Franny Sebastiano - THE CHERRY ORCHARD

BY: ANTON CHEKHOV

ARTIST STATEMENT

A family’s return to their beloved orchard to impede on its foreclosure. This captures a world in a shift and displays for us a picture of humanity in all of its magnificent glory. This cherry blossom tree is a major focal point within the play. A cherry blossom tree represents new beginnings, beauty and the idea that life is too short. A theme found throughout the play is struggle with memory which is seen as a root of identity and as something preventing happiness. Each character struggles to remember and even forget certain parts of the past. This tree is a heirloom, it is something that is distinguished by the characters and reacted to in ways that show they feel about what this orchard represents which is some aspect of memory. This cherry orchard is this massive presence at the center of the play and everything else revolves around it and is drawn towards it. This set is the cherry blossom tree with a parquet floor to help with location. Props are brought on and off for when we are inside the estate but for the most part we constantly revolve around or near this tree. At the end we are left with seeing Lopakhin, who has witnessed much history with this orchard and grew up here eventually leaving him the last to leave.