Alexander Molochnikov '25 Creates and Directs 'Seagull: True Story,' Premiering at The Public Theater

Film alum Alexander Molochnikov '25, an internationally acclaimed director from the Moscow Art Theatre, is the creator and director of a Seagull: True Story, a new adaptation of the classic Chekhov play which will premiere at The Public Theater on March 22, 2026.

Made in collaboration with writer Eli Ray and produced by the MART Foundation, the play is a politically charged retelling which fuses autobiographical drama and biting political satire with classic Chekhovian themes. It unfolds as a whirlwind of comedic mayhem, artistic rebellion, and deeply personal reflection on displacement, censorship, and the pursuit of creative freedom. The themes are deeply important to Molochnikov, whose widely successful thesis film, Extremist, explores similar ideas. 

MART Foundation Executive Producer Sofia Kapkov shared, "Seagull: True Story is a play about empathy, betrayal, and the choices that shape our lives long after we make them. There is no better home for it than The Public Theater—a place where human truth, community, and bold voices come together on stage."

Developed in part through En Garde Arts’ Uncommon Voices program and originally presented at La MaMa, the two and half hour play features a host of talented and internationally renowned artists such as Gus Birney, Andrey Burkovskiy, and Quentin Lee Moore, among many others. The play offers a provocative and poignant exploration of artistic survival, resistance to censorship, and the transformative power of live theater. 

Seagull: True Story will run through April 26, 2026. Tickets are available here. 

Alexander Molochnikov is a theater director, writer, and filmmaker. He worked for over 10 years in Moscow where he directed five major productions in drama, a ballet, an opera, two feature films, and a TV show. In 2022, he spoke out against the Russian military invasion of Ukraine and then moved to New York. He is now unable to return home to Russia. Since 2014, his first play, 19.14 Cabaret, an antiwar manifest about World War I, has been running in repertoire for over 11 years at the Moscow Art Theatre of Chekov. However, the theater has removed his name from all materials. The billing now says "Directed by Director." Molochnikov’s production of the opera The Telephone. Medium by Gian Carlo Menotti premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre, along with his ballet The Seagull, which was honored with the "Golden Mask" (the Russian equivalent of the Tony Awards) for best ballet of the year. His feature film, Tell Her, about moving to the US as a child, premiered in 2020 at the 47th SIFF. He has created and directed over 10 shows and films in Moscow including the most viewed six-episode TV series Monastery in 2022. He premiered a Crime and Punishment show at the Tel Aviv Gesher Theatre in December 2024. He is working now on a feature film related to the novel. His short film Extremist was shortlisted for the 2026 Academy Awards and premiered in Telluride; he is now turning it into a feature film.