The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov
Conceptual Project for USA 829 Entrance Exam (2020)
“Set in Russia at the turn of the twentieth century, The Cherry Orchard chronicles a noblewoman’s return to her family estate after a five-year absence to escape troubling memories of her son’s death. Lyubov Ranevskaya arrives home to find the cherry orchard in full bloom, but the finances of the estate on the verge of ruin. Lyubov and her brother, Gaev, find themselves scrambling to retain a vision of gentility amidst a climate of huge social and economic transition.”
—Dramatists Play Service
The Process
As part of the entrance exam for United Scenic Artists (USA 829), I chose to design a production of The Cherry Orchard. In addition to renderings for each of its four acts, I provided a research packet, a 1/4” scale model, a full drafting package, and paint elevations for all the major scenic elements. The renderings were created using a combination of SketchUp and Photoshop. All drafting was done in AutoCAD and then the paint elevations were finished in Photoshop.
Cherry Orchard is set at the turn of the 20th century at the family estate of a Russian aristocrat. Given the specific historical period of the piece, I drew inspiration from a series of paintings of the Interiors of the Winter Palace in Russia done by German painter Edward Petrovich Hau in the late 1800s. I used these images to identify specific architectural elements that would help capture the distinct aesthetic of Imperial Russia.
From there, I did additional research for each of the act locations: the nursery, the garden, and the drawing room. The estate serves as a physical manifestation of the decline of Russian aristocracy where wistful remembrances battle with the reality of a rapidly changing world. Consequently, each of these locations should have a sense of the estate’s previous splendor while also showing obvious signs of neglect.
