Uncle Vanya reducing the cast-list from almost two dozen down to nine, changing the climactic suicide of "The Wood Demon" into the famous failed homicide of "Uncle Vanya", and altering the original happy ending into a more problematic, less final resolution—critics such as Donald Rayfield, Richard Gilman, and Eric Bentley have sought to chart the development of Chekhov's dramaturgical method through the 1890s. Rayfield cites recent scholarship suggesting Chekhov revised "The Wood Demon" during his trip to the island of Sakhalin, a prison colony in Eastern Russia, in 1891. A garden in Serebryakov's country estate. Astrov and Marina discuss how old Astrov
Libby Appel "The Magic Fire" (also at the Kennedy Center), "The Merchant of Venice", "Breaking the Silence", "Enrico IV" (the Emperor), "The Seagull" (Portland). (Chronological order, most recent at the top) Appel has completed five commissions from OSF for new versions (from literal translations from Russian to English by Alison Horsley) of "The Cherry Orchard," "The Seagull," "Uncle Vanya," "Three Sisters" and "Ivanov." Libby Appel Libby Appel (born May 14, 1937) served as the fourth artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) from 1995 to June 2007. Appel directed more than 25 productions at OSF, and her artistic vision influenced the