Bristol Old Vic will collaborate with Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for a startling production of three very different versions of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull from 2-10 July.

Marking 125 years since its first performance, fourteen acting students, who are about to graduate, will be directed by Olivier Award-winning director Sally Cookson who weaves together three seminal adaptations by Christopher Hampton, Aaron Posner and Anya Reiss.

Chekhov’s The Seagull still resonates today. Konstantin, a young playwright overshadowed by his famous actress mother, attempts to create a new form of theatre. So, what happens when we take three very different versions of the play and explore them through the students’ own perspective? Welcome to our experiment – expect good acting, some subtext, and a lot of lip-syncing!

BOVTS Artistic Director Jenny Stephens, said: “It’s fantastic to take to the stage of Bristol Old Vic and work with Sally Cookson again; nothing compares to the feeling of being in the room together and making work. The past year has obviously been a challenging time for those completing their training and entering an industry that has faced such an existential threat – and this makes our version of The Three Seagulls so personal, poignant and, ultimately, life-affirming. We’ve a sensational cohort of actors and technical students ensuring this return to live in-person theatre is well worth the wait.”

Director Sally Cookson said: “I am chomping at the bit to get back into a rehearsal room with a group of passionate and talented theatre-makers. I’ve spent enough time in forced solitary confinement and long for the connection with other like-minded collaborators. I can’t make theatre on my own.

“Being given the opportunity to venture back into theatreland with the graduating BOVTS students is an honour and one that I am relishing. They are an inspiring bunch full of loud voices, imaginative thinking and an enormous dollop of talent. I can’t wait to be creating with them and share our discoveries with an actual audience. Bring it on."

Tickets are on sale now here.