Terms and References
Mash, 10
“What are we, in a fucking Dicken’s novel?”
Charles Dickens was an author who was paid by the word and often in his works talks of the misfortunes of the characters. Before Mash says this line, her and Dev are competing with each other in a small spat to try and determine who’s life is worse.
Mash, 11
“...but they’re not pretending to be, you know, Bob and Trudie.”
It could be that Mash is simply referring to two names that are not Conrad and Nina’s to specify that they are not trying to be anyone but who they are. It is possible, however, that this is a reference to Bob Harris who was a BBC radio host and co-founder of Time Out magazine and his wife Trudie. Eventually Bob became a country music presenter.
Emma, 15
“Van Gogh and his like really fucked the goose on this one”
I was unable to find the use of this phrase on the internet (I am warning you now to not look it up yourself) but I am thinking that it is along the lines of the phrase “he/she took the cake”
Emma, 15
Self-flagellating
Self-flagellation - The extreme criticism of oneself. This comes from the practice of when people would discipline themselves by self flogging by use of whips or other things.
Nina, 17
Unfettered
Unfettered - Not controlled or restricted, free, unrestrained
Nina, 18
“By hacks or the hackneyed”
Hackneyed - People or things lacking in freshness or originality
Nina, 18
“By starlets or star-turns”
Starlets - young movie actress being coached and publicized for starring roles
Star-turns - a performance, role, or appearance that is done by a star or a well-known personality
Conrad (stage direction)(19)
“And with all possible alacrity”
Alacrity - Promptness in response, cheerful readiness
Emma (20)
“Oh come on that... pretentious drivel was an attack on me!”
Drivel - nonsense
Trigorin, 22
“Like a young Rita Hayworth”
Rita Hayworth (Margarita Carmen Hayworth) was an actress who became famous in the 1940’s and was in sixty one films over thirty seven years. Trigorin is comparing Nina, who is wearing Emma’s old dress, to Rita.
Interestingly, Rita and Nina share similarities in their stories. Everyone loves Nina as everyone loved Rita. When Rita was introduced to Prince Aly Khan, she moved to live with him and left Hollywood. They had two children and divorced after only two years because she was not able to keep up with his lifestyle. She tried to return to Hollywood after this, but was quoted as saying that she was “rather frightened at the approach of doing another picture”. She had a hard time acting in films from this time on. This is very similar to Nina’s story in both The Seagull and Stupid Fucking Bird as after her and Trigorin’s child dies and he leaves her, she is never able to act again and cannot find the honesty in any of her acting. She believes that she is a horrible actress and simply continues on that way for the rest of her life.
Conrad, 25
“...whether I’ve ever done a show at Arena Stage or…”
Arena Stage is a non-profit theatre in Washington D.C.
Conrad, 26
“Don’t you dare say fucking Cirque du Soliel fucking Fuerza Bruta”
Fuerza Bruta is a post-modernist show that originated in Buenos Aires in 2003.
Conrad, 27
Xenophobia
Xenophobia - Fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or anything that is strange or foreign
Conrad, 27
Subterranean
Subterranean - being, lying, or operating underneath the surface of the Earth
Conrad, 30
“And while this might be the hokiest thing ever said…”
Hokiest is the superlative form of hokey. Hokey is another word for corny
Nina, 34
“...and wear, you know, sackcloth and ashes on your soul…”
In biblical times, wearing a sackcloth and ashes was a public sign that one was repenting and showing humility before God. It can also be used as a display of grief or remorse.
Stage Directions, 35
“...as a desperately serious esoteric demonstration...”
Esoteric - designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone (In other words, something that is created to only be understood by a certain person or specific group of people)
Trigorin, 38
“The unassuageable itch that rules your life...”
Unassuageable - not being capable of being assuaged.
Assuaged - Made milder or less severe
Trigorin, 39
“...out in the small hours by proverbial candlelight.”
Proverbial - relating to or resembling a proverb
Proverb - A simple, concrete, traditional saying that expresses a conceived truth based on common senses or experiences
Trigorin, 39
“Sometimes I think there should be a moratorium on the creation…”
Moratorium - a legally authorized period of delay in the performance of a legal obligation or the payment of a debt, or a suspension from activity
Dev, 40
“...esoterically twisted long-handled metal spoons”
Esoterically - understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest
In regards to spoons, he is meaning spoons that have handles that are twisted and shaped in such a way that only chefs understand what they are used for.
Mash, 43
Keening
Keening - a wailing lament for the dead
Mash, 44
“Even those we think are love - are really errant fucking knaves…”
Errant knave - A wrongly behaving rogue
Mash, 44
“Like that self destruct mechanism on the Enterprise”
The Enterprise is the main space exploration ship on the show Star Trek and it is where almost all of the episodes have at least one scene.
Trigorin, 52
“I’m… quintessentially restless”
Quintessentially - in a way that is the most typical example or most important part of something
Trigorin, 52
“ “End the heartache and the thousand natural shocks the flesh is heir to?” “
Part of the “To be, or not to be” speech from Hamlet.
Conrad, 61
“Thwarted. I like that word. Thwarted”
Thwarted - To prevent the occurrence, realization, or attainment of
Conrad Stage Directions, 61
Blanche DuBois
Blanche DuBois is the main character in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams and is very melodramatic about things that happen to her and in how she interacts with her sister Stella and her husband Stanley.
Emma, 65
I mean, there we are trying to act with this… blonde Southern Kewpie doll…”
Kewpie dolls were very popular in the early 1900s and are considered collectables today. Kewpie dolls were babies that were very cute (scary in my opinion) with perfectly round cheeks and eyes that are twinkly.
There is a restaurant in Downtown Racine called Kewpies that is a very classic diner and they have cases that are full of Kewpie dolls if you are interested in seeing these dollis in person.
Emma, 65
“I’m not saying she needs to be Daniel Day-Lewis…”
A renowned, retired british actor
Dev, 65
“Julianne Moore?”
Julianne Moore is an actress who is known for playing emotional roles and women who are contrasted to their surroundings and struggling.
Conrad, 69
“I mean, aren’t there reasons that protagonists and antagonists and rising actions and climaxes and denouements have been around for thousands of years?”
The final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work
From Rehearsal:
Old Fashioned
An old fashioned cocktail is an alcoholic beverage made with muddled sugar, water, bitters, whiskey (or brandy), and an orange slice or cocktail cherry.
Angostura Bitters
This is a type of concentrated herbal bitters based on herbs and spices by House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. It is usually used to flavor beverages and sometimes food. It has a recognizable label because it is so oversized and stark.
Trig, 50
"Any warm body during a storm"
Quite literally, Atticus the Catticus is a "tramp" because he will snuggle up to any body