1896: The play premieres at the Imperial Alexandrinksy Theatre, St. Petersburg, on the 17th October, directed by E.P. Karpov. It is an unmitigated disaster, but is followed up by successful performances in other provincial cities.
1898: The famous Moscow Art Theatre production (see "The Seagull and the Moscow Art Theatre") opens on the 17th December, directed by Stanislavsky and Nemirovich.
1909: The UK premiere takes placed in the Royalty Theatre, in Glasgow on 2nd November, directed by George Calderon, who later directed the London premiere in the Little Theatre in 1912.
1925: A famous production opens at the Little Theatre in London directed by Komisarjevsky, and starring John Gielgud as Konstantin. The play is now beginning to be established as an
important one.
1936: Komisarjevsky directs another major production, starring Peggy Ashcroft as Nina, Edith Evans as Arkadina and John Gielgud as Trigorin.
1938: A major American production, directed by Robert Milton stars Uta Hagen as Nina and Lynn Fontain as Arkadina.
1961: Ingmar Bergman directs an important production in Malmo City Theatre, opening on January 6th.
1970: The Moscow Art Theatre production, directed by Boris Livanov, tours to the Aldwych Theatre in London as part of the World Theatre Season.
1981: Shared Experience Theatre Company direct a popular touring production, directed by Mike Alfreds and starring Gillian Barge (Arkadina) and Philip Voss (Dorn).
1981: Max Stafford-Clark directs a production reset on an Anglo-Irish estate in the West of Ireland set in the late nineteenth century. The wonderful Anton Lesser plays Konstantin, Harriet
Walter plays Nina, Anna Massey plays Arkadina, and Alan Rickman plays Trigorin.
1985: Charles Sturridge's production transfers from the Oxford Playhouse to the Lyric Hammersmith in London. It stars Vanessa Redgrave as Arkadina, and Jonathan Pryce as Trigorin.
1991: The RSC production, directed by Terry Hands, stars Simon Russell Beale as Konstantin.
1998: In a regional production (and a rather unimpressive one!) directed by Jude Kelly, Ian McKellen plays Dorn at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. He somewhat unbalances the play.
2006: Katie Mitchell directs a critically panned production at the NT, London.
2007-8: Ian Rickson's production, starring Kristin Scott Thomas as Arkadina and Mackenzie Crook as Trigorin, is a sell-out smash at London's Royal Court. It transfers to Broadway.
