The Seagull at the Classic Stage Company

Classic Stage Company will continue its 40th anniversary season with two-time Academy Award winner Dianne Wiest and Tony Award winner Alan Cumming starring in Anton Chekhov�s The Seagull, translated by Paul Schmidt and directed by Viacheslav Dolgachev, opening at the Classic Stage Company on 13 Mar 2008, following previews from 20 Feb and running through to 30 Mar 2008.

Dianne Wiest (Madame Arkadina) was last seen off-Broadway in the Lincoln Center Theater's production of Third (2005). Wiest's Broadway credits include: 'Salome' (2003 revival), 'In the Summer House' (1993), 'Beyond Therapy' (1982), 'Othello' (1982 revival), 'Frankenstein' (1981) and 'Solitaire / Double Solitaire' (1971). Wiest has won two Oscars: 'Bullets Over Broadway' (1994) and 'Hannah and Her Sisters' (1986). In 1997 Wiest won an Emmy award for her guest appearence in 'Road to Avonlea.'

Alan Cumming (Trigorin) last appeared off-Broadway in the Art Party' production of 'Elle' (2002). Cumming's won the 1998 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as the 'Emcee' in 'Cabaret' (1998 revival), his other Broadway credits include 'Design For Living' (2001 revival) and 'The Threepenny Opera' (2006 revival).

Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

The is about a famous actress mother and her frustrated playwright son; her successful novelist lover and a hopeful ingenue.

Written in 1896, The Seagull is widely regarded as Chekhov�s first masterpiece, subtly dissecting the affairs of the heart and the demands of a life in the arts, while balancing the comic, the lyric and the tragic in a manner that has become the hallmark of his work.

The creative team comprises Santo Loquasto (sets), Suzy Benzinger (costumes) and Brian MacDevitt (lighting).