Revealing the raw underbelly of the dying Russian aristocracy would seem irreverent to some, but that’s what Anton Chekhov was doing when he started writing for the theater.

His plays contain a psychological realism that lends itself to gritty, no-holds-barred ensemble acting.

And in the upcoming Whidbey Island Center for the Arts production of Chekhov’s “The Three Sisters,” director Jason Dittmer intends to give the playwright all he wanted by coaxing that realism from the buried subtleties of a newly adapted text and herding the WICA ensemble toward the edge of abandon.

When the great Russian director and acting coach Konstantin Stanislavski directed Chekhov’s first play, “The Seagull,” in October of 1896, Chekhov’s reputation as an astounding playwright began.

Combined with the Stanislavski System of acting, which forwarded the notion of subtext, Chekhov’s plays influenced generations of American playwrights, screenwriters and actors who championed realism in theater.

“Chekhov often expressed his thought not in speeches,” wrote Stanislavski, “but in pauses or between the lines or in replies consisting of a single word. The characters often feel and think things not expressed in the lines they speak.”

“The Three Sisters” is the story of an extended family cloistered in a small, backwater town and the sisters who dream daily of returning to their former home in Moscow. The story explores dreams delayed and crushed, self-delusion and compromise, and, finally, hope and unrelenting optimism.

For this new production of “The Three Sisters,” Dittmer has taken the play out of the museum quality trap of the 19th century period and set it in the 1930s.

“I wanted to free the actors from the burden of doing an ‘historical drama’ and encourage them to concentrate on the passion and humor that is so prevalent in these characters,” Dittmer said.

Dittmer said he chose the play not only because he is a huge fan of Chekhov — he studied under the tutelage of several Chekhovian masters at the Williamstown Theater Festival in western Massachusetts — but also because, as the only boy in a family with three sisters, he could relate to the dynamics of the play.

“I felt I could use that and say, ‘Oh, this is how we behaved in my family,’” Dittmer said.

He also said the sisters of the play are complex and fascinating. There are elements of their personalities that he understands thoroughly, while some are still a bit scary to him personally.

“But, that’s the challenge,” he said. “And I knew this community had the actors that could create the ensemble I needed to pull it off.”

Indeed, the South End is ripe with capable actors and Chekhov’s plays are wonderfully meaty exercises that every actor dreams of sinking their teeth into. The challenge is to allow the passion to emerge; to find the humor that positions itself right next to the tragedy — a characteristic of Chekhovian drama that imitates the reality of life so succinctly.

“This cast creates the chemistry,” Dittmer said. “Every one of them came to the table wanting to dig in to the process.”

Dittmer said he encourages the cast to let go emotionally, to be messy and forget about being polite. He directs the actors to create a stage reality that is as unpredictable as real life. He wants to dispel the notion about Chekhov’s plays that they are languid, lazy and boring, and reveal them for what true Chekhovian fans know them to be: vibrant, passionate and funny dramas.

Dittmer has also integrated music into the play using the works of the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

Local musician James Hinkley transcribed and arranged the music for the production while Dittmer selected “themes” for the sisters.

The sisters’ themes are played live on stage with piano, flute and violin, and are sung, hummed and whistled. Life is noisy, and music is a pleasant way to incorporate more noise into the reality of this household, Dittmer explained.

Having adapted the play himself, the director said he was looking for a fresh way to communicate Chekhov’s meaning. He used six different translations, combining them to create an overall new voice that was accessible to the actors.

“I’m an actor, so I am always approaching everything from an actor’s point of view,” he said.

Chekhov probably never imagined his plays would endure so long that a 21st century director would choose to produce one. But, as Dittmer and his cast know, “The Three Sisters” is a timeless play and you only have to be human to feel it resonate.

The play opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 13, and runs through Saturday, April 28. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Call WICA at 221-8268 or visit www.WICAonline.com for tickets and information.

Patricia Duff can be reached at 221-5300 or pduff@southwhidbeyrecord.com.