Theater

Those who love Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” understand that as time passes, the world we know fades into the past. In time, we ourselves will be gone, and no one will remember our faces or even our voices. The good news is that through the indelible impact we have on others, eventually, our lives will take on meaning, and the world will be a better place. At least, that is the famous prophecy made by Ólga, the oldest of the three sisters, in the final moments of Chekhov’s play.

Audience members wanting a historical look at and deeper understanding of Chautauqua Theater Company’s production of Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” have to look no further than tonight’s “’fore-Play: ‘Three Sisters.’” Artistic Associate Claire Karpen will be leading the conversation.

Decommissioned nuclear reactors and flying chairs are not typically the first things that come to mind in a production of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters,” but this is what awaits those who attend today’s Bratton Behind the Scenes. The event, which will focus on Chautauqua Theater Company’s current production of “Three Sisters,” begins at 2:15 p.m. at Bratton Theater. The program will last approximately 45 minutes.

Masks, clown noses and a silly show are scheduled to take place at 10:30 p.m. Saturday at the Chautauqua Theater Company’s Late Night Mask Show. The show will take place outside rehearsal shacks 64 and 65. Although it falls during Week Two programming dates, the show will take on the theme from Week Three, which is “American Intelligence: Technology, Espionage and Alliances,” said Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch.

Chautauqua Theater Company’s production of Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” is set as the topic of discussion at the Brown Bag lunch at 12:15 p.m. today in Bratton Theater. General Manager Robert Chelimsky said the event will focus on the choices made in the CTC production, which means that a lot of attention may be turned to guest director Brian Mertes. “The director becomes the interviewee to a great degree,” Chelimsky said. “It tends to be very focused on what they were going for conceptually.”

Chautauqua Theater Company begins the first of 15 performances of its production of Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” with a preview of the play at 8 p.m. tonight in Bratton Theater. The company’s preview performance is open to the public and allows the guest director to see the show with an audience before he leaves Chautauqua.

As the opening of Chautauqua Theater Company’s production of “Three Sisters” approaches, the production team finds itself finishing an evolving set of needs for the play. Production Manager Joe Stoltman said while this is his third time working on a production of “Three Sisters,” each time has presented different challenges. For this production, directed by Brian Mertes, the team has responded to aspects of the show that have changed during rehearsals.

Brian Mertes, well-known theater and television director, looks at things differently than traditional directors. This might be evident to audience members who come to see the Chautauqua Theater Company’s 2011 Season production of “Three Sisters” that Mertes is directing. The play, which takes place in a provincial town in Russia, follows the search for meaning and happiness in life by three sisters — Irina, Olga and Masha — as they long to go back to their hometown of Moscow.

The Chautauqua Theater Company costume shop is accustomed to the process of constructing garments for plays, but a modern twist on Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” has made this time a unique blend of Victorian and modern styles. Olivera Gajic, designer of the costumes for the production, said she has worked with Brian Mertes, director of the production, approximately a dozen times on past productions, and nearly half of those times involved Chekhov plays. This has allowed them to develop a comfortable system for getting the design of costumes fitted with each play and character.

Chautauqua Theater Company is hard at work preparing for its performances for the 2011 Season. This season’s list includes Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters,” the New Play Festival and William Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost.”