Making Theater Happen: 'The Seagull: A Rehearsal' Perches at White Feather Farm's Broken Wing Barn
Sometimes the most transformative theater happens when you strip away everything except the essential: willing actors, a timeless script, and the shared vulnerability of creative discovery. That's exactly what's about to unfold at White Feather Farm this August 14-15, where The Seagull: A Rehearsal will perch in our historic Broken Wing Barn.
Emily DeForest, the Hudson Valley-based actress and filmmaker, and I had been wrestling with a familiar frustration: how do we create meaningful theater opportunities for the incredible artists who live in the Hudson Valley—whether full- or part-time? We have such an amazing wealth of great summer stock and seasonal productions, but when it comes to community theaters, it's hard for artists to figure out how to break into some of the smaller theaters we have all around. So how do we make theater happen?
We already had a model. For five years, White Feather Farm has nurtured filmmakers through our partnership with the Woodstock Film Festival, hosting their annual Film Residency. Why couldn't we bring that same spirit of artistic process to live theater?
Once we set our barn as a space where a project like this could happen, Emily assembled a remarkable cast of actors who share our commitment to exploring what theater can be when freed from traditional constraints, andThe Seagull by Anton Chekov, seemed to be a perfect first laboratory work.
The Seagull feels particularly relevant to our Hudson Valley moment. The play unfolds on a Russian country estate where city sophisticates grapple with rural realities, artistic ambition clashes with practical concerns, and characters navigate the eternal tension between metropolitan success and pastoral authenticity. Sound familiar?
The parallels to contemporary Hudson Valley life are unmistakable. The question of where authentic artistic life can flourish—in the stimulating chaos of the city or the reflective quiet of the countryside—resonates powerfully with anyone who's chosen to make art in our region.
What makes this production unique is its format. As DeForest explained, "When we strip it down to the barest bones of what theater can be, we're just interested in seeing what happens when there are five days—that's why we're calling it a rehearsal."
This approach acknowledges both practical realities and artistic possibilities. By embracing the process rather than demanding perfection, we create space for the kind of authentic exploration that often gets lost in traditional production models. It's theater as discovery rather than presentation—an invitation for audiences to witness the creative process in real time.
White Feather Farm itself becomes a character in this production. Our historic Dutch barn, surrounded by organic fields and the Catskill Mountains, provides a naturally theatrical backdrop that would make Chekhov proud. The working farm environment adds layers of authenticity to this story of artistic ambition and rural retreat.
Jack Ferve,the visionary performer and Bard College professor whose work The New Yorker has called "so extreme that they sometimes look and feel like exorcisms," brings their formidable talent to Arkadina, the aging actress at the play's center. "Arkadina is really a holy grail for an actor–It’s such a complex gauntlet to run. There's something about her—being rich, famous, and a celebrity—an actress in a play—it's such a huge challenge because there are so many things that they want to hit and that they don't want to play. She's in her 40s and trapped—she has to maintain her life."
This production will serve our community in multiple ways. As a benefit, proceeds support our food accessibility program, which makes donations to Good Neighbor of Woodstock, our local food hub. As an organic farm, we believe in nourishing not just the spirits of those who come to see arts programming in our barn, but also the community members who might not otherwise have access to organic food.
"The Seagull is my favorite Chekhov play," said Ferver. "It's such a turning point for Chekhov. With Seagull, you get a multivalent mood. I don't land in a sense of dread or horror—I land in so many places with this play."
That's exactly what we hope audiences will experience: the full spectrum of human emotion and artistic possibility, all unfolding in our beautiful barn in the Hudson Valley.
The Seagull: A Rehearsal runs August 14-15 at 7pm at White Feather Farm. Suggested donation: $10-20. All proceeds benefit White Feather Farm’s food accessibility program. Featuring Jeffrey Binder, Christian Coulson, Emily DeForest, Jack Ferver, Julia Ham, Gus Heagerty, Katherine Laheen, Owen Laheen, Yvonna Pearson, Isaac Powell, Peter Daniel Straus