What-If-Works — in association with The Roxy Theatre Group, The Barnacle Historic State Park, Broward Historical Society, Homestead Center for the Arts, Phil’s Berry Farm, Pérez Museum of Miamim and FIU College of Architecture + The Arts — presents a special showcase of Anton Chekhov’s classic The Cherry Orchard. The play will be running in various venues in South Florida throughout the month of May.
Nineteenth Century Russia and 21st Century Miami coalesce through the integration of images from “Absence of Place,” a collection of photographic images recorded by environmental artist/activist Xavier Cortada and published through The Miami Herald depicting spaces and places in Miami that are no more. They are used with permission and courtesy of Pérez Art Museum of Miami.
Triggered by the increasing number of historic homes falling prey to the bulldozer and with many more buildings under threat of demolition — the most signature of which being the Coconut Grove Playhouse — Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard examines the value of home, identity, history and memory.
The story follows Lopakhin, a onceindentured serf, who returns to the estate a self-made man to buy and dramatically change forever the landscape of his roots. The cast features Margaret Ricke as Madam Renevsky and Zack Myers as Lopahkin. Other players are Pia Vicioso-Vila, Charles Sothers, Natalie Brenes, David Neale, Sofia Sassone, Allyn Anthony, Gabriel Bonilla, Andrea Bovino, AJ Ruiz and Quillian Minot.
The play is directed by Phillip M. Church with costumes by Marina Pareja, set by Ashley Joseph, and lighting and sound by Anton Church.
What-If-Works is a community-engaged, post-graduate company dedicated to providing artists in theater, film and music a creative bridge between the academic environment and the professional world while championing arts for social change. Preservation of neighborhood, personal and cultural history is an issue WIW passionately embraces. Public forums will be offered at each venue. All WIW productions support Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS through a donation collection at each performance helping artists in urgent need.
Admission admission is $15, with $10 for seniors, veterans and students.
Performances are:
May 7 and 9, 7 p.m., Barnacle Historic State Park, 3485 Main Hwy. in Coconut Grove;
May 11 and 12, 7 p.m., New River Inn Museum, 219 SW Second Ave. in Fort Lauderdale;
May 15 and 16, 7 p.m., Phil’s Berry Farm, 13955 SW 248 St. in Homestead, and
May 22, 7 p.m., FIU-Miami Beach Urban Studios, 420 Lincoln Rd. in Miami Beach.
For tickets and information, call 305-271- 1073 or visit www.whatifworks.com.
