Western presents 'Uncle Vanya'

Sweetwater County residents can experience a classic playwright's work in a unique, intimate space in Western Wyoming Community College's newest production, "Uncle Vanya."

The play will be presented in a black-box, thrust stage style. The audience will be seated in chairs on the Western theater stage, with the chairs wrapping around three sides of the stage with the smaller set in the middle. The audience will be up-close with the actors and the drama, contributing to a personal style that matches with Chekhov's work as one of the first realist playwrights, according to Director Stephen Cramer.

Western has done black-box style productions before, but this will be one of the first times to combine it with a classic story. The unique staging creates its own challenges, particularly with the blocking of the play and the movement of the cast, Cramer explained. The actors will have their backs to different sections of the audience at many moments throughout the play, which provides a different feel from the typical proscenium-style staging of most of Western's plays, and requires them to learn to improvise and have more spacial awareness.

The play is also much more subtle than many of Western's other plays, especially the big musical productions. The only music in the show comes from actor Gabriel Garcia whose character carries around and occasionally plays an acoustic guitar. The actors also have the chance to be more subtle in their performances with a closer audience, although Cramer noted it's still important for them to maintain their stage presence.

"Uncle Vanya," like many of Chekhov's plays, deals with characters who are struggling with changes in their lives at the turn of the century. Cramer explained Chekhov was writing plays at a time when the working class was starting to rise and many upper class families had to adjust their way of living. The characters in the play are getting older and facing the reality of discontentment with their lives while adjusting to changes around them. The play also leaves things ambiguous rather than wrapping everything neatly, keeping with Chekhov's realistic style.

Cramer admitted Chekhov's plays can be "heady" and challenging, as well as dealing with more serious topics and containing less humor, but he believes it's important for the college to present classic plays and for the students and the audience to experience a different style of show.

Despite the more literary style of writing and the story's ambiguous ending, Cramer believes "Uncle Vanya" is ultimately an uplifting show. The youngest member of the cast delivers the show's final speech which focuses on the idea that even when things aren't what you expect, life goes on.

The message of persevering combined with a show by a Russian playwright is more relevant now than Cramer could have possibly imagined when he first began to discuss producing "Uncle Vanya" a few years ago. He had no way of knowing the setting would have so much modern relevance when the show finally did come to the stage.

"It is ironic that Russia and Ukraine are front page now while we're doing this," Cramer said.

Although Chekhov himself was Russian, it's unclear where "Uncle Vanya" is set, and the only location that's mentioned in the play is Kharkiv, which is in modern-day Ukraine. When the play was written, Ukraine was still part of Russia under the Tsar. While he didn't choose the play because of current events, Cramer understands and hopes to respect its current relevance.

"I'd like to have some connection to what's going on," he said.

That connection is most obvious to Cramer in the theme of perseverance. He's heard so many stories of people who are currently going through hell but are persevering and determined to go on with their lives, which is one of the main messages he sees in the play.

"Uncle Vanya" will have performances at 7:30 p.m. April 7, 8, and 9, as well as a public matinee on Saturday, April 9 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $13 for adults and $8 for youth and seniors. Tickets are available online or by calling the box office at (307) 382-1721.