Anton Chekhov News

Juilliard's Drama Division announced the complete schedule for its 2010-2011 season of fully-staged productions featuring students in their fourth and final year of acting training at Juilliard. This season's plays include Lorraine Hansberry's A RAISIN IN THE SUN, directed by Jade King Carroll, October 20-24; David Auburn's PROOF, directed by Harris Yulin, November 11-15; and Chekhov's THE SEAGULL, directed by Richard Feldman, December 9-13.

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts is thrilled to announce the third production of National Theatre Live's second season - broadcast live from London's National Olivier Theatre, Shakespeare's HAMLET, directed by Nicholas Hytner.

On December 6, 2010 (on what would have been Lynn Fontanne's 123rd birthday), Ten Chimneys Foundation announced that ten of the top stage actors in America have been selected as the 2011 Lunt-Fontanne Fellows. These ten distinguished actors (see list below) were nominated by the nation's premier regional theatres to participate in the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program, a widely acclaimed national program to serve the future of American theatre. Next summer (July 24-31, 2011), the newly selected Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will join Academy Award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis for an intensive weeklong master class and immersion experience at Ten Chimneys, the National Historic Landmark estate of Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin (just outside of Milwaukee).

Marin Theatre Company announces the West Coast premiere of Happy Now? by British playwright Lucinda Coxon. Happy Now? received rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic in London and New York. Jasson Minadakis directs Happy Now? in the Boyer Theatre November 11 through December 5, 2010.

Classic Stage Company (CSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen announced today that acclaimed actresses Marin Ireland (Tony nominee for reasons to be pretty) and Juliet Rylance (Obie winner for The Bridge Project's As You Like It) have joined the cast of the company's highly-anticipated upcoming production of Anton Chekhov's THREE SISTERS. Ireland will play Natasha and Rylance Irina, joining 2010 Academy Award nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal (Masha), Josh Hamilton (Andrey), 2010 Tony Award nominee Jessica Hecht (Olga) and acclaimed film and stage actor Peter Sarsgaard (Vershinin). Also featured in the cast are Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Tuezenbach), Glenn Fitzgerald (Solyony), Roberta Maxwell (Anfisa), Louis Zorich (Chebutykin), George Morfogen (Ferapont), Paul Lazar (Kulygin), Gabe Bettio (Rohde) and James Patrick Nelson (Fedotik).

ONCE UPON A MATTRESS: The Morrisville-based Actors' NET of Bucks County continues its fifteenth season with a special holiday season presentation of the family favorite musical comedy Once Upon a Mattress.

Negro Ensemble Company (www.necinc.org), America's legendary black theater company, will present 'With Aaron's Arms Around Me and The Mire,' an evening of two one-acts by Sophia Romma, a Russian-American playwright, both on the theme of intolerance. Both plays deal with eternal themes of intolerance from an émigré's perspective. Performances are December 3 to 19 at Cherry Lane Theatre (Studio Theatre), 38 Commerce Street. Since our notice of November 2, there has been a change of directors on one of the plays. Now both one-acts will be directed by Negro Ensemble Company's Artistic Director, Charles Weldon.

Negro Ensemble Company (www.necinc.org), America's legendary black theater company, will present 'With Aaron's Arms Around Me and The Mire,' an evening of two one-acts by Sophia Romma, a Russian-American playwright, both on the theme of intolerance.

In a landmark event for London and UK theatre, one of the giants of Russian theatre, Sovremennik is to make its UK debut in January 2011.

Actors Igor Nevedrov, Dmitry Bozin, Yana Divina, Larisa Kolibabchuk, Valeriya Lyamets (L-R) appear in a scene from Anton Chekhov s Chaika [The Seagull] directed by Pavel Kartashev and performed by St. Petersburg s clown-mime theatre Litsedei, or Licedei (Face makers, or Mimers).

Classic Stage Company (CSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, will present acclaimed actors Alan Cumming and Brian Cox in a special one night only staged reading of DEAD DAD DOG, written by John McKay, Monday evening, November 29 at CSC (136 East 13th Street) at 8 pm. The reading will be staged by Brian Kulick.

Classic Stage Company (CSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, will present acclaimed actors Alan Cumming and Brian Cox in a special one night only staged reading of DEAD DAD DOG, written by John McKay, Monday evening, November 29 at CSC (136 East 13th Street) at 8 pm. The reading will be staged by Brian Kulick.

ONCE UPON A MATTRESS: The Morrisville-based Actors' NET of Bucks County continues its fifteenth season with a special holiday season presentation of the family favorite musical comedy Once Upon a Mattress.

Goodman Theatre extends Robert Falls' acclaimed new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull by one week due to high demand for tickets.

In the late 1800s, Russia's preeminent literary doctor, Anton Chekhov, wrote humorous newspaper articles to pay for medical school. Neil Simon, Broadway's master of comedy, elegantly weaves eight of Chekhov's stories into a laugh-out-loud vaudeville experience. Laughter is always the best medicine, so let THE GOOD DOCTOR cure what ails you!

Lantern Theater Company will present a weekend of literary events and performances with The Chekhov Festival from Friday, November 5 - Sunday, November 7, in celebration of the influential work of Russian playwright, short-story writer, and physician Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) during the 150th anniversary year of his birth. The Chekhov Festival features a series of performances, readings, and discussions with scholars over dinner. The three-day Festival is offered in conjunction with the 2010/11 season opener, Uncle Vanya (through Nov. 21), Lantern's first-ever production of a full-length Chekhov work.

Lantern Theater Company opens its 2010/11 season with a celebration of the influential work of Russian playwright, short-story writer, and physician Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) during the 150th anniversary year of his birth. The Lantern will present its first-ever production of a full-length Chekhov work with Uncle Vanya (Oct. 21 - Nov. 21), directed by the Lantern's Associate Artistic Director Kathryn MacMillan. The company will also present a weekend of special events with The Chekhov Festival from November 5 - 7.

Piven Theatre Workshop extends its 2009-10 season with the Chicago premiere of Sarah Ruhl's adaptation of Chekov's Three Sisters, directed by Artistic Director Emeritus Joyce Piven. The production will run October 16 - November 21, 2010 at Piven Theatre Workshop, 927 Noyes Street

Theaterlab (Carlo Altomare and Orietta Crispino, Co-Artistic Directors) presents A Poet in New York, An Homage to Garcia Lorca, choreographed and performed by Carolina Fonseca, November 17 through 20, 2010 at its downtown home (137 West 14th St., between 6th and 7th Ave.).

Ellen Burstyn and Carol Kane as well as Bryony Hannah and Tobias Menzies are to join the previously announced Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss in Ian Rickson's production of Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour. The Children's Hour, produced by Sonia Friedman Productions & Scott Landis, will have its first preview at the Comedy Theatre on 22 January 2011 with press night on 9 February and is booking until 2 April 2011.