Walsh 1

Malia Walsh
Mr. Fox
IB Theatre
5 February 2016
Directors Notebook Draft (Section A)
When I initially read Anton Chekhovs Three Sisters, I was awed by the deep symbolic
connection in scenes depicting everyday life. The first scene takes place on Irinas name day, a
Russian birthday celebration, which happens to also be the anniversary of their fathers death.
While on the surface, the event is seemingly an ordinary birthday celebration it immediately
introduces the reader to the ongoing motif of time. The sisters are getting older, time is running
out. In Act 3, the town is on fire, also an event that would likely occur in real life. The fire is a
reflection of the growing emotional tension in the play and foreshadowing of future destruction
and devastation. I was captivated by the characters dreams, longing for the sisters to reach
Moscow, for Irina to find love, and was utterly disappointed when these goals were not fulfilled.
I enjoyed the emotional development of every scene (the simplicity of events was refreshing) and
character.
Although I was able to make many thematic connections, I had difficulty remembering
who was who. Russian name structures are very complex, and as a director I must clarify who is
being talked about during the scene (I plan to give the audience programs with brief character
descriptions and names. I also need to make sure the actors make clear distinctions between each
of the characters). Another challenge in directing Three Sisters is the elaborate set design.
However, this challenge sparked my idea to use actors to create rooms, trees, birds, weather, etc.
If the actors operated puppets, they could be moving set pieces; this would also add a cinematic

Walsh 2
quality to the piece. Overall, being able to comprehend the Russian customs, change sets quickly,
demonstrate emotional contrast/development, and portray the primary themes/motifs of the play
(time, clocks, love, superstition, tea) accurately is key to successfully directing Chekhov.
When directing a play, it is essential to list central ideas, narrative plot, characters,
location, transitions, etc. Three Sisters is about young sisters whose dreams of returning to
Moscow/finding love result in disappointment and anguish. Thematically, Three Sisters is about
excessive dreaming and planning and how that creates missed opportunities, even destruction.
There are 5 women and 10 men in the play. These characters are listed in the table below.
Men
Andrey Prosorov
Feodor Kuligin
Alexander Vershinin
Nicolai Tuzenbach (Baron)
Vassili Soleni
Ivan Chebutikin (Doctor)
Ensemble Characters: Alexey Fedotik,

Women
Natalia Ivanova (Natasha)
Olga Prosorov
Masha Prosorov
Irina Prosorov
Anfisa

Vladimir Rode, Ferapont

The place takes place in a Provincial town outside of Moscow. The play is divided into four parts
which take place in the Prosorov Family Home (PFH) and outside the PFH in the Terrace/Street.
There are not many transitions in the play. Transitions occur at the end of each Act/Scene. The
list of transitions, as set by the playwright, may be found attached to the end of this document.
During my analysis of the play text, I have gathered several important facts, deductions,
and questions about the play. Some facts of the world of the play include: the play begins on
Irinas name day, there are three sisters from Moscow, the youngest character in the play is 20
and the oldest, the maid Anfisa, is 80, there is a fire and duel in the play, the regiment moves
away, and the girls never go to Moscow. Some deductions of the world of the play include: the

Walsh 3
Prosorov family is wealthy, love changes over time (passionate love does not last), love makes
people bitter, the sisters, like birds and flowers, are vulnerable, excessive dreaming/planning
leads to disappointment, life is full of uncertainty and our existence cannot be proven, and the
educated spend so much time philosophizing about life that they forget to life (the nobility is
impractical). Some of my questions regarding the play include: what were the roles of the
Russian aristocracy during the early 20th century, what role did women play in society, what role
did superstition play in everyday life? Moving forward, I can use these deductions and questions
to enhance the quality of my directing. I have also listed some of the central ideas of the play
(time, love, innocence/youth, social class, dreams, and disappointment).
Directing a play also necessitates an understanding of the playwrights style and genre of
their piece. Three Sisters is a Russian drama in four acts. While there is not heavy action, the plot
is advanced by the emotional development and mood of the scene (Biography). Stylistically,
Chekhov is famous for developing scenes with locations reflective of the mood/emotion of the
scene. Chekhov is also famous for his highly satirical and tragicomedy techniques
(Biography). One example of Chekhovs tragicomedy in the Three Sisters is during Irinas
monologue about her life being over. For young people, this is monologue is extremely sad (Irina
will most likely never return to Moscow, shes getting older, and has not found love). On the
other hand, it also extremely funny considering Irina is only twenty. She has many years in her
life and her struggles are only beginning. Chekhovs language techniques during his time would
have mostly likely resonated with audiences of middle-class socioeconomic structure. Many
people in 1900 could understand rudimentary Latin phrases (Russian). Now, Chekhovs work
is primarily geared towards a more refined, educated audience.

Walsh 4
Another integral aspect of directing is developing opinions and interpretations of the play.
These opinions can be used to serve the playwright, and to make choices about the action,
emotions in the scenes. For me, Three Sisters is about excessive dreaming/longing and how
love/time can cause people to miss out on living life. I think the playwright wrote this piece to
point out the changing political environment in Russia during the turn of the century. I think the
playwright also wanted to point out the aristocracys inability to adapt to the new ways of life in
Russia.
In the theatre, one always has to do their research. In my research on Chekhovs life and
the political environment in Russia, I discovered several important facts/events that have perhaps
influenced Chekhovs work.
Who was Anton Chekhov?

Born: 1860
Died: 1904
Background: Chekhov had 5 siblings. His father was a grocer with debt/money issues.
His mother loved storytelling and inspired to Chekhov to begin writing (Biography).
After his family moved to Moscow so his father could look for work, Chekhov remained
in school and finished his studies before go to Moscow to attend medical school.
Chekhov became a doctor and wrote short stories under a pen name to get additional
money to support his family (Biography). Eventually, Chekhov began to publish his
stories without a pen name and became increasingly famous. He is credited with being
the father of the modern short story and is well-known for his plays Three Sisters, The

Cherry Orchard, The Seagull, and Uncle Vanya (Biography).

Another interesting fact: Chekhov died of Tuberculosis at the young age of 44. He also
was the grandson of a serf (Biography).

What was happening in Russia in the late 19th century and early 20th century?

Walsh 5

The serfs are freed under the Tsar Nicolas II in 1861 ending a long history of
feudalism in Russia. The Tsar also begins to transform the autocracy into a

constitutional monarchy (Russian).

The Russians fight the Japanese for territory in 1904. However, tensions begin to stir

well before the beginning of the conflict (Russian).

Growing internal tension within the working class leading up to the 1905 Russian

Revolution. (Bloody Sunday, Russia loses the Japanese Russian war) (Bloody)
Rise of the Bolsheviks (Russian Communists lead by Lenin) at the turn of the century
(Russian)

All historical research documents are attached to the end of this draft section.

Transitions
1. Beginning of the play--- Curtain (Scene begins in the Prosorov family home)
2. Natalia and Andrey kiss, Andrey proposes to Natalia I love you, love you. As never
before. ---- Curtain (Opens to PFH and concertina music can be heard)
3. Irina is depressed and everyone including Natasha has left To Moscow [3x] ---- Curtain
(Opens to PFH bedrooms, ringing fire alarm can be heard)
4. Irina agrees to marry the Baron Theres nothing better than Moscow on earth! Lets go,
Olga, lets go! ---Curtain (Opens to PFH garden terrace)
5. News of Barons death arrives, Olga begins final monologue, If only we could
know!----- Curtain (Line for Bows)

Walsh 6

Scene Summaries:
Act 1- The scene in which Irina celebrates her name day.
Act 2- The scene in which Vershinin professes his love for Masha.
Act 3- The scene in which the town catches on fire.
Act 4- The scene in which the regiment leaves.

Directors Notebook Draft (Section B)

An Explanation and response to colors, textures, etc. is stapled to the back of this
document.

Walsh 7

My Personal Theatre Influences

My acting training has been heavily influenced by the devising process, Stanislavski
method, and unique cultural theatrical art forms. As both a cast member and spectator of Mr.
Wats shows, I have explored the devising process or the creation of theatre in a collaborative

Walsh 8
group. First, Mr. Wat demonstrated what kind of movements he was looking for, and his
movements were used as a template to create more movement. Then, we refined, added, and
removed excess movements. When certain scenes called for elaborate sets, we used people to
create scenery. For example, one scene called for a bush and large tree. We lacked the time and
resources to have/create an actual mobile tree. Therefore, my cast members and I used our arms
to create a bush. This devising process has greatly affected my creative processes and director
philosophy. Many of the scenes (in my play) necessitate large, elaborate set designs, I plan on
using people to create objects in the background of the scene to meet the playwrights needs while
appeasing my low-cost budget. The devising process also directly impacted my philosophy as a
director. I believe that a director is like the navigator of a boat. Without the captain, the ship will
sink. However, the director cannot sail the ship herself either. Delegation and trust is key to
success. While directing my play, I will encourage the actors to contribute to the piece also.
Stanislavski acting method is deeply rooted in realism, and asks actors to draw on their
own experiences to create emotional depth and honesty. Both Chekhov and Stanislavski worked
together in the theatre (Biography). Therefore, I feel that Stanislavski method works extremely
well with my piece and is an honest reflection of the original production of the play (in terms of
acting). I want the actors in my piece to have a moment before, an obstacle and emotional
conflict in every scene. With Chekhov, this style of acting fits naturally given that Chekhovs
writing is embedded with internal and external conflict, desires, and disappointment. (In Three
Sisters, the doctors internal conflict over his existence, Irinas desire to find true love, and the
duel are all examples of conflict/desire in the play). When directing, I will give my actors various
situations to influence their emotions in the scene as well.

Walsh 9
Lastly, my experiences with various cultural forms of theatre facilitated my openmindedness to cultures different from my own. As a spectator of the Monkey Kings performed at
University of Hawaii at Manoa, I noted several theatre technicalities that would have made the
play more enjoyable. Brevity is the soul of wit. A long play must be performed with smooth
transitions, and talking must be at a natural pace. Otherwise, the play becomes excessively long
and boring. Although the play was not flawless, I greatly enjoyed the Balinese puppetry and
theatre techniques. This art form is not applicable to my play. However, as a spectator of the
Monkey Kings, I realize the importance of accurate cultural representation. Last year, I was also
introduced to Russian customs and provincial life as a performer in the play Baba Yaga. I
researched Russian customs and traditions for the play. My previous research and knowledge
will come in handy in my directing process. I can use my research to recreate the town in Three
Sisters.