Explore this Show

Overview

Synopsis

Anìsya, the second wife of a Russian peasant, succumbs to the charms of Nikíta, a laborer on her farm. With Nikíta’s mother Matryóna, she plots to murder her sickly husband, claim his money, and marry Nikíta. However, Anìsya’s idyllic vision of a life with Nikíta is destroyed when her new husband begins to drink heavily, verbally and physically abuse her, and pursue liaisons with village girls (including Anìsya’s own stepdaughter). When the girl becomes pregnant, Nikíta, Anìsya, and Matryóna venture further into metaphoric darkness in order to save themselves from village judgment. But their lies cannot go on forever; despite the power of darkness, the truth always comes to light. A superb example of Russian Naturalism, Leo Tolstoy’s The Power of Darkness is a haunting and symbolic psychological exploration of what is most dark in human nature.

Show Information

Category
Play
Age Guidance
Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
Number of Acts
5
First Produced
1886
Genres
Drama, Tragedy
Settings
Period, Multiple Settings
Time & Place
1880s, Russia, village
Cast Size
large
Licensor
None/royalty-free
Ideal For
College/University, Community Theatre, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Theatre, Includes Adult, Late Teen, Child, Young Adult, Mature Adult, Early Teen, Elderly Characters

Context

Sorry, we currently do not have content for this section.

Plot

Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Anìsya

Lead

Female

Nikíta

Lead

Male

Peter Ignátitch

Supporting

Male

Akoulína

Supporting

Female

Nan

Supporting

Female

Akím

Supporting

Male

Matryóna

Supporting

Female

Marína

Supporting

Female

Mítritch

Supporting

Male

First Neighbor

Supporting

Female

Simon

Featured

Male

Bridegroom

Featured

Male

Iván

Featured

Male

Second Neighbor

Featured

Female

Wedding Guests

Ensemble

Either Gender

Songs

Sorry, we currently do not have content for this section.

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

All monologues are the property and copyright of their owners.. Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this monologue, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Key Terms

Sorry! We do not currently have terms for this guide.

Videos

Sorry! We do not currently have videos for this guide.

Quizzes

Sorry! We do not currently have quizzes for this guide.

Themes, Symbols & Motifs

Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.

Quote Analysis

Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.

Guide Written By:

Cindi Calhoun

Cindi Calhoun

Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress