The Seagull

About The Seagull

The Seagull is a four-act play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. Generally considered to be the first of Checkhov’s four major plays, it dramatises the romantic and artistic conflicts between four characters: famous writer Boris Trigorin, young ingenue Nina, fading actress Irina Arkadina, and her son the symbolist playwright Konstantin Treplev. Checkhov's description of his play was characteristically self-mocking: "A comedy.. four acts, rural scenery (a view over a lake); much talk of literature, little action, five bushels of love".

When it first opened in St Petersburg, The Seagull survived only five performances after a disastrous first opening night. But 2 years later it was revived by Nemirovich-Danchenko at the newly-founded Moscow Art Theatre and was an immediate success. This edition features the 1909 English translation by George Calderon.