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La MaMa, in association with MART Foundation & En Garde Arts, is proud to present the world premiere of Seagull: True Story by rising star, Russian director Alexander Molochnikov. Written by Eli Rarey, the production is inspired by Molochinikov’s own experience of leaving Russia for America after speaking out against Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Running May 16 – June 1, 2025, with an opening set for Monday, May 19, performances take place at La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre (66 E 4th St, Manhattan). Tickets are now on sale at www.lamama.org.

Seagull: True Story centers on Kon, a director at the Moscow Art Theatre, who stages a bold, free-spirited production of Chekhov’s The Seagull—until Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine casts a shadow of censorship upon the work. His once vibrant reimagining, rooted in freedom, is reduced to an empty shell of his vision. Determined to save his play, Kon flees to New York, hoping to bring his true vision to life. But the American dream proves cold. His important and symbolic theater production finds little welcome, and he faces loss and rejection. Like Treplev from The Seagull, he teeters on the brink of suicide but refuses to give up. Torn between his Russian roots and an elusive American paradise, Kon must redefine himself as an artist in order to survive.

Seagull: True Story is inspired by recent events in Molochnikov’s own life. An award-winning director in Russia, Molochnikov left Russia in 2022 after speaking out against Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. He cannot return home. Of the experience, Molochnikov says, “I never thought I'd have the courage to stage a play about myself, but the war has changed life so drastically that in the past three years, I've been living and reliving a full-fledged drama. It is the most important thing I’ve ever had to do, a story of a world of creativity bursting before my eyes, of the impossibility of freely creating art and the necessity to fight for its freedom in both Russia and the US!”