Produced with special arrangement with
Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
440 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016

Sean D. Kuprevich............Sergei Maxudov
Kevin Niziol.................Rudolfi, Gavril Stepanovich, Man
Harrison Treegoob............Likospastov, Shakespeare
Michael Gravely..............Friend Two, Worker, Waiter, Play Soldier, Assistant, Moliére, Andrei
Kevin Tray...................Friend, Worker, Konkin, Phillip Phillipovich. Sophocles, Old Man with Bucket, Romanus
Peter Lawler.................Kerenin, Aloysius, Bakhlazhnov, Man, Bakhvalin, Play Soldier, Patrikeyev
Kim Herrmann.................Worker, Rudolfi's Landlady, Mother
Melanie Smith................Worker, Party Guest, Sister Anna, Woman
Bridget Kuster...............Worker, Party Guest,Old Woman, Props Person
Joe Gaita....................Man at Party, Thomas Strizh
Christine Ringleben..........A Young Writer, Eulampia Petrovna
LaNova Staples............. .Irinia, Nurse, Woman, Elena
Karl Tangara.................Yegor, Man with Guitar, Vladchinsky
Sean Kelly...................Bondarevsky, Bombardov
Jon-Michael Roman............Ilchin
Christina M. Tang............Toropetzkaya, Ivan's Aunt
Pete Nickischer..............Ivan Vasileivitch
Debbie Shaw..................Ludmilla


              Production Staff
Assistant Director...........Lauryn Kolessar
Stage Manager................Kevin Kufro
Set Construction.............Greg Melitski, Nick Schmitz
Set Painting.................John Bittenbender, MaryAnn Danyo, Chris Fair, 
                             Bridget Kuster, Jay Machain, Christina Scassera, 
                             Melanie Smith, Alyssa Young, Anna Zalewski
Light Operator...............Christina Scassera
Sound Operator...............Jay Machain
Running Crew.................MaryAnn Danyo, Gregory Giemza, Andrew Kuklis, 
                             Bridget Kuster, Fasih Saddiqui, Melanie Smith,
                             Christopher Teal, Alyssa Young

Most of the students involved in this production receive credit for
Theatre 298, Theatre in Production.

Joe Gaita returns to our stage after making his theatrical debut with The Alchemist last spring. From Cresco, PA, Joe is a sophomore Communications major.

Michael E. Gravely, a freshman in the Division of Undergraduate Studies, is making his stage debut with this play. Michael comes to us from Whitehall, PA.

Kimberly Herrmann, from Greentown, PA, is a freshman education major. Kim's previous credits include the roles of Shundel in Fiddler on the Roof, Lt. Connie Liebiwitz in M*A*S*H, Mrs. Briggs in The Trysting Place, and a chorus member in Annie Get Your Gun.

Sean Kelly has performed in numerous roles, notably Will Parker in Oklahoma!, Larry Rencher in Macbeth Did It, and Charlie Cowell in The Music Man, among others, at the Northampton Theatre Company. A freshman English major from Northampton, PA, Sean lists writing, singing, dancing and making movies in his experience.

Sean David Kuprevich, from Bloomsburg, PA, is a sophomore in the Division of Undergraduate Studies. Last seen as the maligned Dapper in last spring's The Alchemist, Sean's pervious stage experiences directing The Actor's Nightmare, and performing in Anything Goes (Billy Crocker), Into The Woods (Rapunzel's Prince), The Curious Savage (Jeffrey), Beauty and the Beast, and Guys and Dolls.

Bridget Kuster, a freshman Communications from Hummels Wharf, PA, performed in the Chorus for Fiddler on the Roof and Anything Goes, and played Miss Burdett in Murder Runs in the Family, in her high school.

Peter Lawler is a sophomore English major from East Stroudsburg, PA. Previously, before coming to Hazleton, Pete student-directed and played Mr. Salt in his high school Speech and Drama's production of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.

Peter Vincent Nickischer is a freshman Journalism/ Broadcasting major from Walnutport, PA. At Northampton High School he performed in three plays and two musicals, including the role of at Jud Fry in Oklahoma! He also co-starred in Street Fight, which was awarded Best Movie by a Pre-Freshman at Temple University.

Kevin R. Niziol, a freshman from Palmyra, PA, has appeared in The Odd Couple in the role of Speed, and in Nickel Moon Productions' Scream in the Dark. Here on campus he is an active member of the Multicultural Club, the Choral Club and Allies. Kevin wishes to major in Theatre.

Christine Ringleben is a freshman Biology major from Hazleton, PA. Christine is making her stage debut with this production.

Jon-Michael Roman last appeared as Subtle the Alchemist in last Spring's production of The Alchemist. From East Stroudsburg, PA, Jon-Michael is an International Business major. He is also the president of the Student Government Association, is active in Legislative Advocacy, and is the chair of the Election Committee, of the Disciplinary Committee, and of Club Oversight.

Debbie Shaw is a first-year Advertising/Public Relations major from Brentwood, NJ. Debbie has been involved in theatre productions and musicals since the 7th grade, and played roles Godspell, Gypsy and Anything Goes. She is also secretary/treasurer of SOTA.

Melanie Susan Smith is making her stage debut with this show. A sophomore History major, Melanie is from Tamaqua, PA.

LaNova Staples is a first year Communications major from East Orange, NJ. In summer theatre, LaNova has appeared as Doris in Mama I Want to Sing and in Chorus Line. In high school, she participated in a club that wrote and performed scenes about urban problems, and also participated in mock trials. She is co-president of SOTA here on campus.

Christina M. Tang, a vital part of the backstage crew for The Alchemist, is making her official stage debut with this show. She is co-president of SOTA here on campus, and is a sophomore majoring in International Business.

Karl Romero Tangara played Kastril the Angry Boy in The Alchemist last spring. An Accounting/International Business major from East Stroudsburg, PA, Karl is an SGA senator and Thon Co-chair, serves as president of the Lion Ambassadors, plays on the PSU men's volleyball team, and manages the PSU women's volleyball team.

Kevin Tray is a sophomore Psychology major from Hazleton. He is making his theatrical debut with this show.

Harrison Treegoob appeared in numerous high school productions before coming to our campus as a Communications major. He is a freshman from Philadelphia, PA.

MaryAnn Danyo previously worked on crew for her Lehighton, PA, high school senior class play. She is a freshman in the Division of Undergraduate Studies.

Chris Fair, last seen as Abel Drugger in The Alchemist, lists various school plays in high school as his previous theatre experience, and notes his favorites were a sadistic camp counselor and the Land Shark in a stage version of The Best of Saturday Night Live. Chris is a sophomore Telecommunications major from Hershey, PA.

Gregory Giemza is a sophomore Business major from Stroudsburg, PA. He also worked on stage crew in high school.

Lauren Kolessar served as Assistant Director for The Process Plays at her high school in East Stroudsburg, PA. She is a freshman Education major.

Andrew Kuklis is a sophomore Management Science major from Stroudsburg, PA. Previously, Kevin worked on the stage crew at his high school.

Kevin A. Kufro has worked backstage from 8th to 12th grade. A sophomore Meteorology major from Freeland, Kevin has also helped with Channel 16's "For Kids' Sake."

Jay Machain is a Graphic Design major from Bethlehem, PA. He worked on stage crew for a production of Snow White in high school and for Ice Wolf at PYT.

Greg Melitski is a freshman Biology major from Branchburg, PA. This is his first time working on a theatre production.

Christina Scassera worked on crew for several high school in Belleville, NJ. She is a first year Kinesiology major.

Nick Schmitz worked on stage crew at his Hamburg, PA, high school before coming to Hazleton as a Computer Science major.

Fasih Saddiqui is a freshman pre-med major from Knoxville, TN, where he worked on the set for his eighth grade play.

Christopher G. Teal is a sophomore majoring in Environmental Resource Management. In high school he worked on stage crew and played in the pit band for West Side Story and Godspell.

Alyssa Young, a freshman Biology major previously worked on the stage crew for School House Rock at Allen High School in her hometown of Allentown, PA.

Anna Zalewski participated in The Music Man, Guys and Dolls, Damn Yankees and South Pacific while in high school. From Ashley, PA, Anna is a freshman Accounting major.

Acknowledgments:

• Tammy Brill
• Jane Cochran
• Dave Donati
• Cy Falatko
• Carl Frankel
• Reggie Pompa

Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940), like his predecessor Anton Chekhov, first became a doctor before leaving medicine to become a writer. During his brief lifetime, he wrote plays--The Days of the Turbins, Flight (which features cockroach races), and The Cabal of the Hypocrites (Moliere)--and novels, including Heart of A Dog (in which a scientist transplants a dog's heart into a man, and creates the ultimate loyal communist party member), Black Snow (A Theatrical Novel), and his masterpiece, The Master And Margarita, with the devil inflicting his perversely funny sense of humor on the unwitting inhabitants of Moscow.

Living in Stalinist Russia, when writers needed to follow the party line in their works, Bulgakov often found himself in conflict with censors, publishers and directors. His first novel, The White Guard, dealt not with Communist soldiers, but rather heroic anti-Communist forces, in the Revolution; though it was to be serialized, only the first part was published. (Maxudov's novel in Black Snow is a thinly veiled reference to The White Guard. ) Censors also rejected Heart of a Dog, with its obvious modern viewpoint and criticism of the government, and The Cabal met with the same fate.

Constantly beset by problems in life, and considered an "internal emigre" in his homeland, Bulgakov, in a letter addressed to Stalin personally, asked to be allowed to leave the country. He also gave Stalin a possible alternative: to be given a position in the theatre. Thus Bulgakov became Assistant Director and Literary Consultant to the Moscow Art Theatre, following a phone call from Stalin who urged Bulgakov to apply there. Though his position required him to devote his time to adapting or fixing other authors' works, he nevertheless continued to write until his death.

In the 1960s, Bulgakov was re-discovered, and publications of his novels and plays began appearing in both Russian and in English translation. Along with these came play adaptations of The Master and Margarita, Heart of a Dog and Black Snow. Too long ignored, Bulgakov finally had begun achieving the fame and readers censors had denied him in life.

Here's more, even more, and still more information on Bulgakov.

An Excerpt from Bulgakov's Letter to Stalin: 28 March 1930 (Moscow) The following letter is addressed to the Soviet Government: When I carried out an analysis of my albums of cuttings, I discovered that there had been 301 references to me in the Soviet press during my ten years of work in the field of literature. Of these, three were complimentary, and 298 were hostile and abusive.

These 298 reflect, as in a mirror, my life as a writer.

[After] The Days of the Turbins ...I was referred to as a 'literary scavenger,' picking over scraps after 'a good dozen guests have thrown up.'

They wrote:

'...Misha Bulgakov, my friend, who is also, if you will pardon the expression, a writer, pokes around in rubbish-tips... I am asking you, brother, why you've got such an ugly mug... I am a delicate type, just bash him over the head with a basin... As common citizens we have no more need of the Turbins than a dog needs a brassiere... That son of a bitch just swans in... Let's make sure he gets not takings nor any success...' (The Life of Art, Number 44, 1927).

They've always written about 'Bulgakov, who has remained what he always was, one of the nouveau bourgeois breed, spraying vitriolic but impotent spittle over the working class and its Communist ideals' (Komsomol Pravda, 14 November 1926)....

I first read Bulgakov's Black Snow (A Theatrical Novel) as a novel while at UC Berkeley. I had encountered a reference to the book, and was intrigued by the idea of a hilariously satiric perspective on Stanislavsky and the Moscow Art Theatre, written by a person who had worked intimately with the Theatre's personnel.

Most of us in theatre have been trained to pay homage to and respect Constantin Stanislavsky, who is remembered as both the inventor of Method Acting and, through his high priests in the U.S., the inspiration of the more emotional American Method. Acolytes of the American Method include Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman, and indeed any young actor who has ever asked the director, "What's my motivation?" or screamed "STELLA!" in intense anguish. While the Method suggests some useful techniques for actors in rehearsal, it often gives way to self-indulgence and wallowing in emotion rather than the portrayal of emotion. (One of the reasons it works so well in film is that the actor can be him/herself while doing something and the director, cameraman and editor can capture true emotion; onstage, in front of a live audience, an actor must use the craft of acting to simulate the emotion.)

The author Maxudov suffers more than just the whims of the play's Stanislavsky character (Ivan Vasilievich). There are jealous "friends," odd publishers, evil critics, foolish theatre officials, and just plain bad directors. And always the censors, whether real or imagined, are lurking close by. Everyone is covering his/her own derriere and/or doing business; no one seems to be worried about art. As for our artist, Sergei Maxudov, who has sought to express his inner creative soul with his novel and his play, he is constantly fighting for the integrity of the work, like a marionette trying to pull away from the strings that control him.

The play derives much of its humor from the absolute truth of Maxudov's situation. Though a satire of the Moscow Art Theatre in the years following the Russian Revolution, the ideas embodied in the struggle between artist and businessman can be applied to present-day Hollywood, Washington D.C. (in the debate over funding the NEA/NEH), San Antonio, TX (where city officials recently slashed arts funding), and even the world of academia.

In spite of all this seriousness, it is still a funny play--enjoy the show.

--Dr. Stephen A. Schrum