The Actor’s Uncle Vanya : In Conversation with Liisa Repo-Martell
A classic with a twist is coming to Crow’s Theatre this fall, penned by Liisa Repo-Martell and brought to life onstage by Crow’s AD Chris Abraham. Hot on the heels of last season’s jaunt through Czarist Russia, Uncle Vanya will play the Streetcar Crowsnest from September 6 to October 2, with a stunning cast of #theaTO favourites.
Repo-Martell is no stranger to one of Chekhov’s most famous plays. She played Sonya in Soulpepper’s production in 2001, under the direction of the Hungarian László Marton.
“His direction was really physical, and fleshy,” said Repo-Martell in an interview. “That was formative experience for me learning Chekhov. We did three remounts of that show, so I know it really, really well.”
Repo-Martell’s take on Vanya isn’t an update in terms of its setting. The adaptation instead remains rooted in its Czarist context, subtly positing powerful resonances which transcend the more-than-century between then and now. Repo-Martell and husband Abraham found themselves discussing the play ad nauseam over the course of the pandemic.
“That was such a society-wide experience,” she said. “It rolled out differently for everyone. But it was a systemic shaking of the foundation. The way the pandemic played out in people’s lives is totally analogous to the situations characters experience in Uncle Vanya, but for completely different historical reasons.”
Repo-Martell doesn’t speak the play’s original Russian, so she’s not been alone in the adaptation process. Polly Phokeev has served as Uncle Vanya’s Russian translator and consultant.
“She did a wonderful job,” said Repo-Martell. “She did a direct, word-for word translation. And it’s hard to see Chekhov’s wit in direct translation due to the syntax, and the idioms don’t really come through. I haven’t tried to preserve the syntax or the rhythm — you can’t really, in translation — but there’s eccentricities rubbing up against each other here, and I’m doing my best to reveal those frictions. I’m taking away any impediments for that wit to reach the audience. I’m there to update outdated idioms, and create a contemporary mouthfeel for the actors so it doesn’t seem old-fashioned.”
“It’s not a scientific process. It’s very intuitive.”
Repo-Martell has approached the text as an actor, thinking about how Abraham’s actors will engage with the texture and timbre of the language. “I’m here to make it relatable, and speakable, and contemporized,” said Repo-Martell. “Actors are in tune with the music of the language, the rhythm — they have to be. We’re sensitive to it.”
It’s notable that Crow’s has hopped from one corner of Czarist Russia to another, leaning into contemporary tensions in this year’s programming. George F. Walker’s Orphans for the Czar was gritty and funny, resting in the grimy underbelly of a struggling working class. Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya is a higher-class, perhaps more demure affair — and yet the parallel stories, programmed less than six months apart, are fascinating in their curatorial similarities.
“There’s a feeling of this being a pre-revolutionary time,” said Repo-Martell. “There’s a feeling of destabilization, which makes people gravitate towards historical antecedents to make sense of what’s happening. I think broadly speaking, the Russian theme is a coincidence, but I also think there’s this tendency to look back in curiosity.”
Uncle Vanya’s cast features a beloved roster of Toronto actors, including Tom Rooney as Vanya, former Intermission columnist Bahia Watson, and Orphans for the Czar’s Eric Peterson.
“They’re incredible,” said Repo-Martell. “They’re tremendous, and with incredible chemistry. They’re just fantastic together. And you need that for Chekhov.”
“We’re just so excited to bring it to life.”
Uncle Vanya runs at Crow’s Theatre from September 6 to October 2. Tickets are available here.
Aisling Murphy
Aisling is Intermission's senior editor and an award-winning arts journalist with bylines including the Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, CBC Arts, CTV News Toronto, and Maclean's. She likes British playwright Sarah Kane, most songs by Taylor Swift, and her cats, Fig and June. She was a 2024 fellow at the National Critics Institute in Waterford, CT.
LEARN MORE
iPhoto caption: Photos of Karen Ancheta and Donna-Michelle St. Bernard courtesy of Theatre Aquarius.
This year’s Brave New Works Festival is set to be a ‘place of convergence’ for Hamilton artists
“With all of these pieces, there’s something really about perspective,” says co-curator Donna-Michelle St. Bernard. “There’s something about not just risk and performance, but risk and experience… These are stories that I could not know if you did not tell them to me. And I think that’s an important piece of broadening the voices in theatre.”
iPhoto caption: Headshot of Stephen Gallagher
Murder at Ackerton Manor pays homage to Agatha Christie with a puzzle box of laughs
“All the tropes are in there,” assures playwright-director Steven Gallagher. “There’s a German professor, a dowdy British monarchist, a Southern belle.” Naturally, a murder ensues, and the culprit must be found.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Rita Taylor
Santee Smith’s SKéN:NEN carries her culture beyond apocalypse
SKéN:NEN, the newest work from Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, fuses movement, narrative, music, and ambitious projection design to tell the story of a young Kahnyen’kehàka woman, Niyoh, who flees her home of Six Nations after a climate catastrophe in the year 2050.
iPhoto caption: Original photos by Kendra Epik.
With its Spring Double Bill, Toronto Dance Theatre centres community and new voices
For the Spring Double Bill, artistic director Andrew Tay is considering how programming can be a means of supporting emerging artists.
iPhoto caption: Headshot by Dahlia Katz, background courtesy of Soulpepper Theatre
Soulpepper digs into Nigerian history with Canadian premiere of Inua Ellams’ Three Sisters
“I started to wonder what it is that I'm interested in saying. How do I see the world? What is my voice for? And the first thing that came to mind was African stories,” says actor Amaka Umeh.
iPhoto caption: Courtesy of Ottawa Fringe
undercurrents festival brings two world premieres to Ottawa this February
Produced by the Ottawa Fringe to showcase contemporary work from local and national creators, the festival is a label-defying feast of the freshest theatre Canada has to offer.
iPhoto caption: Two Fringers pose next to a wall of posters. Photo courtesy of Toronto Fringe.
Missing Toronto Fringe? Now’s your chance to make a difference
Following a successful festival, the Toronto Fringe continues to accept donations as part of its Tip the Fringe campaign.
iPhoto caption: Jane Spence and Derek Ritschel. Photo courtesy of Lighthouse Festival.
Lighthouse Festival announces shake-up in artistic director role
“I couldn’t have imagined how great this theatre would become, thanks to the support of our incredible community and the unwavering dedication of our team,” says Derek Ritschel, who will pivot to a new role as the company’s director in residence. Jane Spence will step into the role of artistic director in November.
iPhoto caption: Production still from The Secret Garden by Michael Cooper; production still from One Man, Two Guvnors by David Cooper.
Shaw Festival review: A fabulous physical comedy and moody garden show off the festival’s extremes
If all is fair in this world, One Man, Two Guvnors will be a smash for the Shaw Festival. The Secret Garden is a more mixed affair, but Gabriella Sundar Singh shines in the title role.
iPhoto caption: Photo courtesy of the Toronto Fringe.
The Delightful Chaos of Mistila and the Motlies promises merriment at the Toronto Fringe
This summer, Down and Dirty Theatre Company will bring its show The Delightful Chaos of Mistila and the Motlies to the Toronto Fringe Festival. The show, billed as “a magical...
iPhoto caption: Photo of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 by Dahlia Katz.
Toronto theatre wins big at the 2024 Dora Awards
The winners of the 2024 Dora Awards were announced on Monday in a lively ceremony hosted by Ryan G. Hinds at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre.
iPhoto caption: Photo courtesy of Luminato.
REVIEW: R.A.V.E. thrusts audiences into a two-hour dance party
With a new artistic director in tow, 2024 seems like it might mark the beginning of a new era for Luminato. This year’s programming is a little less ambitious than...
Comments