The Middlebury Acting Company’s cast — composed entirely of local Vermonters — took the stage on Friday, Oct. 19 for their opening night of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. The Cherry Orchard will be performed at the Middlebury Town Hall Theater again this weekend from Oct. 25–2.
The blend of this talented cast with the work of one of Russia’s greatest classic playwrights offers a timeless artistic experience for both Middlebury students and locals, according to Director Melissa Lourie.
“If you’re going to come to a play at town hall theater, this is the one to see,” Lourie said.
The Cherry Orchard, published in 1903, is Chekhov’s final work, and its themes still resonate strongly with modern audiences.
The play “speaks to any human being who has ever been alive and struggled with all the issues that come with that,” Lourie added.
The play follows a Russian aristocratic family facing the decline of their wealth. At its core, it explores the characters’ internal and external conflicts as they grapple with the desire to preserve their beautiful cherry orchard while confronting the inevitable changes that life brings.
Lourie told The Campus that she has long cherished The Cherry Orchard, having performed in it during graduate school. “I felt it was time for me to do it,” she added.
Lourie’s adaptation of the play is crafted to be accessible for audiences while remaining faithful to Chekhov’s original work. Chekhov’s works are renowned for their grounded presentation and realistic dialogues. Characters often engage in everyday conversation about trivial matters, but the true depth of his plays lies in the subtext behind what characters say and how it relates to their feelings and relationships with others in the play.
“If people are unfamiliar with Chekhov, they should come and see what he is because he’s really special,” Lourie said.
Students from a Middlebury beginning theater class were invited to attend the final dress rehearsal before opening night. Jane Zhang ’28 enjoyed seeing the play because she appreciated the different creative choices in set design that brought the audience closer to the performance.
“The nursery is on the same level as the audience members. The actors sometimes join the stage from the two entrances we entered, hinting that the characters are actual living people, bringing us into their story,” Zhang said.
Lourie emphasized the crucial role the cast plays in the success of this project. The actors embody each character down to the smallest detail, telling stories of love, heartache and class differences. The raw emotion and tension between the characters is on full display as the family inches closer and closer to financial disaster. Audience members can feel the frustration of trying to reason with someone who won’t listen, as well as the sadness of clinging to the past while everything around them changes.
“I wouldn’t do Chekhov unless I could get these actors,” Lourie said.
