Online Play Reading Group

"Uncle Vanya" is a play by Anton Chekhov that explores themes of disillusionment, unrequited love, and the search for meaning in life. Set on a rural estate in Russia, the narrative revolves around the interactions of its main characters: Uncle Vanya, his niece Sonya, the retired Professor Serebryakov, and his young wife, Yelena. Vanya, who has devoted years to managing the estate for the professor, grapples with the realization of the professor's selfishness and ineffectiveness. The doctor, Astrov, also becomes entangled in the lives of these characters, sharing his frustrations about their stagnation and his own disillusionment with society.

Characters:

• ALEXANDER SEREBRAKOFF, a retired professor
• HELENA, his wife, twenty-seven years old
• SONIA, his daughter by a former marriage
• MME. VOITSKAYA, widow of a privy councilor, and mother of Serebrakoff's first wife
• IVAN (VANYA) VOITSKI, her son
• MICHAEL ASTROFF, a doctor
• ILIA (WAFFLES) TELEGIN, an impoverished landowner
• MARINA, an old nurse
• A WORKMAN

This rendition of Spring Awakening (not the musical version) has been translated and adapted by Edward Bond. It follows the same story arcs, including Wendla’s struggle with her mother's evasive answers about sexuality, Moritz’s academic pressures leading to despair, and Melchior’s philosophical inquiries. Ultimately, the play culminates in tragic events resulting from the characters' search for truth and understanding in a world that frequently denies them such knowledge.

Characters:

Children:

• Melchior Gabor
• Moritz Stiefl
• Hanschen Rilow
• Ernst Robel
• Otto
• Georg Litschnitz
• Robert Lammermeier
• Wendla Bergmann
• Martha Bessel
• Thea
• Ilse

Boys in a Reformatory:

• Dieter
• Reinhold
• Rupert
• Helmut
• Gaston

Parents:

• Herr Gabor
• Herr Stiefel
• Ina Muller (Wendla's sister)
• Frau Gabor
• Frau Bergmann

Teachers:

• Headmaster Sunstroke
• Prof. Gutgrinder
• Prof. Bonebreaker
• Prof. Tonguetwister
• Prof. Flyswatter
• Prof. Thickstick
• Prof. Apelard

Other Adults:

• The Masked Man
• Dr. Lemonade
• Dr. Procrustes
• Rev. Baldbelly
• Fastcrawler (The School Porter)
• Uncle Probst
• Friend Zieg
• Locksmith