Photo by Joe Moore
The Mission
Inspired by the artistry and humanitarian legacy of Anton Chekhov, The Seagull Project seeks to challenge and redefine the modern American theater through intensive training, long-form process, and international collaboration.
A Little History
The Seagull Project develops custom, long-form rehearsal processes’ to create productions that best reflect the artistry of the play, the artists, and their community. Inspired by the work of Anton Chekhov, the company has produced all four of Chekhov’s major works at ACT in Seattle, Washington. They toured their production of The Seagull to the historic Ilkhom Theatre in Tashkent Uzbekistan in 2014. Their production of Maxim Gorky’s The Lower Depths was produced in 2024 in a co-production with the Intiman Theatre.
Having met and collaborated on Seattle Shakespeare Company’s The Threepenny Opera, the founding producers—Julie Briskman, Brandon J. Simmons, John Bogar, Gavin Reub, and Alex Tavares—set about creating a new collaboration, one formed around a long-form, actor-driven workshop of Chekhov’s play, The Seagull. They began assembling an ensemble in 2011 and produced the play at ACT Theatre in the winter of 2013, under the direction of John Langs.
The production was met with public and critical acclaim and the company toured the show to the Ilkholm Theatre in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 2014. Upon returning to the States, The Seagull Project began to work on it’s 2015 production of The Three Sisters, which earned the Gregory Award for Outstanding Production the same year. Their 2017 production of The Cherry Orchard won the People's Choice (play) Gregory, and their Uncle Vanya premiered in February 2019 at ACT Theatre.
Their 2024 production of Maxim Gorky’s The Lower Depths marked a number of firsts for the company. Not only was this their first production not written by Anton Chekhov, but it was the company's first adaptation of a text. Working with a number of local nonprofits that deal with homelessness, the company created a contemporary adaptation of the play, which premiered to great acclaim.
