The Seagull Takes Flight: A Crash Course in Chekhov

_{Photography by Jonathan Morrey and Socialite Images.} 

With only eight shows on the calendar and a one-month build, Pace University’s fall production of The Seagull unfolded like a crash course in making theater fast—and making it together.

For Grant Kretchik, Sands College of Performing Arts professor and chair of the BFA Acting and BFA Acting for Film and Media programs, the production was a masterclass in speed, collaboration, and storytelling. “It’s a little bit of an exception, because it was our first production up this year,” he explained. “So, the production process was exceptionally rapid.”

The show was cast in May and production meetings began July. Knowing their rehearsal was short, the cast worked on table reads over Zoom until the semester began and rehearsals could begin in earnest. The challenge? To stage one of the greatest classic plays in a short matter of weeks. “The cast officially began rehearsals on September 2 and closed the show on October 5,” said Kretchik. “We rehearsed, did a designer run, tech, opened, and closed the show in a month and three days.”

“This production truly taught me so much about being a working performer—the quick schedule, the expectations in the room, the prep work." —Huffman

To put it in perspective, when legendary director Konstantin Stanislavski staged The Seagull in 1898, he had eight months to put it onstage. 

Since then, The Seagull has become a rite of passage for many of the world’s most acclaimed actors. Dame Judi Dench, Meryl Streep, and Indira Varma have all taken the stage as Irina Arkadina, while Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Goodman, Christopher Walken, and Peter Sarsgaard brought depth and nuance to Chekhov’s tortured men. Each new production reaffirms the play’s enduring power—and the challenge it poses to every performer who takes it on, with Sands students being no exception.

At Pace, the compressed timeline demanded a level of professionalism rarely expected of undergraduate performers. “This production truly taught me so much about being a working performer—the quick schedule, the expectations in the room, the prep work,” said Emma Huffman ’26, who played Irina. “All of it taught us a lot about this final bridge into the working world.”

Annabelle Delaluna ’26, who portrayed Masha, agreed, adding that the rigor is what sets Sands’ training apart. “One of the major things I applaud Pace for is the pre-professional environment it fosters. The rigorous working environment…replicates a professional contract,” she said. “This quick-paced schedule creates an opportunity to truly be on top of the work that is required of you.”

The ensemble’s commitment to the process was evident in every rehearsal. “I felt a different sense of urgency and efficiency in the room,” said Max Harrison ’26, who played Constantine. “I could clearly tell from day one that Grant had a great deal of care for this production and knew what he wanted. This allowed for a nurturing environment where we were free to play while still staying true to the text.”

That spirit of care and collaboration while honoring the text helped Huffman unlock one of her most challenging scenes. “One day, we approached the scene in a completely new way, played around with music, movement, and voice,” she said. “The scene finally cracked open for me. It turned from something I could talk about around the table to something I could live in, and it really became my favorite scene.”

Harrison echoed the sentiment that this production helped him reach new levels as an actor. “I had never worked on a production where I was asked to feel so deeply in every performance,” he said. “It was demanding but rewarding. I discovered things about my process. And I furthered my ability to perform under pressure.”

But a production isn’t just performance. A key element to bring that truth to the stage is the production elements that are often built as the play takes shape. The cast breathes life into the text, and the designers create costumes, building sets, designing lights, and curating props that breathe life into the world of the play.

“I had never worked on a production where I was asked to feel so deeply in every performance. It was demanding but rewarding. I discovered things about my process. And I furthered my ability to perform under pressure.” —Harrison

And for the cast, tech week is when they felt their characters fully enter that world. “When we reached tech week, after what felt like the quickest three weeks of my life, I felt the show come to life,” Delaluna recalled. “Putting on our costumes was the day we truly began to sink into our world of The Seagull. Adding the technical elements is just as important as all other elements when bringing a play to life.”

Another key element to any production is collaboration. “Everything you do is a group project,” Kretchik said. “There’s an accountability—not just to yourself—a true accountability to showing up for somebody else and delivering and being prepared and being authentic.” According to him, these productions are more than another line on an acting resume. They’re chances to build the skills that shape strong working artists and well-rounded people: language and storytelling, collaboration and accountability, and the empathy and critical thinking that carry into every part of life.

When the curtain came down on closing night, the production was a success, and the audience was thrilled. The performers had only one regret.

“I just wish there were more shows,” said Harrison.

See what’s next on the lineup for Sands’s Mainstage Season.