Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre Company Audition Announcement:
The Seagull
by Anton Chekhov (adapted by Tom Stoppard)
Directed by Frank Williams
Assistant Director: Victoria Gullo
Stage Manager: McKenna McQueen
Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull is a tragicomic portrait of artists hungry for love, meaning, and recognition. On a country estate, the idealistic young playwright Konstantin stages an experimental play starring Nina, the neighbor’s daughter he adores. This is only to be overshadowed by his famous actress mother, Arkadina, and her celebrated lover, the novelist Trigorin. As jealousies spark and creative ambitions clash, each character pursues a vision of a life that continually slips out of reach. Romantic entanglements (Konstantin and Nina, Nina and Trigorin, Masha and Konstantin) create a web of longing where desire is intense, but satisfaction remains elusive.
At its heart, The Seagull explores the cost of artistic ambition, the pain of unrequited love, and the human tendency to chase illusions. Chekhov contrasts old artistic forms with new ones, fame with obscurity, and the idealized self with its disappointed reality. The seagull itself becomes a symbol of fragile dreams: beautiful, fiercely sought after, and easily destroyed. Blending humor, melancholy, and piercing insight, The Seagull invites actors to inhabit characters who struggle to speak honestly, listen deeply, and face the gulf between who they are and who they wish to be.
Auditions will take place on Friday, January 2 from 5:00 to 10:00pm, and Saturday, January 3, from 12:00 to 5:00pm, in The Learning Center, Building G, at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301.
To make an audition appointment email Stage Manager McKenna McQueen at
bWNrZW5uYW1jcXVlZW4yNyB8IGdtYWlsICEgY29t with preferable time slot and we will accommodate as best as possible.
Performances will take place in the Staten Island Playhouse at Empire Outlets on Staten Island, right next to the ferry terminal on the following dates:
Friday, March 13 – 8:00pm
Saturday, March 14 – 8:00pm
Sunday, March 15 – 2:00pm
Friday, March 20 – 8:00pm
Saturday, March 21 – 8:00pm
Sunday, March 22 – 2:00pm
ALL ROLES ARE OPEN. There will be a $100 stipend provided to actors.
Please prepare a monologue from the play, other Chekhov plays, or similar works. Memorized is preferred, but rather have you on book than not there if interested.
This production is interested in having a diverse cast and actors of color and Latinx descent are encouraged to audition.
CHARACTERS
Konstantin Treplev (20s) – A passionate, idealistic young playwright hungry for new forms and desperate for his mother’s approval. Emotionally volatile, tender, and searching for purpose.
Nina Zarechnaya (18–20s) – A radiant, aspiring actress drawn to the glamour of the artistic world. Innocent at first, then hardened by experience; a soul shaped by hope and heartbreak.
Irina Arkadina (40s–60s) – A famous, self-involved actress who clings to youth and status. Brilliant, charming, insecure, and fiercely protective of her public image.
Boris Trigorin (30s–40s) – A celebrated writer with a gentle demeanor and a restless, consuming need for material. Seductive through vulnerability rather than bravado; a man both admired and trapped by his success.
Masha (20s–30s) – Wry, sardonic, and emotionally raw. She dresses in black because she’s “in mourning for her life.” Loves Konstantin with relentless honesty.
Medvedenko (20s–30s) – A schoolteacher who is earnest, awkward, and quietly aching for Masha’s affection. Represents the practical world intruding on artistic dreams.
Sorin (50s–70s) – Arkadina’s gentle, aging brother and owner of the estate. Warm, wistful, and quietly humorous. A man who feels life has passed him by, but who retains deep kindness, curiosity, and a longing for what “might have been.” He grounds the play in humanity and regret.
Dorn (50s–70s) – A worldly, compassionate doctor who sees through everyone’s illusions. Dry humor, emotional intelligence, and a steady moral center.
Polina (40s–60s) – The estate steward’s wife. Restless, neglected, and yearning for love, especially from Dorn. Carries both dignity and desperation.
Shamrayev (40s–60s) – The estate manager. Blustery, controlling, often funny in his obstinacy. Loves theater stories and authority a little too much.
Yakov (20s–40s) – A stagehand/servant on the estate. Practical, hardworking, and often silently observing the chaos of the household. Provides glimpses of the everyday world outside the characters’ artistic and emotional turmoil; sometimes used for light comedic texture during scene shifts.
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