Anton Chekhov News

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.

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.

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.).

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. Opening night is November 16.

Neil Simon's THE GOOD DOCTOR finds the playwright mining the short stories of Anton Chekhov for material, and this comedy with music, is a decidedly mixed bag, occasionally producing laughs, but not nearly in the abundance we've come to expect. It's an odd marriage of styles, and more often than not, the humor seems strained or overly familiar. Avalon Theatre Company opens their 2010-2011 season with a fairly solid production of this minor work from the Simon canon, although it could benefit greatly from a bit of tightening.

Actors Samuel Finzi (R) and Katrin Wichmann appear in a scene from Dmitry Gochev s production of Ward No. 6 based on Anton Chekhov s story, performed at the New European Theatre (NET) Festival.

Goodman Theatre announces the 12-member cast for Robert Fall's intimate new production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (rehearsals begin August 24, tickets go on sale August 13). This 19th century masterpiece is brought to life by a company including Francis Guinan (August: Osage County; The Grapes of Wrath) in his Goodman debut as the retired judge Peter Sorin and Mary Beth Fisher (Rock 'N' Roll; The Year of Magical Thinking) as his sister, Irina Arkadina, a beautiful, selfish actress. Also joining the cast are Janet Ulrich Brooks (Polina); Rebecca Buller (Maid); Cliff Chamberlain (Boris Trigorin, Irina's young lover), Dietrich Gray (Yakov); Stephen Louis Grush (Konstantin Trepliov, Irina's twenty-five year old playwright son); Scott Jaeck (Dr. Eugene Dorn); Kelly O'Sullivan (Masha); Steve Pickering (Ilia Shamrayev, Sorin's estate manager); Demetrios Troy (Simon Medvendenko); and Heather Wood (Nina Zarietchnaya). The Seagull runs October 16 - November 14, 2010 in the Owen Theatre; tickets are $10 - $45. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is the Contributing Sponsor of The Seagull.Artistic Director Robert Falls returns to the work of Anton Chekhov following previous productions of Three Sisters at the Goodman (1995, with a cast including Calista Flockhart, Susan Bruce and Jenny Bacon) and Orchards: Seven American Playwrights Present Stories by Chekhov (1986, adaptations by Maria Irene Fornes, Spalding Gray, John Guare, David Mamet, Wendy Wasserstein, Michael Weller and Samm-Art Williams-The Acting Company/New York, tour with off-Broadway opening).

The Goodman Theatre is proud to present their 2010-2011 Season Dates. Tickets for these shows can be bought online at www.goodmantheatre.org, by phone at (312) 443-3800, or in person at 170 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60601.

Classic Stage Company (CSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, will present Anton Chekhov's THREE SISTERS, featuring 2010 Academy Award nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal (Masha), Josh Hamilton (Andre) 2010 Tony Award nominee Jessica Hecht (Olga) and acclaimed actor Peter Sarsgaard (Vershinin).

THE PEARL THEATRE COMPANY (J.R. Sullivan, Artistic Director; Shira Beckerman, Managing Director) proudly presents Henrik Ibsen's passionate and haunting ROSMERSHOLM, adapted by Mike Poulton.

THE PEARL THEATRE COMPANY (J.R. Sullivan, Artistic Director; Shira Beckerman, Managing Director) proudly presents Henrik Ibsen's passionate and haunting ROSMERSHOLM, adapted by Mike Poulton.

THE PEARL THEATRE COMPANY (J.R. Sullivan, Artistic Director; Shira Beckerman, Managing Director) proudly presents Henrik Ibsen's passionate and haunting ROSMERSHOLM, adapted by Mike Poulton.

Marin Theatre Company presents the world premiere of a new version of Anton Chekhov's Seagull by Libby Appel, former Artistic Director of Oregon Shakespeare Festival, January 27 through February 20. Adapted from a literal translation by Allison Horsley, Appel includes never-before-seen text from Chekhov that has only recently become available. MTC Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis directs a sleek, sexy production of this classic. Opening night is on February 1.

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 performances, readings, and scholar events with The Chekhov Festival from Friday, November 5 - Sunday, November 7, in celebration of the work of influential Russian playwright, short-story writer, and physician Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) during the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Director Robert Falls and actors Mary Beth Fisher and Francis Guinan talk about the process of bringing Anton Chekhov's The Seagull to Goodman Theatre at a special discussion on Sunday, November 7 at 6:30pm, following the matinee performance. Moderated by Steppenwolf Theatre Company Artistic Director Martha Lavey, this conversation is part of the theater's Artists Talk series, a unique opportunity for audiences to connect directly with the artists from Goodman productions. Tickets to the Artists Talk are $10 ($5 for Goodman subscribers); 312.443.3800. The Seagull runs through November 14 in the Goodman's Owen Theatre. The culmination of two years of research and preparation, this production of The Seagull marks a departure from Falls' recent large-scale work-and a focus on the method of Konstantin Stanislavsky, the man often credited as 'the father of modern theater.' As previously announced, the ensemble cast of 14 includes Will Allan, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Rebecca Buller, Cliff Chamberlain, Laura T. Fisher, Mary Beth Fisher, Dieterich Gray, Stephen Louis Grush, Francis Guinan, Scott Jaeck, Kelly O'Sullivan, Steve Pickering, Demetrios Troy and Heather Wood. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is the Contributing Sponsor of The Seagull.

Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis and Producing Director Ryan Rilette announce Marin Theatre Company's 2010-11 season, its most ambitious ever.

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.).

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.

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. Opening night is November 16.