The+Perfect+Use+of+the+Old+Theater

One of the most striking things that I found from the play performce that we watched of Uncle Vanya was the site at which they chose to perform it at. The background of the old theater conjured images of granduer lost maybe forever, or maybe just waiting for the emptiness on the inside to be filled with something meaningful so that it can become beautiful again. The decipit atmosphere fitted perfectly with the subject matter of the play in which people themselves where turned into empty shells with no meaning in life, cast away even though in their youth they were once alive and vibrant. In nearly every scene the sign of decay beyond the performance matched perfectly with the spiritual, and in the case of the professor, physical decay that went on in the characters on the stage. The theater once had grandeur and vision and meaning in the life of people but when that was taken away it slowly fell into decay and began to break apart. Just as the characters in the play once had vision and meaning and were vibrant untill they lost a purpose a why to life and then they to began to fall apart. To me they couldn't have picked a better area to do the play. user:DGr-c

The old theater hadn’t struck me as a perfect fit nearly as much as it did for you. The only thing I noticed regarding the setting was the bareness and darkness. To me, considering the heavy theme and depressing attitude of the characters, most old buildings would have worked. However, once you mention it, I do see how the grandness of the building helps represent the past. When we see the setting in the play, we see a dark, empty, not impressive area. Then again, as DGr said, we can imagine how lively it used to be and link that to how the characters hopefully used to feel. 1205452251

I agree that the old theater was an excellent spot to perform this play. The parts that really stuck out for me were the clutter and decay of the area. The old set pieces and such strewn about the area give the setting a feeling of wreckage, which is symbolic of Vanya's life and the family relations in the story. The decay is just perfect, too. I think the man who played Vanya (whose name escapes me) mentioned before the play started that they'd been having leakage problems, and you could see the net that was there to catch pieces of the cieling when it fell after water damage. This really sets the scene for the dreariness and even moldiness of their lives; the lethargy that plagues all of them. It was an awesome idea for a setting.1205452679

The theater goes with the idea that the past was beautiful and perfect, and that time has made a mess of the beauties of old. I remember them saying that even though it was a theater, they couldn't perform on the stage because it wasn't stable, so they brought the play to other rooms in the theater and they brought the audience with them. That would make for a great theater experience for the audience. By going into other rooms in the theater, they made the play much more realistic for their audience because they saw the characters in atmospheres that they would be in if they were real people. Because of the decay of the building over time, it seems to me that the characters are trying to hold on to the past, but it is slowly slipping through their fingers because they don't have control over the effects of time. 1205453278

I also thought that the theater was the ideal place to perform this play, and I most remember something that someone (perhaps the director? Vanya?) said before the play began: That they couldn't use the stage because it was unsafe. Therefore, throughout the play, they seemed to move among different spaces in the theater, never using them quite what they were intended for, but making do nonetheless. I thought that this fit with the play also--in a way, Vanya has been forced to live a less than ideal life and in response he has just given up. This stands in sharp contrast to other character, like Yelena and Sophie, who have made the best out of their lots in life. Furthermore, when Vanya finally airs his complaints to the professor, the professors says that if he wanted a raise, he should have just asked. This told me that if Vanya had only tried to make the best of his job and life, then he might have found that it could be made to fit what he wanted. 1205453916

The setting of the play was perfect in my opinion. The theater just seemed to give off this depressed, run-down vibe for my as I watched the play. I didn’t really get the sense of lost grandeur and vision but I did catch a lot of the decay. I saw the theater in a morbid state of decay just as the professor was in a physical state of decay and how Vanya was in a mental and psychological state of decay. In some ways, even the doctor fit the setting of the play. We got to see the moral decline of the doctor as he became a heavy drinker, neglected his life-long passions, and wanted to have an affair, all of which reflected the actual decay of the theater. I also had a notion that maybe the actors decided to use this decrepit theater that had once been a place of grandeur to maybe inspire some sort of restoration attempts. To me it seemed like they were using the setting for two purposes. One was as an appropriate place to demonstrate the decay of the characters and secondly to maybe show people just how bad the theater had gotten and how that with a little work and ingenuity, it could be refurbished and used again. 1205458087

I also liked the use of old, decrepit theater because it represented the characters' lives. Perhaps at one point in time, their lives may have had so much promise and potential, but now their lives are being wasted toiling away for Alexander for nothing more than what simply need to live. Even Vanya states that he could have a been a great writer had it not been for Alexander, but now like the theater his life is broken down and rotting away as the years the pass with no hope for restoration. Yet there is something beautiful in the ruin, which could also perhaps represent a glimmer of hope for change in their lives, which directly correalates to when the three charcters stated that "They're gone", and now they can start their lives anew.1205462528

I agree with the ideas that Msu just brought up, but I disagree with him in one respect: the difference between the characters in the past and the theater in the past. The theater in the past was certainly a grand place. As for the characters, this was not so, specifically for Vanya and Sonya who were serfs. Thus, the theater of the past cannot be compared to the characters of the past. As for the present, the theater has the potential to be improved as do the characters lives. If Alexander would only trust the doctor, his pain would lessen, his happiness would increase, and his temperment decrease. If Sonya would only more aggressively pursue the doctor, instead of having Yelena do it for her, she could possibly enthrall him. On the other side of this potential romance, if only Doctor Astrov would not be so closed-minded to a relationship with her, then he could actually have a love in his life, not a fantasy like Yelena. If only Vanya would stop complaining about the past, stop thinking about what-if with respect to his career as a writer or his relationship with Yelena, he could find a solution to his current problems. Like the many obstacles to improving a tarnished theater, these characters have obstacles to making their lives fulfilling, but these obstacles, pride, being in touch with reality, are not impossible to overcome, or at least they would not be if the characters truly wanted to be happy. In a similar sense, if someone really wanted to make this theater beautiful they could, as they could find a way to cross the obstacle of financial resources. 1205468699

Daniel, good eye! That's really, very true. On top of that, might I add the location isn't terrible itself, it's on a decent avenue which might lead to downtown New York, and they have all this stuff right outside, but they don't take advantage of it, much like they have all these possibilities in life they never chose to take. And the decrepid rooms in which they spend their lives are the mediocre actions and risks the characters take, wasting their lives away in rotting rooms of their own, watching their lives slip away from them as they lay around idly. Good job, yours was so much better than what I had to add though. 1205469645

I really liked the setting of the movie. It kept the modern feel that is introduced in the beginning of the movie before the play begins, but at the same time it didn't detract from the story being told in Chekov's play. The old theater wasn't flashy or distracting, but simple. I think it made it very appropriate for the circumstances of the film. I think it shows how the past lives on into the future. All of the characters in the play are very affected by their past as is the old theater. These pasts live on into the future. They aren't going to disappear, but they may fade into shadier memories. For many of these characters this may be a very good thing, but for the theater it means its hour of glory is over. Never the less, the past cannot be erased. 1205470480

The theatre was an excellent location for this play. The Old Amsterdam Theatre--obviously in a state of decline from its former grandeur--is the perfect visual representation of the situation of the family in Uncle Vanya. The family, as it is falling apart, draws many parallels with the decaying structure of the theatre. What I really enjoyed about the scenery of the theatre and in the play, however, was the lack of it. Since there really was not enough infrastructure in the theatre to support anything more than the cleared-out spot they put the stage in, the production was limited in the usual theatre amenities that they could use like a curtain, lighting, scenery, and the like. This made the play less focused on the props and settings and more focused on the dialogue and semi-action of the characters, which is what I thought Chekov had intended when he wrote this play. The simplicity of the sets caused by the derelict theatre not only didn't hurt the production, but also enhanced its effect. 1205502014