Conceiving American Chekhov: Nikos Psacharopoulos and the Williamstown Theatre Festival

Abstract

This thesis examines the work of director Nikos Psacharopoulos on the plays of Anton Chekhov while Executive Director at The Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. Components of Psacharopoulos' productions are contextualized within an American tradition of producing Chekhov and elements identified in previous research by Laurence Senelick. Using the constituents of Senelick's analysis, Psacharopoulos' work is examined in two general areas: his teaching, directing, and rehearsal techniques with the Chekhov texts, and the qualities in production of the plays at The Williamstown Theatre Festival between 1962 and 1986. This study offers, for the first time, a scholarly examination of Psacharopoulos' work and considers the director's position as an American producer of Chekhov's plays. As one of the most prolific directors of Chekhov in North America, Nikos Psacharopoulos emerges from this study as an essential component in any future consideration of Chekhov production in the United States.