UNCLE VANYA
AstonRep Productions presents
Uncle Vanya
by Anton Chekhov
Adapted by Liisa Repo-Martel
Directed by Derek Bertelsen
June 18– July 5, 2026
About the show: At a remote country estate in the final days of Czarist Russia, Vanya and his niece Sonya have spent years sacrificing everything to keep the family farm afloat. Their quiet routine is shattered when Sonya’s aging father returns with his much younger wife, stirring up long-buried desires, resentments, and regrets. As tensions rise and futures feel increasingly uncertain, the family is forced to confront the lives they’ve lived—and the ones they never will. This new adaptation by Liisa Repo-Martell provides an up-close encounter with a classic of world drama that every theatre lover must see.
Liisa Repo-Martell’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya was commissioned by and premiered at Crow's Theatre (Toronto) in 2022, a production that was remounted at Mirvish Productions' CAA theatre (Toronto) in 2024.
Uncle Vanya is produced by permission of the Playwright and Marquis Literary (ColinRivers) www.MQlit.ca
PRODUCTION TEAM
Derek Bertelsen - Director
Bethany Hart - Assistant Director/Vocal coach
Nevaeh Mansur - Stage Manager
Jeremiah Barr - Scenic Design/Props and Tech Director
Samantha Barr - Lighting Design
Mateo Gutierrez - Assistant Lighting Design
Natalie Shoch - Costume Design
Robert Tobin - Violence Design
Melanie Thompson - Sound Design
Kate Lass - Intimacy Coordinator
CAST
Liz Cloud - Marina
Natalie Hurdle - Sonya
Geoff Isaac- Alexandre
Rian Jairell - Vanya
Mary Mikva- Maria
Andi Muriel - Yelena
Mike Rogalski - Telegin
Robert Tobin- Astrov
Reviews
“Intimate, aching , and beautifully acted”
-Buzz Chicago
“Masterfully directed by Derek Bertelsen, this “Uncle Vanya” features a fluid physicality in which the characters move around the stage with graceful elegance”
-Epoch Times
“Rian Jairell excels in the role of Uncle Vanya”
-Around The Town Chicago