Arlekin’s Zero Gravity (zero-G) Lab & The Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation in association with Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, and UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, present:
chekhovOS /an experimental game/
A Live and Interactive Virtual Theatre Experience
Inspired by The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov
Conceived and Directed by Igor Golyak
Starring Jessica Hecht
With Mikhail Baryshnikov as Anton Chekhov
Sun, May 23, 2021 at 5PM PDT
Online
“The post-pandemic theater has to reexamine and reimagine itself. Through this experiment we are finding out how humankind can find each other in the virtual while continuing to treasure the in-person encounter, which makes for a new kind of site-specific theater. And I find myself in constant dialogue with The Cherry Orchard—during a time of loss and recovery, it helps us explore connection, transition, loss, and the human yearning for happiness." —Igor Golyak, Founder & Director, Arlekin Players Theatre
chekhovOS /an experimental game/ is a performance experiment in development by Arlekin Players Theatre’s founder and director Igor Golyak, who has been a leading innovator of virtual theater since the start of the pandemic. His recent State vs. Natasha Banina was a Critic’s Pick in The New York Times by Maya Phillips who declared “The verdict is in: the virtual can, in fact, be an effective new stage for theater.” Golyak’s latest work fuses film, theater and video game technology to create a new medium where viewers are able to interact with the performers. Inspired by Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard and drawing from recordings of Chekhov’s letters and dreams, this interactive online theater experience accesses the operating system behind both Chekhov’s computer and the world in which his characters live, searching for happiness.
The cast of chekhovOS /an experimental game/ comprises a cadre of well-known stage, television and film actors, including Tony nominee Jessica Hecht, who performs the iconic role of Ranevskaya, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, who makes a special appearance in the role of Anton Chekhov.
This performance will be followed by a talkback with CAP UCLA Executive and Artistic Director Kristy Edmunds, Jessica Hecht (Ranevskaya), Igor Golyak (Director) and Sara Stackhouse (Producer).
chekhovOS /an experimental game/ is made possible by is made possible with generous support from producing sponsor .ART, ArtsEmerson, Baryshnikov Arts Center, BroadBand Collaborative, Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation, Fooksman Family Foundation, Meghan Coleman, Robin Hanley, ZiphyCare and Aximmetry Technologies Ltd., the official software provider for Arlekin's Zero Gravity (zero-G) Lab.