Since early November, Director Zeno Zacks and his crew have been working to transform the intimate setting of Creative Arts 104 into a Russian country estate.
A palpable sense of nervous excitement filled “The Lab” as members of the San Francisco State University Players Club made their final preparations for the opening night of “The Seagull,” their first production since the COVID-19 pandemic set to open Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.
Despite the tension, Zacks was confident in his cast’s ability to bring the story of Anton Chekhov’s play to life.
“They’re an amazingly skilled and talented cast,” said Zacks, a fourth-year theatre arts major. “I love that a lot of them aren’t theater majors, which is so great for the show because it’s about artists that practice different arts.”
Zacks has been entrusted by the School of Theatre & Dance to channel his experience gained from assistant directing for the Young People’s Teen Musical Theater Company into a successful production. Before ultimately having his pitch of ‘The Seagull’ chosen by students in the department, Zacks sought out a play that would speak to some of the challenges they collectively face.
“In the show, there’s a lot of talk about art and new forms of art and what it means to be an artist and how you be an artist,” Zacks said. “There’s already so much of that in the theatre department right now with how we’re changing that I feel like it would be something that would really reflect what a lot of the students are thinking about.”
“The Seagull” tells the story of the social dynamic of a group of artists who, at their cores, are deeply flawed and insecure people. Across four acts, Anton Chekhov’s writing explores themes such as unrequited love, jealousy and artistic frustration. The elements of the story and characters combine to deliver a notoriously tragic ending. The production takes place in 1890s Russia, entirely within the bounds of a country estate owned by Pyotr Sorin, a retired civil servant with failing health.
Cast in the role of Pyotr is Brian Byrne, who hails from Brisbane, Australia, and is working toward completing his master’s in creative writing following his retirement from the corporate world.
“Pyotr Sorin is a sad man. He feels like life has passed him by. Basically, he’s been resigned to pasture until he dies. Instead of actively hating it, he’s more wistful and sorrowful,” Byrne said, with a hint of disdain for his character’s passive attitude towards life. This aspect of Pyotr’s character challenged the ethos of Byrne, who instead of enjoying a simple retired life, has decided to seek out higher education at 63 years old.
SFSU Players Club members Dominic Terrado, Shelby Saumier, Taylor Eckstein and Brian Byrne rehearse in Creative Arts 104 on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Gwen Murray / Golden Gate Xpress)
Much of the plot is driven by Pyotr’s nephew, Konstantin Treplev, a young creative with a passion for playwriting, as he struggles to gain the love and approval of those around him. The role of Konstantin is set to be portrayed by Karson Deveraux, a first-year history major. Despite having a passion for the arts, Deveraux values a separation of his career and his personal interests, such as acting, which was reaffirmed during the process of getting into character.
“Konstantin is a very troubled man. He is a young author who wants to be successful, but unfortunately, he tries so hard to create something that hasn’t been created before,” Devereaux said. “And because of that, looks past his enjoyment in art and his enjoyment of writing.”
Another important aspect of Treplev’s character arc lies in his attempts to win the heart of aspiring actor Nina Zarechnaya, brought to life by Taylor Eckstein, a third-year theatre arts student.
“I see a lot of myself in [Nina]. She wants to be an actor. She wants to leave the little small countryside by the lake. She wants to go to town. I feel like that’s how I was too,” Eckstein said, who is originally from the Central Valley. “I really wanted to come to SF and pursue theater.”
Nina’s larger-than-life attitude leads her to gravitate towards those with established success within the arts. She finds herself enamoured with the famous novelist Boris Trigorin, who happens to be the lover of Konstantin’s mother, Irina Arkadina.
Though a once well-renowned actor, Irina, sister to Pyotr, finds herself in the twilight of her career. She struggles with the realities of becoming an aging star and insecurities about maintaining the attention of her younger lover, Boris. Despite the character often coming across as egotistical, first-year theatre arts master’s student Shelby Saumier portrays Irina and sees the nuance in her personality.
“She’s very smart. She’s very calculated. She’s ahead of everyone. She’s bored and trapped, but trying to make joy of it,” Saumier said. “I think of this as, ‘Is she unkind, or is she a product of her time? Or is it a little of both?’”
Irina’s love interest, Boris, will be played by José Flores Jiménez, a first-year cinema master’s student.
“You’re not meant to root for him,” Jiménez said, referring to his character. “I think especially for Boris, there is somewhat of a cautionary tale and sort of critique on a certain kind of egoism that can emerge from an artist.”
While the production crew of “The Seagull” is excited to debut their hard work to the public, they understand the weight this production holds for a department that has lost over $50,000 due to budget cuts. The Theatre Arts department’s loss of funds coincides with ongoing university-wide reductions in class offerings and lecturer cuts, ultimately leading to a notable decrease in course enrollment for the School of Theatre & Dance. Parker Santos, a fourth-year theatre arts student and sound designer involved with the production, shared their feelings regarding departmental morale.
SFSU Players Club production crew during rehearsal in Creative Arts 104 on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Gwen Murray / Golden Gate Xpress)
“I think it’s really important to have a sense of community and storytelling, especially in such a dark climate right now,” Santos said. “With everything the school is facing, with everything in the world that’s happening outside of the school, it’s really important to just have freedom of expression.”
A microcosm of the modern clash between the arts and artificial intelligence can be seen in many places in the world today, including the SFSU campus. While budget cuts continue to threaten the future of creatives through the College of Liberal and Creative Arts, theatre arts master’s student Cory Aoki Trachsel continues to advocate the importance of art to humanity.
“One of the most basic definitions of art is using certain tools to understand yourself better,” Trachsel said. “I think that’s universally what we’re all trying to do when we grow up and move through the world. If someone thinks that art isn’t for them or that theater isn’t for them, you’d never know until you try.”
‘The Seagull’ will run on Feb. 24, 26 and 27 and will start at 2 p.m. Tickets for the show can be purchased for $3 on the SFSU Creative Arts ticketing website.