蜜桃传媒 Theater performs three of 鈥檚 wildest farces collectively known as 鈥�33 Swoons鈥� Feb. 25, 26 and March 4-5 at 8 p.m.; and March 5 at 2 p.m. in Porter Theatre (). Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults, and can be purchased by calling (805) 565-7140.
In 1935, Russian director Vsevolod Meyerhold created an evening of three of Chekhov鈥檚 plays, 鈥淭he Proposal,鈥� 鈥淭he Bear,鈥� and 鈥淭he Anniversary,鈥� and called them 鈥�33 Swoons,鈥� noting that characters 鈥渟woon鈥� or suffer fits of fainting 33 times in the plays.
The play is directed by , 蜜桃传媒 theater arts professor and artistic director of . 鈥淚 have been an admirer of Meyerhold for my entire directing career,鈥� Blondell says. 鈥淗is work has been a constant source of inspiration in the type and kinds of work I do, so when I learned that he had staged these three great farces as part of a Chekhov birthday celebration, I was immediately drawn to the idea of presenting them here at 蜜桃传媒.
鈥淭he plays are wildly funny, have great opportunities for our actors, and frame Chekhov in a manner not normally associated with the reputation of the Russian playwright.鈥�
Chekhov is best known for his masterpieces, 鈥淭he Seagull,鈥� 鈥淭he Three Sisters,鈥� 鈥淯ncle Vanya鈥� and 鈥淭he Cherry Orchard.鈥� He also wrote in a variety of dramatic and non-dramatic forms, including short stories, letters, short comedies and dramas, and the large, four-act dramas for which he received his most enduring recognition. The three short plays that comprise 鈥�33 Swoons鈥� were written early in his career 鈥� 鈥淭he Proposal鈥� and 鈥淭he Bear鈥� in 1888, and 鈥淭he Festivities鈥� in 1891. 鈥淭hey are part of a rich popular theater tradition called vaudeville,鈥� Blondell says, 鈥渨hich was first developed in France, then adopted and adapted in a variety of countries, including the United States and Russia.鈥�
鈥�33 Swoons鈥� features the work of , scenic design, , costume design, , lighting design, and , who provide original music.
Blondell, who was named a 2009 Local Hero by the Santa Barbara Independent, has been teaching at 蜜桃传媒 since 1991. His World Shakespeare Festival in Santa Barbara is the first of its kind in the nation and one of only seven in the world. His directing work has been seen in Bulgaria, Scotland, Canada, Poland, Czech Republic, Montenegro, and Macedonia. Blondell earned a doctorate in dramatic art from UC Santa Barbara. He has received six Independent Theatre Awards, a 1994 Robby Award and the 2003 Faculty Research Award from 蜜桃传媒.
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