Open-Air "The Seagull"

Last night, the group and I made our way to the open-air theatre at Regent's Park; a theatre similar in style of old Greek theatres, where there's no roof and the stage is completely open to the elements. This provided a very interesting and unique viewing experience as we watched a production of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull," a play which takes place primarily by a lake. The setting of the play seemed to be perfect for a theatre such as this, as the characters often talked about the natural elements of their surroundings which often coincided with the actual surroundings of the space.The atmosphere that the natural lighting and scenery provided was very effective and visually pleasing, since the stage was placed among numerous beautiful trees and plants, as well as a small body of water which the actors often utilized. Being an outdoor theatre meant that the play was also exposed to the cons of the situation, such as rain, wind, and various noises. There were some moments where very light rain began to come down from the sky, but thankfully it never lasted very long. However, the temperature did begin to get a little chilly and it was sometimes windy, but overall it wasn't enough to really distract from the actions onstage. There were some slight issues with loud and obnoxious bird noise, as well as sounds from the city, but those are really my only gripes with an otherwise fascinating and pleasing experience. There also weren't any issues with sound surprisingly; I was able to hear every actor perfectly fine. I also noticed some moments where the scents from the stage and surrounding fauna really added to the ambiance and believability of the play, such as the actual smell of fire on wood when a character had put some papers in a bin and lit them on fire. While I admittedly wouldn't want to see every play in an outdoor theatre since it does provide some annoyances, it was overall a fantastic and unique experience that I'd recommend to everyone.