This March, Theatre Works celebrates one of Anton Chekhov’s most celebrated plays. First performed in 1901, Three Sisters takes place over three and a half years and follows the lives of four siblings after the death of their father. Theatre Works now offers a contemporary audience a bold new interpretation with acclaimed director Greg Carroll at the helm.
Carroll’s involvement began with executive director/creative producer at Theatre Works, Dianne Toulson who asked him to lead the project. Three Sisters is a production of grandiose scale for Theatre Works, with a cast of 12 and a team of 22 creatives and under Carroll’s direction the season will be a standout offering in their 2025 season.
Carroll is a director and designer with a long-standing history at Theatre Works. Having contributed significantly to their creative journey over the decades, his return marks a meaningful connection to their 40-year legacy.
“I started working at Theatre Works in the late eighties and worked on some very popular shows,” says Carroll. “All great fun and coming back has been very enjoyable – this creativity is what I think is important. I simply love making theatre.”
Carroll has had the opera, To Hell and Back on recently as well as the monodrama, Swansong with two sell-out short seasons.
The work focuses on siblings, Irina, the youngest sister, who is hopeful and idealistic, Masha, the middle sister, who struggles in an unhappy marriage, the eldest, Olga, has accepted a life of responsibility and duty, while their brother Andrei’s poor decisions lead to the family’s financial ruin.
In his epic tale, Chekhov explores the worth of life and living. “It grinds on to the inevitable but along the way there are many tears, laughs and regrets,” says Carroll, whose favourite Chekhov plays are The Cherry Orchard and his shorts, but, he says, Three Sisters is wonderful theatre.
“His plays are incredibly funny. It’s a comedy that is understated, cruel and absurd. Through all of this is a melancholic romanticism – a beauty of character, of desire, and a wanting to be worthwhile.”
With this season, Carroll draws deeply on the emotional core of Chekhov’s writing – the themes of longing, resilience, and change – but finds ways to make them resonate with today’s world.
“This is a realist production and shies away from naturalism, explains Carroll. “The text is largely intact with a few cuts. It will be energetic and roaring with lively dinner scenes and philosophising. It will create the beauty of romance and love, both won and lost. The characters will appear to be in a raucous Russian pub with great craic, counterpointed with prosecuting their delicate relationships.”
Carroll is eager to promote the question, will our lives and dreams mean something, or will they come to nothing, fade away and be forgotten?
“With the vast majority of us this is true but while you live you must grab hold of it and make the most of it,” he says.
Not just accessible for the general public, this season is also included on the 2025 VCE Theatre Studies Playlist, creating a priceless opportunity for the next generation of artists and arts-makers to experience the potential and transformative qualities of some of our most notable inclusions in the theatrical canon. It is a must-see for students and educators.
“Plays should be studied with living actors, their voices, sound, lighting, imagination and the shear visceral nature of theatre,” says Carroll. “It lives and is alive. This is important.”
Running throughout March, Three Sisters will offer a fresh and captivating interpretation of this well-known masterpiece – making it an unmissable event for both seasoned theatregoers and newcomers alike.
Says Carroll, I think it will surprise everyone who sees it! Hopefully for the good.
March 7 – 22
Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au/2025/three-sisters
