Monday, May 7, 2018 at 9:48:21 PM Central Daylight Time

Subject: WHO is Turgenev, and WHAT is "Three Days in the Country"?

Date: Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 7:44:46 AM Central Daylight Time
From: KineHc Theatre on behalf of KineHc Theatre
To: jzdgarcia402@gmail.com

Turgenev's background and the origins of Three Days in the View this email in your browser
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 Three Days in the Country
by Ivan Turgenev, in an unfaithful version by Patrick Marber
Directed by Andrew Paul

Nov. 18 - Dec. 4
New Hazlett Theater, Northside
CLICK HERE for tickets, or phone ShowClix
at 1.888.718.4253

Who is Ivan What is Three Days in the

Turgenev?
Ivan Sergeyevich
Country?
Turgenev (October 28, Three Days in the Country is an “unfaithful version” of Ivan
1818-August 22 1883) Turgenev’s A Month in the Country written by Patrick Marber. It
was a Russian novelist,
centers on a married woman, Natalya Petrovna, suffering from a
poet, and playwright.
boring life in the countryside of Russia in the mid-19th century. Soon
His writing style
a new tutor for her son ends her boredom and she falls in love with
signified realistic,
affectionate portrayals him; however her daughter falls in love with him as well. A

of Russian peasantry psychologically-nuanced play that precedes Chekhov, Three Days in

and liberalism. He was the Country explores recklessness, romance, and love in well…
also hopeful in his three days!
writings, where he had
a running theme of the
future of Russia. Due to The Arrival of Belyaev
his liberal nature (which Turgenev’s works reflect balances of opposites which experts refer
was a dangerous to as “Months in the Country”. These opposites include young and
stance to take under
old, love and its facets, and selfishness and selflessness. One major
the rule of Czar
plot device Turgenev employs is how a newcomer affects the
Nicholas), Turgenev
environment of a social circle. The group (mostly the protagonist)
spent some of his years
in Western Europe to would put the newcomer under scrutiny for the sake of trust. This is

avoid arrest. In 1879, apparent in A Month in the Country where the new tutor, Aleksi

he was awarded an Belayev, incites actions and the plot.

honorary degree from Regardless, this character is Turgenev’s plot-mover. He is new
the University of to the estate and is slowly becoming acquainted with a social circle
Oxford.
he doesn’t know about. His presence attracts Natalya, the lady of
Did You Know? the estate, and her daughter, Vera. It is also interesting that when

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The great Konstantin translating Belayev, it means “white or blond hair”. During the
Stanislavsky of Moscow
Renaissance period, the blonde color symbolized purity and
Art Theatre played the
innocence. This seems appropriate since the actor playing our
role of Rakitin in an
Belyaev, Adam Haas Hunter, has blonde hair!
early 20th Century
production of A Month
in the Country.
Social Conditions Under the Czar
Russian society was strongly hierarchical. The Czar’s political,
Turgenev's
religious, and social structures came into play when Russia’s legal
Parallels
Much like most writers, code enforced the hierarchy. It defined position and status within the

Turgenev used his Russian population and restricted the ability to move upward and
personal life in his downward between classes. This social hierarchy was often
writings. These represented on visual propaganda, as seen on the Russian wedding
autobiographical
cake icon below. According to an 1897 census, the Russian
moments include:
population was categorized into four different categories:
• The domineering,
unreasonable mother
named Vavara • The Upper Class, which included royalty, nobility, and higher clergy

Petrovna similar to • The Middle Class, which included merchants, bureaucrats, and
Natalya Petrovna working professionals
• His knowledge of • The Working Class, which included factory workers, artisans,
German from his
soldiers, and sailors
education at The
• The Peasants, which included landed and landless farmers
University of Berlin
• His love for a
married singer named Beyond all of the issues of class and status, Russian society was

Pauline Viardot, which deeply patriarchal. The men were the dominant figures in the

dominated his life much community, workplace, and the government. It was actually law at
like the character of the time that husbands were given almost unlimited power to make
Rakitin's love decisions within the family. Wives were expected to obey their
for Natalya.
husbands. Married women needed their husbands’ permission to
• an illegitimate
take a job, apply for government permits, or even attain a higher
daughter borne to a
education. If a man died his male children inherited most of his
peasant. He bestowed
his child on Viardot as property, while his wife and daughters only obtained a small share.

her ward, much like

Vera is Natalya's ward

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Turgenev and
Chekhov
It may come as a
surprise that Turgenev
influenced Anton
Chekov’s writing.
Chekhov agreed with
him and thought highly
of him. He often
recommended
Turgenev's work to
family and colleagues.
Some influences
The Russian Cake pictured here exemplifies the class
include:
structure at the time, as the upper class is propped up by the
• Landowning family labor classes below them. The lower classes are kept in
experiencing the check using religion and the threat of violence. The peasantry
abolition of serfdom and the working class actually made up more than four-fifths
of the Russian population, while Russia's educated and
• Dysfunctional
professional middle classes were smaller compared to
characters and their
Western countries such as Britain or France.
outlook on life

• The tragicomic view

of provincial life and
passing of Russian Essays and information provided
gentry by Production Dramaturg
• Characters Val Gerard Garcia, Jr.
representing the
contemporary time

Tickets
Advance: $36

At the door: $40

Family 4-Pak: $99

(includes 2 adult tickets and 2 tickets for
youth ages 13-17)

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 $20 tickets available at the door for patrons under 25,
Kinetic Theatre with valid ID.
Company is
proud to partner CLICK HERE or call ShowClix at 1.888.718.4253
with our media
sponsor, WYEP,
91.3 FM.

Copyright © 2016 Kinetic Theatre Company, All rights reserved.

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PO Box 9246, Pittsburgh, PA 15224
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