Title: Iconography by A
Author: Kob2
Last saved by: David
Company: SOSNOVSKAYA

Alla Sosnovskaya.

Iconography by A.P. Chekhov's plays.

"The world of things in Chekhov's works is not the background and not the periphery of the stage. It has equal rights with the characters"^1 

^1.   152A.P. Chudakov. Chekhov's poetics. Moscow, 1971,p

Anton Chekhov has become one of the most popular playwrights in the course of recent decades. His plays had been staged by very different directors and stage designers, but the scenography  by his plays develops in its own way,  is keeping   intact  the same motifs and same elements in the different performances and different countries, or in other words, is keeping its authenticy.
The first and permanent element of iconography of Chekhov's plays is the house. The House in Chekhov's plays became an independent character, part of the image of the play on the stage. And every stage designer who undertakes the scenography of a play by Chekhov must solve the problem of representing House for himself in advance. 
 If visual image of House staying as a constant element of very different productions, The Garden (the second main motif of Chekhov's plays), never had been depicted as a real place.
The Garden or Orchard from the first performance of "Cherry Orchard" till up today staying spiritual symbol, which depicted on the stage only as white colour, sign of purity and death. The scenographic image depends on time and place, on personalities of director and stage designer, but visual motifs become a part of text without which the play cannot exist on the stage.

Short CV

Alla Sosnovskaya was born in Kiev (Ukraine) and studied at the Theatrical- Art Institute in Tashkent (Uzbekistan).  Worked as lecture in Theatrical-Art Institute and in Art Theory and History Institute (Tashkent). Published articles in journals in Moscow and Tashkent, as well as two albums and one book on stage design.
 In 1900 moved  to Israel, where lectures at Jerusalem and Haifa Universities, and has published articles in Russian, Hebrew and English. Field of specialization- Stage design and its relationship with directions, theater space and architecture of theaters.