the vanya project
an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya by Yibin Wang and Tayler Everts
The Vanya Project follows “an eclectic group of people who meet to perform a production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, wherein voyueristic footage intercedes. In this play within a play, a film student plays the Professor; a K-Pop addict plays Vanya; a YouTube doll collector plays Yelena... as they perform Uncle Vanya onstage, prerecorded content following their daily lives interrupts the Chekhovian narrative. Interruptions become intercuts become conversations. Soon: neither reality will be clear.”
The Vanya Project’s scenery draws inspiration from the two disparate narratives (that of Chekhov’s and of the adaptation) and highlights the tension between them. The stage begins pristine: furniture pieces are arranged onstage in an orthogonal grid, feeling rigid and in-place. As the play unfurls, and the audience’s perception of reality becomes less clear, the furnitures drift from their original locations, slowly becoming messier and messier. Ending with a cacophony of elements onstage, the players feel disconnected from their Chekhovian characters and from one another by final curtain. An oversized muslin projection screen hangs upstage, anchoring the piece and allowing for video projections of important plot points to be featured behind the action onstage.
The Vanya Project’s scenery draws inspiration from the two disparate narratives (that of Chekhov’s and of the adaptation) and highlights the tension between them. The stage begins pristine: furniture pieces are arranged onstage in an orthogonal grid, feeling rigid and in-place. As the play unfurls, and the audience’s perception of reality becomes less clear, the furnitures drift from their original locations, slowly becoming messier and messier. Ending with a cacophony of elements onstage, the players feel disconnected from their Chekhovian characters and from one another by final curtain. An oversized muslin projection screen hangs upstage, anchoring the piece and allowing for video projections of important plot points to be featured behind the action onstage.
project information
location: the theatre at schapiro, columbia university; new york, new york
date: 2022
type: scenic design, prop design, set dressing, produced
credits
project team: jacob t. middleton
director: yibin wang
costume design: nuzzi li
lighting design: adrienne miikellesound design: yuexing (star) sun
cinematography: yejia sun photos: tayler everts
location: the theatre at schapiro, columbia university; new york, new york
date: 2022
type: scenic design, prop design, set dressing, produced
credits
project team: jacob t. middleton
director: yibin wang
costume design: nuzzi li
lighting design: adrienne miikellesound design: yuexing (star) sun
cinematography: yejia sun photos: tayler everts
behind-the-scenes; filming video elements for onstage projections
conceptual massing; set pieces break from orthogonal grid as play progresses
