Chekhov’s Olga, Masha, and Irina have always wanted to go home to Moscow. In Ghina Fawaz’s new adaptation, that longing gets set down in an airport terminal, where their story starts to intertwine with the real accounts of refugees carrying their own histories of displacement.
You will have the chance to catch Three Sisters at AFA Gallery on Friday, October 9 at 7:30 PM, or Saturday, October 10 at 1:00 PM or 5:30 PM. In the meantime, we were able to talk to Ghina about the image that started it all, coming back to Fringe six years after her first production there, and why she thinks this story is really about the very human desire to belong somewhere.
In your own words, what is your show about?
This show is about people wanting and wishing and yearning, with all their might, to go back home. Through Chekhov’s Olga, Irina, and Masha, we watch three sisters anticipate their long-awaited flight to Moscow. Their stories unfold alongside those of refugees, who perhaps know more than anyone about waiting, wishing, and yearning to find home.
What sparked this piece?
An image appeared in my head. I had finished the first act of Three Sisters, and I thought, how interesting would it be if this was in an airport, where their flight to Moscow is delayed? There is so much life in an airport, so much to do and nothing to do, and lots and lots of waiting.
The image of people sitting around stacked suitcases, laying down, sitting up, standing, and sleeping on each other’s shoulders, that is what I pictured. My next thought was that I couldn’t help but think of refugees who similarly wait, with all their belongings, everything they could carry for a journey that may never come. That image became the beginning of this piece.
What does “Fringe” mean to you as an artist?
Fringe is an artistic home, a place where artists can truly and undeniably tell their stories. The first time I was a part of Fringe was in 2020. It was the first time a play of mine was performed! Being a part of Fringe again now feels really special, especially with this story. In a lot of ways, like Olga, Masha, and Irina, it feels like coming back home.
What do you want someone to feel — or think about differently — after seeing your show?
At a time when immigrants and refugees are constantly dehumanized, I hope this story can remind us of the very human desire to go home, to belong somewhere, and to feel safe. Can we make room for their longing, their waiting, and their journeys? Can we be kinder?
What’s been the hardest or most surprising part of making this?
This script collages text from Chekhov’s original writing, original writing of my own, and real accounts from refugees. Doing each of these voices justice has been a wonderful challenge. These stories come from different times, different places, and very different lives, and yet they all find themselves in this play, needing an audience to witness them. Finding the space where those voices can intertwine, without losing what makes each one its own, has been one of the most challenging and rewarding parts of making this piece.
Anything else you want people to know before they walk in?
You don’t need to know Three Sisters to see this show! You just need to know what it feels like to want to go home, to find home, to be home. I think, in one way or another, we all do.
Catch Three Sisters at AFA Gallery on Friday, October 9 at 7:30 PM, or Saturday, October 10 at 1:00 PM or 5:30 PM, as part of the 2026 Scranton Fringe Festival. Buy tickets here. Our thanks to Ghina for the depth of her answers, which give us all even more reasons to look forward to this timely adaptation.
