The Nina enigma: embodying fractured femininity in Chekhov’s The Seagull

Abstract

ABSTRACT While the legacy, names, and even faces of Konstantin Stanislavski, Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, and Anton Chekhov are readily recognizable to theatre historians, identifying Stanislavski’s female collaborators and their contributions remains challenging more than a century later. This article focuses on the creation of the role of Nina Zarechnaia in Chekhov’s play The Seagull in the first ten years (1885–1905) of its production history, through four very different actresses: Vera Kommissarzhevskaia, Maria Roksanova, Maria Andreyeva, and Maria Lillina. Stanislavski needed these women to embody the complex female characters of Chekhov’s play and also to realize his vision of a new style of performance for a new century. The role of Nina offered particular challenges to the original actresses who were cast to play her – the play and the character both straddle the dynamic shift from the melodramas of the 19th century to the modernism of the 20th century. Through a careful analysis of the character and these four specific performances, I argue that this role in particular and the work of these women are pivotal to the enduring success of the Moscow Art Theatre.