| This dissertation is a comparative study of selections from English translations of each of Anton Chekhov's last four plays (The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard). Constantin Stanislavsky's acting techniques and script analysis are used to explore how differences in the language and stage directions, punctuation, syntax, pauses, sound and rhythm, allusions and song in various translations of the plays affect the work of the actor on the performance text. The study includes examinations of the nature of translation, the notion of "Action" from Stanislavsky, and Chekhov's singular dramaturgy. The purpose of the study is not to evaluate or interpret Chekhov's plays, but to discover approaches to working on plays in translation for the theatre practitioner and educator, and to determine practical tools for the actor in the analysis of dramatic form.;There are four parts to the study. First, Chapters I, II and III explore the difficulties of translation from differing viewpoints, and the specific challenges of translating for the stage. Second, Chapter IV expounds on the notion of "Action" as a basis for the "blueprint" of the play in performance. Perspectives of critics and practitioners are noted, from Chekhov's contemporaries through modern artists. Third, Chapter V describes Chekhov's inimitable stagecraft. Key elements of his style and play structures are explored by noted critics and practitioners through the metaphors of "lace," "impressionism" and "music," as well as the "structures of action" embedded in the playscripts. In the fourth section, Chekhov's four plays and selected scenes in translation are examined from the actor's point of view. The study describes and investigates contrasts among various translations and their potential impact on the performance texts, with regard to actors' Actions and the other elements of the written text noted above, including observations of translators, critics and practitioners.;In the Conclusion, the significance of comparing diverse translations, of understanding Chekhov's dramaturgy and the notion of Action---for the theatre translator, practitioner, educator and layperson---is put forward, with suggestions for further study. |
