Productions

Lomov, a hypochondrical younger landowner, arrives at the home of Chubukov, a wealthy landowner, to ask for the hand of Chubukov's daughter, Natalya. When she is left alone with him so he can make his proposal, first one and then another ridiculous arguments erupt till Lomov apparently has a seizure and dies. When, suddenly, he revives, Chubukov quickly drinks to their engatement before they can fall into another fight.


The Proposal was an entrant in the SCDA 2010 One Act Play Festival. Here are the remarks we've received from the ajudicator!

ACTING: Because of the demands of the script, there were two distinct acting styles on display: the confident naturalism of Chubukov and Natalya, comfortable in their own environment; and the heightened nervousness of Lomov, nervous and out of his depth. This, at times, could affect the rhythm of the piece and was responsible for some cueing issues. This will probably be ironed out in time. The comic timing of much of the "business" was excellently handled, in particular by the actress playing Natalya [Lorraine McCann].

DIRECTION: The performers used the space well and appeared to understand their characters. It would be interesting to take the absurdities of Lomov's foibles even further to highlight his child-like qualities.

STAGING: A very simple and minimal set allowed the actors to have plenty of freedom within the space. The use of lighting at the start and end of the piece framed the action perfectly.