York City metro area. Ranked among the top liberal arts institutions nationwide by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, and Washington Monthly, Drew is also listed in Princeton Review’s Best 379 Colleges.

The Drew promise—We Deliver Full-Impact Learning to the World—emphasizes the university’s commitment to borderless education that enables a student’s greatest success in a globally connected world.

Drew has a total student enrollment of more than 2,000 in three schools: the College of Liberal Arts, the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, and the Drew Theological School. The undergraduate program offers degrees in 30 different disciplines, while Caspersen and the Theological School offer degrees at the master’s and doctoral levels.

Information courtesy of Elizabeth Moore