Sturdy Beggars, with Royal Shakespeare Company director Vik Sivalingam, stages a new, simple and raw adaptation of Chekhov's timeless classic Uncle Vanya, with title role played by Alexander Andreou, fresh from his National Theatre debut.

PRESS DISPENSARY - Monday, May 10, 2010 - Director Vik Sivalingam of the Royal Shakespeare Company, in his first collaboration with Sturdy Beggars, brings to life this new, simple and raw adaptation of Chekhov's timeless classic Uncle Vanya. Alexander Andreou, fresh from his National Theatre debut, takes the title role.

Unfulfilled promises, wasted lives, women's rights, environmental activism, the crushing effect of debt, property squabbles, frustrated lust, the state of healthcare - the play's themes could not be more "now". It is startling to think that it is one hundred and fifty years since the Russian literary giant's birth and a century since the first British Chekhov production.

"The modern sensibility of the play continually impresses me" says director Vik Sivalingam. "This is inherent not only in the characters' preoccupation with issues which we, in the 21st century, view as quintessentially modern, but crucially in their self-obsession and self-absorption."

In this new adaptation, intimately staged at the Camden People's Theatre in Euston, Sturdy Beggars bring the play a touch of stylish minimalism and honest directness.

"We went back to the Russian text" says Alexander Andreou, the company's artistic director (and the production's Vanya), "in order to restore the directness, truth and broken, monosyllabic rhythm of the original play; to try and get rid of the 'period' middle-class gloss which most translations have imposed. What we found in the process was a tremendous amount of humour and humanity."

STURDY BEGGARS formed in 2007. Their mission has been to strip theatre - from new writing to Shakespeare, from naturalism to expressionism, from comedy to tragedy - of the artifice and pomp that makes it superficially attractive, but emotionally hollow. Great writing need not hide.

"We do not seek or depend on state funding", stresses Brendan Jones, the company's co-founder who plays Astrov. "We survive because what we produce is good enough to compete for people's time and money. Like our 16th century counterparts, who were known as Sturdy Beggars, we depend on the audience."

Directed by Vik Sivalingam

Designed by Charlotte Randell

Cast

Marina - Tessa Gallagher

Astrov - Brendan Jones

Vanya - Alexander Andreou

Serebryakov - Chris Bearne

Yelena - Vera Chok

Sonya - Katherine French

Telegin - Robert Rowe

Maria - Margaret Robertson

Workman/Guard - Daniel Addis

Notes for editors

STURDY BEGGARS productions include the sell-out run of Witold Gombrowicz's PRINCESS IVONA at the Workhouse Theatre (being revived this Christmas at the Network), the glowingly reviewed OTHELLO and David Mamet's BOSTON MARRIAGE at the Pacific Playhouse, a world premiere of three exceptional pieces of new writing at The White Bear, the Bulgarian SERPENT'S WEDDING at the Southwark Playhouse in collaboration with Tara Arts and THE CITY, a trilogy of plays by Greece's foremost playwright Loula Anagnostaki at the Lion and Unicorn.

STURDY BEGGARS are completely non-profit-making. All proceeds go to future productions. Taking their name from the "Statute for the Punishment of Rogues, Vagabonds and Sturdy Beggars" of 1598, which classified actors alongside prostitutes and criminals as being the lowest grade members of society but gave them particular dispensations for being the "Deserving Poor."

Vik Sivalingam is currently Resident Assistant Director for The Royal Shakespeare Company's 2009/ 2011 Ensemble. His directing credits include Joe Penhall's BLUE/ ORANGE and DAYTRIPPERS at the New Wolsey Theatre where he was Resident Assistant Director, STUFF (Tristan Bates Theatre), OR NEAREST OFFER (Almeida Theatre), DAISY PULLS IT OFF (Cockpit Theatre), THREE SISTERS (Actors Company), WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT (Tara Arts), THE HARD WAY (Soho Theatre Studio), HUMAN RIGHTS (Sir John Mills Theatre, Ipswich). He was Associate Director on The Sheffield Crucible's production of THE ELEPHANT MAN. As Assistant Director, Vik has worked with The Royal Court, The Young Vic, Headlong Theatre and The New Wolsey Theatre.

ANTON PAVLOVICH CHEKHOV (Russian: Антон Павлович Чехов) 1860-1904 was a Russian short-story writer, playwright and physician, considered to be one of the greatest playwrights and short-story writers in the history of world literature. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Chekhov practised as a doctor throughout most of his literary career: "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress."

UNCLE VANYA (Russian: Дядя &#1- ;аня) is a tragicomedy by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov published in 1899. Its first major performance was in 1900 under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski. Uncle Vanya is unique among Chekhov's major plays because it is essentially an extensive reworking of his own play published a decade earlier, The Wood Demon. The changes include reducing the cast-list from almost two-dozen down to a lean nine, changing the climactic suicide of the The Wood Demon into the famous failed homicide of Uncle Vanya, and altering the original happy ending into a more problematic, less final resolution.

Listing information

Sturdy Beggars present Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya

www.uncle-vanya.com

Camden People's Theatre

58-60 Hampstead Road

London NW1 2PY

Closest tube station: Warren Street, Euston Square, Euston

Theatre Telephone 020 7419 4841

Ticket booking via www.ticketweb.co.uk or 08444 77 1000

Performance Calendar

Tue 25th May - Sunday 13th June @ 7:30pm

Except Sun 30th May & Sun 6th June matinee @4pm ONLY

no performances Mondays

Tickets: Preview (25th May) GBP 7 all tickets

All other nights and matinees GBP 14 (GBP 9 concessions)

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