| three_sisters_programme_notes.doc |
THREE SISTERS
Belfast writer Lucy Caldwell relocates Chekhov’s play Three Sisters from a Russian provincial town in 1900 to East Belfast in the 1990s.
Three sisters, Orla, Marianne and Erin, dream of escaping their tedious suburban lives for a fresh start in America. It is Erin’s eighteenth birthday, and as the sun shines and guests assemble, everything for a fleeting moment feels possible.
THE SET
An outline framework of white fluorescent tubing in the shape of a sloping roof and four sides of a house, occupies the stage. At the back wall, a sliding door allows the actors to enter and exit through the conservatory, in which two white plastic chairs and a canvas garden swing for two people can be glimpsed. There are also doors suspended from the framework in the left and right walls.
The framework can be raised and lowered.
One large room contains sitting, eating and sleeping areas.
Four yellow and five white balloons are attached to the furniture and float above it.
At the wall left is a music centre on a small table, behind it are small shelves, and in the back corner, a wooden piano and stool. A string of Christmas lights lies across the top of the piano. A rectangular, wooden kitchen table, with a bench to the left and one chair at the back and one at the front, is placed long side on at the front left.
A tan leather arm chair, with magazine container on one side, and coffee table with ash tray are centre. An open ironing board is behind this.
Stairs with white rails descend in the centre of the wooden floored room.
A leather sofa with wooden arms is placed to the front right.
Against the wall to right of the sofa is a coffee table on which sit a lamp and a dinosaur made from a squashed beer can. Behind the sofa, against the wall is a low bed. To its left is a bed side table on which is a reading light.
At the back right of the room, is a kitchen unit, with sink and draining board, on which sits a blue carrier bag, and glasses and in the corner behind the bed is a tall wooden cupboard. A standard lamp is to the left of the unit, beside the sliding door.
The furniture is re-arranged when the sisters are upstairs in Orla and Erin’s bedroom.
The framework of the house is raised when the family are in the garden at the end of the play.
Character and Costume
Siu Jing, who introduces the play, is played by Shin-Fei Chen. She is Chinese, small and slim, with long, straight, dark hair. At first she is wearing skinny black jeans and trainers with a tee shirt and a long, loose white cardigan over the top. Later, when she joins the party properly, she has 2 sections of her long hair tied up high on her head and the rest long down her back. She is wearing a heavy blue duffel coat, and underneath there is a yellow dress with a frilly skirt, dark knee length shorts and heavy black boots. In Act 2 Siu Jing wears a tartan pinafore, with the same shorts and boots and cardigan. Her hair is now tied back into a pony tail. In Act 3 she wears loose casual trousers with the same shirt and cardigan. In Act 4 she wears blue cotton ankle length trousers and a blue sleeveless top. Later she is back in her original outfit of black jeans and a cardigan.
Orla, played by Julie Maxwell, is the oldest of the 3 Sisters. She is a tall, well built woman in her early thirties. Orla has shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes. When she first appears at the birthday party she is in fancy dress as Marge Simpson, with a towering blue bee-hive hair doo and a green knee length sleeveless dress with spaghetti straps, and red flat shoes. In Act 2 Orla wears a tee shirt and a long denim skirt. By Act 3, five years after the start, Orla is in denim dungarees with a yellow tee shirt under and flat casual shoes. In Act 4 she wears a plain grey skirt with a yellow tee shirt.
Marianne, played by Christine Clare, is the middle sister. She is in her twenties. Marianne is slim and pretty with long dark hair, dark eyes and wide, red lips. At the birthday party she doesn’t wear fancy dress, instead she wears a short black dress with sheer net sleeves and top, and fine black tights that show off her shapely legs. Later she pulls on a black Darth Vader mask, but quickly takes it off. In Act 2 Marianne wears a smart leather look, knee length skirt and a fitted long sleeve blouse. Her hair is neatly tied back. In Act 3 Marianne wears a tight fitting black jumper and fitted black trousers. In Act 4 she wears a short black cotton dress with a row of buttons down the front.
Erin, played by Amy Blair is the youngest. It’s her 18th birthday. Erin has a round face and mousy brown shoulder length hair. At the party she is dressed as super girl, with a red cape, a blue top with a big S on it, a short red skirt, red socks and trainers. In Act 2 Erin wears an airport check-in staff uniform. She has a grey pinafore dress with a calf length skirt and grey opaque tights and sensible shoes. Beneath the pinafore she wears a blouse with an airline logo all over it, long sleeves and a red scarf tied at her throat. Her hair is tied neatly back off her face. In Act 3 Erin wears tight black trousers, an oversized woolly jumper and has a small handbag slung across her body. In Act 4 she wears a short grey summery pinafore dress.
Uncle Beattie, played by Niall Cusack, is an older man of about 60 years old. He has white hair and a crinkled face. He looks unkempt, with wrinkles in his loose fitting clothes. At the birthday party he wears a green coloured suit jacket, a yellow cardigan and cream shirt with a bow tie and dark coloured suit trousers. In Act 2 Beattie is in blue jeans and a heavy anorack. Underneath he wears a green pullover with a white shirt under. In Act 3 Beattie’s blue jeans look rougher, and he wears a check shirt. He strips down later to grubby Y-fronts. In Act 4 Beattie wears jeans and a shirt with a green fishing style body warmer and a flat cap.
Baron is Erin’s boyfriend, played by Lewis MacKinnon. He is a young man, tall and skinny with dark hair and a moustache. His fancy dress for the party is dark trousers and shoes with a mustard yellow, long sleeved shirt. The shirt has the emblem of the Starship Enterprise embroidered on it. In Act 2 he wears grey trousers and white trainers and a woollen pullover. Act 3 he wears jeans and a sports coat. Underneath the coat he has a neat blue pullover. In Act 4 he wears jeans and a blue shirt.
Simon is a tall, well built, muscular young man. He is played by Julian Moore-Cook. Simon has an angular face and a close shaven head. At first he is wearing a heavy, long gabardine style coat. In Act 2 Simon is in knee length jean shorts, a tee shirt and a shirt open loose over the top. In Act 3 Simon is back in full army camouflage fatigues and boots. In Act 4 he wears black shorts with a tee shirt and an open shirt, and he has his heavy army boots on.
Alexander Vershinin, played by Tim Treloar, is a well-groomed man in his fifties. He has square shoulders and reddish short hair. At the party he carries a camel hair coat over his arm and wears a light brown jacket with a white shirt and dark tie. His suit trousers are slim cut and dark and his shoes are a polished brown leather. In Act 2 Vershinin wears a darker coloured shirt and has a brown suede jacket. In Act 3 and 4 Versinin wears a v-neck pullover.
Dave is Marianne’s husband, also known as DJ Cool. He is played by Patrick McBrearty. He’s in his twenties, of average height and build with dark hair. When he calls into the party he is in blue jeans and a brightly coloured shiny, sports coat over a white tee shirt. In Act 2 he wears long shorts, beneath his knees and a tee shirt with a purple shirt open over the top of it. In Act 3 and 4 Dave wears brown suit trousers and his purple shirt buttoned up.
Andy, played by Aiden O’Neill, is the brother of the family. He is in his late twenties. Andy is a stocky, with thick dark hair and a scruffy dark beard. At the birthday party he wears a tee-shirt with a cartoon character on it and a checked shirt open over the top. He has a loose pair of track suit bottoms and an old pair of white trainers. In Act 2 Andy wears a grubby vest, scruffy trousers, no shoes. In Act 3 Andy is in neater black trousers and a pale coloured jumper. In Act 4 he wears his track suit bottoms and a greying vest.
Teddy and Rod, played by Gerard Jordan and Matthew Forsythe, are Baron’s army mates. They are young men with short hair, sports tops and track suit bottoms. In Act 4 Rod is bare chested and in track suit bottoms. Teddy is in shorts and a tee shirt.
The play is directed by SELINA CARTMELL, Set and Costume designed by ALEX LOWDE, lighting by CIARAN BAGNELL, and composer and sound designer ISOBELL WALLER-BRIDGE.
These programme notes will be read before the audio described show on Thursday 10th November at 7.45.
Audio description will be by Sara Duncan and Amy Stewart for Sightlines.
Belfast writer Lucy Caldwell relocates Chekhov’s play Three Sisters from a Russian provincial town in 1900 to East Belfast in the 1990s.
Three sisters, Orla, Marianne and Erin, dream of escaping their tedious suburban lives for a fresh start in America. It is Erin’s eighteenth birthday, and as the sun shines and guests assemble, everything for a fleeting moment feels possible.
THE SET
An outline framework of white fluorescent tubing in the shape of a sloping roof and four sides of a house, occupies the stage. At the back wall, a sliding door allows the actors to enter and exit through the conservatory, in which two white plastic chairs and a canvas garden swing for two people can be glimpsed. There are also doors suspended from the framework in the left and right walls.
The framework can be raised and lowered.
One large room contains sitting, eating and sleeping areas.
Four yellow and five white balloons are attached to the furniture and float above it.
At the wall left is a music centre on a small table, behind it are small shelves, and in the back corner, a wooden piano and stool. A string of Christmas lights lies across the top of the piano. A rectangular, wooden kitchen table, with a bench to the left and one chair at the back and one at the front, is placed long side on at the front left.
A tan leather arm chair, with magazine container on one side, and coffee table with ash tray are centre. An open ironing board is behind this.
Stairs with white rails descend in the centre of the wooden floored room.
A leather sofa with wooden arms is placed to the front right.
Against the wall to right of the sofa is a coffee table on which sit a lamp and a dinosaur made from a squashed beer can. Behind the sofa, against the wall is a low bed. To its left is a bed side table on which is a reading light.
At the back right of the room, is a kitchen unit, with sink and draining board, on which sits a blue carrier bag, and glasses and in the corner behind the bed is a tall wooden cupboard. A standard lamp is to the left of the unit, beside the sliding door.
The furniture is re-arranged when the sisters are upstairs in Orla and Erin’s bedroom.
The framework of the house is raised when the family are in the garden at the end of the play.
Character and Costume
Siu Jing, who introduces the play, is played by Shin-Fei Chen. She is Chinese, small and slim, with long, straight, dark hair. At first she is wearing skinny black jeans and trainers with a tee shirt and a long, loose white cardigan over the top. Later, when she joins the party properly, she has 2 sections of her long hair tied up high on her head and the rest long down her back. She is wearing a heavy blue duffel coat, and underneath there is a yellow dress with a frilly skirt, dark knee length shorts and heavy black boots. In Act 2 Siu Jing wears a tartan pinafore, with the same shorts and boots and cardigan. Her hair is now tied back into a pony tail. In Act 3 she wears loose casual trousers with the same shirt and cardigan. In Act 4 she wears blue cotton ankle length trousers and a blue sleeveless top. Later she is back in her original outfit of black jeans and a cardigan.
Orla, played by Julie Maxwell, is the oldest of the 3 Sisters. She is a tall, well built woman in her early thirties. Orla has shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes. When she first appears at the birthday party she is in fancy dress as Marge Simpson, with a towering blue bee-hive hair doo and a green knee length sleeveless dress with spaghetti straps, and red flat shoes. In Act 2 Orla wears a tee shirt and a long denim skirt. By Act 3, five years after the start, Orla is in denim dungarees with a yellow tee shirt under and flat casual shoes. In Act 4 she wears a plain grey skirt with a yellow tee shirt.
Marianne, played by Christine Clare, is the middle sister. She is in her twenties. Marianne is slim and pretty with long dark hair, dark eyes and wide, red lips. At the birthday party she doesn’t wear fancy dress, instead she wears a short black dress with sheer net sleeves and top, and fine black tights that show off her shapely legs. Later she pulls on a black Darth Vader mask, but quickly takes it off. In Act 2 Marianne wears a smart leather look, knee length skirt and a fitted long sleeve blouse. Her hair is neatly tied back. In Act 3 Marianne wears a tight fitting black jumper and fitted black trousers. In Act 4 she wears a short black cotton dress with a row of buttons down the front.
Erin, played by Amy Blair is the youngest. It’s her 18th birthday. Erin has a round face and mousy brown shoulder length hair. At the party she is dressed as super girl, with a red cape, a blue top with a big S on it, a short red skirt, red socks and trainers. In Act 2 Erin wears an airport check-in staff uniform. She has a grey pinafore dress with a calf length skirt and grey opaque tights and sensible shoes. Beneath the pinafore she wears a blouse with an airline logo all over it, long sleeves and a red scarf tied at her throat. Her hair is tied neatly back off her face. In Act 3 Erin wears tight black trousers, an oversized woolly jumper and has a small handbag slung across her body. In Act 4 she wears a short grey summery pinafore dress.
Uncle Beattie, played by Niall Cusack, is an older man of about 60 years old. He has white hair and a crinkled face. He looks unkempt, with wrinkles in his loose fitting clothes. At the birthday party he wears a green coloured suit jacket, a yellow cardigan and cream shirt with a bow tie and dark coloured suit trousers. In Act 2 Beattie is in blue jeans and a heavy anorack. Underneath he wears a green pullover with a white shirt under. In Act 3 Beattie’s blue jeans look rougher, and he wears a check shirt. He strips down later to grubby Y-fronts. In Act 4 Beattie wears jeans and a shirt with a green fishing style body warmer and a flat cap.
Baron is Erin’s boyfriend, played by Lewis MacKinnon. He is a young man, tall and skinny with dark hair and a moustache. His fancy dress for the party is dark trousers and shoes with a mustard yellow, long sleeved shirt. The shirt has the emblem of the Starship Enterprise embroidered on it. In Act 2 he wears grey trousers and white trainers and a woollen pullover. Act 3 he wears jeans and a sports coat. Underneath the coat he has a neat blue pullover. In Act 4 he wears jeans and a blue shirt.
Simon is a tall, well built, muscular young man. He is played by Julian Moore-Cook. Simon has an angular face and a close shaven head. At first he is wearing a heavy, long gabardine style coat. In Act 2 Simon is in knee length jean shorts, a tee shirt and a shirt open loose over the top. In Act 3 Simon is back in full army camouflage fatigues and boots. In Act 4 he wears black shorts with a tee shirt and an open shirt, and he has his heavy army boots on.
Alexander Vershinin, played by Tim Treloar, is a well-groomed man in his fifties. He has square shoulders and reddish short hair. At the party he carries a camel hair coat over his arm and wears a light brown jacket with a white shirt and dark tie. His suit trousers are slim cut and dark and his shoes are a polished brown leather. In Act 2 Vershinin wears a darker coloured shirt and has a brown suede jacket. In Act 3 and 4 Versinin wears a v-neck pullover.
Dave is Marianne’s husband, also known as DJ Cool. He is played by Patrick McBrearty. He’s in his twenties, of average height and build with dark hair. When he calls into the party he is in blue jeans and a brightly coloured shiny, sports coat over a white tee shirt. In Act 2 he wears long shorts, beneath his knees and a tee shirt with a purple shirt open over the top of it. In Act 3 and 4 Dave wears brown suit trousers and his purple shirt buttoned up.
Andy, played by Aiden O’Neill, is the brother of the family. He is in his late twenties. Andy is a stocky, with thick dark hair and a scruffy dark beard. At the birthday party he wears a tee-shirt with a cartoon character on it and a checked shirt open over the top. He has a loose pair of track suit bottoms and an old pair of white trainers. In Act 2 Andy wears a grubby vest, scruffy trousers, no shoes. In Act 3 Andy is in neater black trousers and a pale coloured jumper. In Act 4 he wears his track suit bottoms and a greying vest.
Teddy and Rod, played by Gerard Jordan and Matthew Forsythe, are Baron’s army mates. They are young men with short hair, sports tops and track suit bottoms. In Act 4 Rod is bare chested and in track suit bottoms. Teddy is in shorts and a tee shirt.
The play is directed by SELINA CARTMELL, Set and Costume designed by ALEX LOWDE, lighting by CIARAN BAGNELL, and composer and sound designer ISOBELL WALLER-BRIDGE.
These programme notes will be read before the audio described show on Thursday 10th November at 7.45.
Audio description will be by Sara Duncan and Amy Stewart for Sightlines.
