About This Project

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

CHERRY ORCHARD

Dramaturgy: Joel Nordström
Set and Costume Design: Helga Bumsch
Music: Igor Gostuški
Choreographer: Damjan Kecojevic
Light Design: Anna Wemmert Clausen
Photo: Ola Kjelbye
Production: Gothenburg City Theatre, Gothenburg, Sweden, March 17. 2017.

Cast: Mia Höglund Melin, Fredrik Evers, Simon J. Berger, Emelie Strömberg, Sven-Åke Gustavsson, Jesper Söderblom, Hampus Hallberg, Jennifer Amaka Petersson, Ylva Olaison, Bo Stenholm, Daniel Ekborg, Anders Blad

One of the most frequently staged and disputed Chekhov plays “Cherry Orchard” is a social allegory with its examination of memory – personal and collective – which is seen both as a source of personal identity and as a burden preventing the attainment of happiness. Each character is involved in a struggle to remember, but more importantly in a struggle to forget, certain aspects of their past.

In the original play, there is a juxtaposition between the feudalistic Russia and modernity as in Western modernity with its rationalism secularism and materialism.

My feeling is that today’s interpretation of the play should, in fact, start where the original play ends – by questioning the notion of the Western modernity and it’s outcomes such as the welfare state which has been faced with the severe crisis in the past few years and additionally traumatized by the refugee crisis in the last two years.

The political and social landscape is changing very fast in front our eyes and the European neo-liberal societies are obviously not able to cope with it without losing their basic humanitarian values.

Anja Suša (from the presentation of the performance speech)