November 6 - 16, 2024 , The Helen

The Cherry Orchard

by Anton Chekhov
translation by Paul Schmidt
directed by Eleanor Holdridge

Presented by

The Cherry Orchard follows a family of down-on-their-luck aristocrats as they grapple with the prospect of selling their beloved estate. As the cherry trees blossom, so do the complexities of love, loss, and the relentless passage of time. This theatrical masterpiece explores what happens when echoes of the past meet the inevitability of change. The Cherry Orchard reveals complex and colorful characters that blend humor and heartache as they encounter the absurdities that abound in simply leading one’s life. This literary classic by Anton Chekhov springs to life in a production featuring the Class of 2026.

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Christina McSheffrey and Brianna Miller in the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program production of THE CHERRY ORCHARD. Photo by Roger Mastroianni.

Artists

Madalyn Baker

(Lyubov) is an actor, playwright, and musician from Northern California. She earned her BA in Theatre from Fordham University, and is in her third and final year of the CWRU/CPH MFA program. Recent credits include Emily Webb in Our Town (CPH, dir. Mary Zimmerman), Hero in Much Ado About Nothing more

Byron Johnson

(Lopahkin) is a Louisiana native born in the city of New Orleans. As a former collegiate student-athlete, he made a bold shift to acting in 2018. His notable television credits include roles in Young Rock on NBC, Walker on CW, and a recurring guest star in SHOWTIME's American Rust. more

Emily Kuntz

(Firs, Train Conductor) is currently attending Case Western Reserve University as an undergraduate theater major. This is Emily's first show at the Cleveland Play House and she is very excited to share it with the wonderful cast and crew. Other credits include Electra in Case Western’s production of Electra, Rose more

Brendan Lowry

(Petya Trofimov) is a proud CWRU/CPH MFA Acting student in third and final year of study. You may have recently seen him in the CPH production of Fiddler on the Roof (Motel Kamzoil) or in Our Town (Wally/Ensemble). Other favorite credits include Floyd Collins (Floyd Collins), Guys and Dolls (Sky more

Christina McSheffrey

(Varya) is a proud member of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program. She was previously seen in Fiddler on the Roof in May as Bielke. Other credits include Rachel in Season’s Greetings and Varya in The Cherry Orchard (CWRU/CPH). She got her BA in Theatre at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, more

Calder Meis

(Yepikhodov) is a member of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting program and has appeared as Yepikhodov in The Cherry Orchard, John Dodge in Middletown, and Bernard in Season's Greetings. At CPH, you may have seen him in the companies of Fiddler on the Roof (Mordcha) and Pride & Prejudice. For Payton, more

Brianna Miller

(Anya) is a third year in the CWRU/CPH acting program. You may have seen her in the CWRU/CPH productions of Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice), Season’s Greetings (Phyllis), The Cherry Orchard (Anya), or Middletown (Mary). She also appeared in the CPH production of Our Town. Some of her favorite roles more

Meredith Nelson

(Dunyasha) an actor, director, and educator originally from Denver, Colorado. She received her undergraduate degree from The University of Evansville and is thrilled to be pursuing her master's with CWRU/Cleveland Play House. Some favorite roles she's played include Belinda in Season's Greetings, Dunyasha in The Cherry Orchard, the Librarian in more

Nathan Nelson

(Yasha) is so thrilled to join the CPH MFA acting program for this production. His regional credits include Theatre as Lt. Buzz Adams in South Pacific, Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, and swing in Peter and The Starcatcher (all at CDA Summer Theatre), Alan in Equus (Stage Left more

Adam Ortega

(Gayev) is a third-year graduate student in the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program. Hailing from South Florida, he earned his BFA in Acting at The University of Michigan. His other theatre credits include, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (CWRU/CPH), Howie in Our Town (CPH), Gayev in The Cherry Orchard (CWRU/CPH), more

Eight Scenic Designs in Two Minutes

Our friend Robert Mark Morgan, Scenic Designer (Into the Breeches!, Diary of Anne Frank, The Whipping Man) created a fun video showing all of the uniq...

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