Why I write…
I write because it is Empowering. Cathartic. Thrilling. MESSY. Beautiful. I write because it makes me feel whole.
I write because humans fascinate me.
I write because I believe in the healing power of theater, and the hope it brings as a vessel for change.
I write to dream. I write to manifest.
I write for my family, chosen and blood. I write for women. I write to see more truthful depictions of our incredible complexities on stage. I write the stories I want to see more of. I write as a means of better understanding our world and our society, and I write to challenge us to think beyond the rules or norms we’ve accepted.
Writing became a necessary step in taking ownership over my life, my career, and my happiness. Each time I sit down to type, I’m filled with anticipation over the worlds and characters I’m about to uncover. My work centers on classic retellings and coming-of-age stories in both realistic and fantastical settings. I strive to reclaim and remake the narrative we’ve all been sold. Let’s imagine a better way together.
My Work
Irina Prozorova doesn’t want to get married; she wants to move to Moscow. But that isn’t possible, as sisters Olga and Masha are quick to remind her. When Natasha – a new sister-in-law with radical ideas – enters the scene, the three sisters’ world is turned upside down. Things are finally changing for the better...or so they hope.
Three Sisters, Four Women is a reimagining of Anton Chekhov’s classic, exploring the inner lives and secret loves of its four heroines as family and personal politics threaten to drive them apart. A timeless story of resilience, self-discovery, and sisterhood, this world premiere play examines what it means to be a woman in a man’s world.
Three Sisters, Four Women
4F - Full Length - 2 hours
CHARACTERS
IRINA, the youngest, a dreamer turned activist, earnest and determined. A modern ingénue.
NATASHA, the in-law, a social climber who is ambitious yet caring. Not the villain.
MASHA, the middle sister, a brooding poet and unhappy wife. Brilliant to a fault.
OLGA, the eldest, a mother hen who forgets to take care of herself. Wonderfully weird.
DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION HISTORY
REGIONAL PRODUCTION - Lost Nation Theater in Montpelier, VT, directed by Kathleen Keenan (May 30 - June 16, 2024)
WORLD PREMIERE - SoHo Shakespeare Company at The Flea Theater, NYC, directed by Kanika Asvari Vaish (October 16 - November 4, 2023)
STAGED READING & WORKSHOP - Pearl Studios, NYC, directed by Jason O’ Connell (December 2021)
“A delightful new and witty imagining . . . Erle and Haviland have created an inspired look into the hearts of Chekhov’s women”
Haviland & Erle Productions
Our mission is to reexamine classical texts through a feminist lens. Our shows are NOT adaptations; we take only aspects from the original that speak to us, reading between the lines and infusing with a modern perspective, so that our pieces are transformed, able to live and breathe on their own while still being recognizable to those familiar with the source material.
Upcoming projects include an unearthing of Persephone’s myth and her ascent to the throne as Queen of the Underworld, a two-woman show for Shakespeare’s most famous ingenues Ophelia and Juliet where they rail against their author and their fate, and many more . . .
Check out my co-conspirator’s website here!