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The Seagull
Around the World in 80 Plays
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Don't miss The Seagull

The Seagull. By Anton Chekhov. New Adaptation by Simon Stephens. 

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Unrequited love. Creative jealousy. Guns. Vodka. Art. A summer weekend at a lakeside estate falls apart when celebrities come to visit. Switching effortlessly between the ridiculous and the profound, this masterpiece of the modern era examines the burning need to create art and the destructive power of love. Read The Playbill.

> Explore the 9 other plays from russia to round out your Around the World in 80 Plays experience

Tickets are Pay-What-You-Choose, and audiences enjoy unlimited access to the audio drama from the premiere date until April 20, 2022. You will receive an email with a link to log into your account and listen to an embedded audio file through your computer or device.

Purchase a Passport Subscription and enjoy all eight productions! Around the World Passport


CBC IDEAS - RUSSIA indepth Podcast

IDEAS is a deep-dive into contemporary thought and intellectual history. Using The Seagull as a launching-off point, Host Nahlah Ayed sits down with artists to discuss the cultural context to understand this Russian drama, and what it might have to say to our contemporary Canadian context. FREE

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EXTEND YOUR STAY

THE SIT DOWN - interview with Daniel Brooks

Director of The Seagull, Daniel Brooks, sits down with Emma Stenning to discuss the profound impact of Chekhov's work on theatre today and how he approached directing this iconic piece. 

Recorded early 2021 with Soulpepper's previous Executive Director.


free russian cocktail masterclass

In partnership with Toronto Life Insider, to celebrate The Seagull, we are thrilled to offer an exclusive online Russian Cocktail Masterclass hosted by Evelyn Chick, founder of the Love Of CocktailsEvelyn walks through three classic cocktail recipes with famous Russian vodka, providing her own twist with easy to find ingredients at home.


Restaurant Recommendations from Toronto LiFE

Suliko Restaurant features traditional meats, fish, dumplings & desserts in a family-friendly environment.

Order take-out from this or other local restaurants to enjoy while you listen to the production.

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Spotlight from TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF AUTHORS - Maria Reva

Featured here is a double interview from TIFA 2020, between two Canadian authors whose latest collections of short stories reflect on themes of community, and how lives can intertwine throughout significant historical or societal change.

Maria Reva, a Ukraine-born Canadian writer, examines life for a small community within a police state in 1980s Ukraine, in Good Citizens Need Not Fear. This conversation touches on the absurd to the horrific, illuminating the unexpected ways we remain connected during times of change.

Book Recommendations from Toronto International Festival of Authors


SPOTLIGHT from small world music – blisk

BLISK is described as a musical journey travelling through Ukraine, Poland, Russia, the Balkans and beyond. The Toronto-based, all-female quartet was brought together by a deep love and respect for the ancient songs and dances of these regions, bringing the tunes to life in the modern world through unique original compositions, storytelling, dance and distinctive arrangements of traditional folk music. BLISK is Stephania Woloshyn, Ekaterina, Nastasia Y, and Ewelina Ferenc. Throughout their performance, the band regularly shares stories about the ancient rituals and folklore from which the songs originate, which is important to the group. BLISK debuted in December of 2017, at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto where they opened for JUNO-nominated Turkwaz.

LISTEN on SOUNDCLOUD


ART Attention FROM the ago

Melissa Smith, Assistant Curator of Access & Learning at the Art Gallery of Ontario shares a piece of Russian art from their collection. 

Grey Circle (1923), Wassily Kandinsky

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Explore Arts and Culture

The State Hermitage Museum
Saint-Petersburg
Read More Visit
One day in Moscow - 360' Tour
Moscow
Read More Visit
The Bolshoi Theatre
Moscow
Read More Visit
Pushkin Museum
Moscow
Read More Visit
Museum of Cosmonautics
Moscow
Read More Visit
Artmossphere: street art in Moscow
Moscow
Read More Visit

The Theatrical Canon - Russia

9 OTHER PLAYS CURATED BY SOULPEPPER ARTISTS AND LOCAL SCHOLARS TO READ AND ENJOY! INQUIRE ABOUT THESE TITLES AT YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOP OR LIBRARY.

Songs of the Twentieth Century
By Ludmilla Petrusheveskaya
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The Government Inspector
By Nikolai Gogol
Read More More
The Storm
By Alexander Ostrovsky
Read More More
Russian Jam and Other Plays
By Lyudmila Ulitskaya
Read More More
Three Sisters
By Anton Chekhov
Read More More
Cherry Orchard
By Anton Chekhov
Read More More
A Month in the Country
By Ivan Turgenev
Read More More
The Lower Depths
By Maxim Gorky
Read More More
Lebedinyi stan (The Encampment of the Swans)
By Marina Tsvetaeva
Read More More

AUDIENCE RECOMMENDATIONS

One Hour Eighteen Minutes
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Soulpepper’s Around The World In 80 Plays series has become essential for theatre lovers. Imagine a mini international theatre festival for the ears, intellect and soul.

- NOW Magazine

Chekhov’s characters are enslaved in their own identities.  Each life is a calamity, as each character, promoting their own misery, clings fiercely to whatever identity they have concocted for themselves.  Everyone has someone to blame as they cast about for meaning, and never realize that the real meaning and force of life vibrates in the bonds that exist between us all.  A beautiful play for these times.

- Daniel Brooks, Director

All around the world and throughout history, humans have acted out the stories that are significant to them, the stories that are central to their sense of who they are, the stories that have defined their communities, and shaped their societies. When we talk about classical theatre we want to explore what that means from the many perspectives of this city. This is a celebration of our global canon.

- Weyni Mengesha, Soulpepper Artistic Director


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