1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: A new work coming to the backster. Well it's not 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,280 Speaker 1: an entirely new work, but it'll be new for the backster. 3 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 1: It is a take on the Anton Chekhov's classic play 4 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: The Seagull. This is called stupid effing bird, and the 5 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: posters have the word fully spelt out, but of course 6 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: one can't say that word on radio. And Swedish director 7 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: Maria Vidalsby is with us now via zoom Maria, good afternoon. 8 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 2: Good afternoon, John. 9 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 1: How I mean, what is what does this play do 10 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: with the seagull? 11 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 2: It makes it contemporary for the first thing to say, 12 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 2: and it also it's a bit rougher, you can hear 13 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 2: that in the title. But it's still the same story. 14 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 2: There are some of the characters that are mixed characters. 15 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 2: The main character is the mother, the son, and the 16 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 2: Nina in the play, they are the same characters. And 17 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 2: and Mosh she's called habit that Masha in the in Swedish. 18 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 2: I don't know in English what you call. I think 19 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 2: you're saying Masha as well. 20 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: So the plot is roughly the same, but the because 21 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: it's contemporary, the way people interact with each other about 22 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:32,680 Speaker 1: certain things is different. 23 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 2: No, it's really about the same things. But it's all 24 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 2: it's about the mother and the son that has a 25 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 2: fight because he wants to be a famous direct director 26 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 2: or his mother is a famous star in the commercial business. Here, 27 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 2: it's not that in Siegel, and he is the political 28 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 2: director who wants to change the world, so of course 29 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 2: that's that's different. And the story with her lover, Trigorin, 30 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 2: is really the same. That the young girls that the 31 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 2: son really love is leaving him for the new famous author, Trigorian. 32 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:27,359 Speaker 2: So that's the same story. It's just it's just in 33 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 2: the contemporary side it's different. It's the same story. It's 34 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:36,399 Speaker 2: written by an American writer who really love Chekhov. And 35 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 2: you more you work with this piece, you more you 36 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 2: understand all the layers in this piece because I read 37 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 2: so much about Chekhov and my preparation period to be 38 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 2: really prepared to take on another script. But now I'm 39 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 2: inside this script and it's funny in between, and it's drama, 40 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 2: really drama in between, and we're trying still, you know, 41 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 2: to keep the thing. But the subtext that Cheko is 42 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 2: so he was so fantastic with because the subtext is 43 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 2: so important in a play. If it's based on Chekhov even. 44 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: Okay, because that was going to be my next question. 45 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:26,919 Speaker 1: A lot of Chekhov's dialogue is subtextual. People hint in 46 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: what they say, they hint at what they are really feeling, 47 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: and this contemporary adaptation does the same thing, rather than 48 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: this is what I feel, and I'm saying it in 49 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: the most bald and profane language imaginable. 50 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, but it's more outspoken even, But you still have 51 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 2: those in between in the interacting. Absolutely, you know, the 52 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 2: way they talk to each other. They're not straight out 53 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 2: and that's what I love about Chekhov is his subject 54 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,839 Speaker 2: and it's still there, but it's more outspoken. The conflicts 55 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 2: are stronger in this play. 56 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 1: Absolutely, And you're working with the Baxters in house company, 57 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: as it were, most of whom are I mean, they're 58 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:17,279 Speaker 1: all very talented, but most of them are quite young 59 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: and probably haven't had much exposure to classical Chekhov. So 60 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: you know, how do you approach the direction of this 61 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 1: play just with this play or in reference to the 62 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: play on which it is based. 63 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:38,039 Speaker 2: I don't have time really to reference to Chekhov. I 64 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:42,599 Speaker 2: must work with this play. That's important because this is 65 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 2: the lines that they're going to say, this is the 66 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 2: situation they're going to play. I ask them by the 67 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 2: head of Baxter that they've read, and I think everyone's 68 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 2: been reading The Seagull. But still then we have to 69 00:04:57,880 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 2: leave it and go into this play. 70 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 1: Thank you very much. Indeed, Maria Viisbi is the director 71 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: of Stupid Efving Bird, which is on at the Baxter 72 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: Theater Studio as of the second week of April and 73 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 1: continues until the second of May.