[from 3sis Forum, character analysis sample, table period -- Diana had her senior thesis in this show, her papers are in the office on file.]
From: "Anatoly Antohin" Date: Sun Sep 26, 1999 7:22 am
Subject: [3sis] Re: Olga, Olga and more Olga
Diana, to follow the Chekhov -- Olga Knipper story (she became Kniper-Chekhov and kept the name after his death), you might check the library. I know that we have all Chekhov's letters in Russian, but not sure that we have the English full Chekhov collection. If you read Chekhov's letters to his friends and confidants, you will come a conclusion that she married Anton, who was very doubtful.
This is "historical approach" we discussed in Playscript Analysis class last Wed. Following this method we might consider that Olga is very old Russian name (Scandinavian origins) and Olga ruled Russia after the first Russian prince Oleg who killed by the Tartars. Her name became that known because the story happens to be the first Russian written book (in Old Slavonic), around 10 c. AD and is considered to be the beginning of Russian literature. Masha (Maria, her cult in Russia supersedes Christ, she is fully Mother of God) is of Virgin Mary, Irina is very popular even today (all three names survived the Soviet period when many traditional Russian names disappeared).
Chekhov tried to break away from the century old tradition to name characters with the openly encrypted meaning, but all he did is made it more sophisticated. (I am playing a dramaturg right now). The last name (Prozorov) has several potential interpretations. One -- proselyte, another -- prophetic, but all with the connotations to "see the future" or at least "clear vision".
Who noticed that they avoid mentioning names of father and mother? (Structuralist Approach). Andrey is very famous and very Russian Saint-Warrior (was the highest Imperial order). We can reconstruct the name of the father -- Sergey (another old Russian name of a monk-priest-saint responsible for the shaping Russian Orthodox doctrine). I hope now you understand why I am afraid to apply the mixture of semiotics and historic -- too speculative. I would rather use Jung collective mythology ideas -- 3 Sisters, 3 Sisters and Brother, Children without Parents, Home-House (this is semi-anthropological view and will try to explain how it works on Ibsen). Anatoly (this name is of Greek=Byzantine not Scandinavian origins, ask me about the direct translation in class).
----- Original Message -----
From: fsdlw1@uaf.edu
To: 3sis@egroups.com
Sent: Saturday, September 25, 1999 9:42 PM
Subject: [3sis] Olga, Olga and more Olga
Hey-
Oh, hi this is Diana again
Ok, Chekhov married an actress (one of many who followed him about like
so many groupies during his time in Moscow as playwright) named Olga.
They were a courtin' durring the writing of 3sisters. She played Masha
in original production. Hummm- Olga ousted C. from a relationship
with another actress who had fairly abvious political (in theatre
politics, not mainstream) ambitions. Hummm
So my question is, does this really mean anything, or is it just a
co-inkey-dink? Thing now. Olga just namesake, gee how nice considering
the woman, or something more? Masha- why play her? Olga to close to
home? Humm.
I am doing a lot of humm-ing. So, C. surrounded by gruopie, shy pick
her? Whywould anyone want to marry a hardcore Method Actress at all?
Lord knows at time I really am glad for everyone else's sake I live
alone, and I am not working with Mr. S. himself. Not saying Anatoly is
all that much easier really... :-)
So, yeah, just something more to think about- oh, and sorry for my lack
of editing on the previous e-mail. But you type that again and again
and see if yuo care to look at it for longer than you have to. hummm
again I say.
To give you an example how the electronic "3 Sisters" forum worked, I am pasting a few messages, regarding the character exploration process:
Hey - Oh, hi this is Diana again
Ok, Chekhov married an actress (one of many who followed him about like
so many groupies during his time in Moscow as playwright) named Olga.
They were a courtin' durring the writing of 3sisters. She played Masha
in original production. Hummm- Olga ousted C. from a relationship
with another actress who had fairly abvious political (in theatre
politics, not mainstream) ambitions. Hummm
So my question is, does this really mean anything, or is it just a
co-inkey-dink? Thing now. Olga just namesake, gee how nice considering
the woman, or something more? Masha- why play her? Olga to close to
home? Humm.
I am doing a lot of humm-ing. So, C. surrounded by gruopie, shy pick
her? Whywould anyone want to marry a hardcore Method Actress at all?
Lord knows at time I really am glad for everyone else's sake I live
alone, and I am not working with Mr. S. himself. Not saying Anatoly is
all that much easier really... :-)
So, yeah, just something more to think about - oh, and sorry for my lack
of editing on the previous e-mail. But you type that again and again
and see if yuo care to look at it for longer than you have to. hummm
again I say.
Diana (#44)
From: "Anatoly Antohin"
Date: Sun Sep 26, 1999 7:22 am
Subject: [3sis] Re: Olga, Olga and more Olga
Diana, to follow the Chekhov -- Olga Knipper story (she became Kniper-Chekhov and kept the name after his death), you might check the library. I know that we have all Chekhov's letters in Russian, but not sure that we have the English full Chekhov collection. If you read Chekhov's letters to his friends and confidants, you will come a conclusion that she married Anton, who was very doubtful.
This is historical approach we discussed in Playscript Analysis class last Wed. Following this method we might consider that Olga is very old Russian name (Scandinavian origins) and Olga ruled Russia after the first Russian prince Oleg who killed by the Tartars. Her name became that known because the story happens to be the first Russian written book (in Old Slavonic), around 10 c. AD and is considered to be the beginning of Russian literature. Masha (Maria, her cult in Russia supersedes Christ, she is fully Mother of God) is of Virgin Mary, Irina is very popular even today (all three names survived the Soviet period when many traditional Russian names disappeared).
Chekhov tried to break away from the century old tradition to name characters with the openly encrypted meaning, but all he did is made it more sophisticated. (I am playing a dramaturg right now). The last name (Prozorov) has several potential interpretations. One -- proselyte, another -- prophetic, but all with the connotations to "see the future" or at least "clear vision".
Who noticed that they avoid mentioning names of father and mother? (Structuralist Approach). Andrey is very famous and very Russian Saint-Warrior (was the highest Imperial order). We can reconstruct the name of the father -- Sergey (another old Russian name of a monk-priest-saint responsible for the shaping Russian Orthodox doctrine). I hope now you understand why I am afraid to apply the mixture of semiotics and historic -- too speculative. I would rather use Jung collective mythology ideas -- 3 Sisters, 3 Sisters and Brother, Children without Parents, Home-House (this is semi-anthropological view and will try to explain how it works on Ibsen). Anatoly (this name is of Greek=Byzantine not Scandinavian origins, ask me about the direct translation in class).
Inside the Prozorov house. A sitting room with
pillars, behind which is seen another large dining or reception room. It
is midday; outside it is bright and sunny. In the dining room beyond the
table is being laid for lunch. Olga in a blue dress, the official school
dress for a teacher of the Girls' High School, is continually correcting
exercise books as she stands or while she walks around. Masha in a black
dress sits on a chair with her hat on her knees and reads a book. Irina
in a white dress is standing deep in thought.
OLGA. Father died exactly a year ago, on this very
same day, on the fifth of May, on your name day, Irina. It was very cold,
and snow was falling. It seemed to me as if I would not live through it,
you were lying in a faint, as if you were dead. But look, a year has gone
by and we can remember it lightly, you are already wearing white, and your
face is full of brightness…
(The clock strikes eleven.)
And then also the clock struck in just the same
way.
(Pause.)
I remember, when they carried father out, the band
was playing, at the cemetery they fired shots in his honour. He was a general,
and commanding officer of a brigade, but even so, not many came to the funeral.
But of course, it was raining then. Very heavy rain, and snow.
IRINA. Why do you insist on remembering it!
(Behind the pillars, in the dining room,
Baron Tuzenbach, Chebutykin and Solyony appear near the table.)
OLGA. Today it's warm, we can even have the windows
open - but the birch trees are still not in leaf. Father was given command
of a brigade and left Moscow with us eleven years ago. And I remember it
all distinctly, at the beginning of May, just at this time, in Moscow already
everything is in flower, it's warm, everything is flooded with sunlight.
Eleven years have gone by, but I remember everything there, as if we left
Moscow yesterday. Good God! This morning I woke up and I saw a blaze of
colour, I saw the spring, and gladness bubbled up inside my heart, and I
desperately wanted to be where I came from, in my native land.
CHEBUTYKIN. Its absolutely not true.
TUZENBACH. Of course, it's nonsense.
(Masha, deep in thought over her book,
starts to whistle a tune.)
Chekhov: "The demand is made that the hero and heroine should be dramatically effective. But after all, in real life people don't spend every minute shooting each other, hanging themselves and making confessions of love. They don't spend all their time saying clever things. They're more occupied with eating, drinking, flirting and talking stupidities - and these are the things which ought to be shown on the stage. A play should be written in which people arrive, go away, have dinner, talk about the weather and play cards. Life must be exactly as it is. And people as they are - not on stilts.... Let everything on the stage be just as complicated, and at the same time just as simple as it is in life. People eat their dinner, just eat their dinner, and all the time their happiness is being established or their lives are being broken up."
To give you an example how the electronic "3 Sisters" forum worked, I am pasting a few messages, regarding the character exploration process: