28th Macao Arts Festival | Icelandic take on The Seagull to close out event

The 28th Macao Arts Festival will come to a close on Sunday after two showings of a modern, Icelandic take on Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, brought to the stage of the Macau Cultural Center by the Reykjavik City Theatre, under the guidance of director Yana Ross.

Ross’s interpretation takes the classic late-nineteenth century play by the Russian dramatist and sets it in a luxurious Icelandic lakeside summerhouse with parties and karaoke.

Ross said during a media session this week that she finds it essential to reproduce classics with a touch of localism – both in terms of time and space. That is, she imbues local names, characters and themes into her works, taking note of where they will be staged.

“It is very important to take into account the context of where the play is happening. A big part of the work is to look at the original Russian culture […] when the play was written,” said Ross. “For me, it’s never an abstract Russian masterpiece; it’s a very practical text for the actors, written by a hot-blooded writer.”

“The key for me is open dialogue of what art means to us today. I am not interested in talking about what art meant 100 years ago… that has changed,” she continued. “Perhaps, paradoxically, I am seeking authenticity, but the original is calling for an adaptation.”

In giving an example of why an update to the play created in 1895 was required, Ross explained that in the original, one character walks into a room without wearing a hat – behavior that would be considered rude and shocking in the late-nineteenth century.

In the context of today’s audiences, Ross said, this would no longer be shocking and some meaning would be lost. Therefore, changes were required to ensure parts of Chekhov’s writings were not overlooked.

Nevertheless, many themes found in The Seagull and across Chekhov’s works have not changed in more than a century, testifying to the relevance of the Russian playwright today.

“I don’t think there is any rule or necessity for updating classics,” the Latvian-born director wrote in an introduction to the program. “The point is that the play is relevant and it is an artistic choice of how to stage it.”

The Reykjavik City Theatre ranks among Iceland’s oldest and most prestigious cultural institutions. It has successfully collaborated with many leading international companies such the Barbican Center and Young Vic in London, Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam, and the Malmö City Theatre in Sweden.

Showings of The Seagull will be held on Saturday and Sunday night at the Grand Auditorium of the Macau Cultural Center. The performances will be held in Icelandic, with subtitles in Chinese, Portuguese and English.