Kennedy Center Presents Chekhov Int'l's THREE SISTERS and TWELFTH NIGHT

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents theChekhov InterNational Theatre Festival productions of Three Sisters on October 19 and 20 at 7:30p.m. and Twelfth Night on October 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Center EisenhowerTheater. Presented in cooperation with Cheek by Jowl, the plays are directed by Declan Donnellanand designed by Nick Ormerod.

Performed in Russian with English surtitles.The exclusive North American engagement and premiere of Anton Chekhov's Three Sistersfollows the disappointments of an upper class Russian family at the turn of the 20 th century. Threesisters encounter love, lust, and compromise under the roof of their provincial homestead. The critically acclaimed all-male production of Twelfth Night celebrates Shakespeare's classic comedyabout mistaken identity and love hidden in plain view. Viola disguises herself as a man to take a postin the Duke's court where she learns that deception comes at a cost.

The cast for Three Sisters includes Alexey Dadonov as Andrey, Evgenia Dmitrieva as Olga, Alexander Feklistov as Vershinin, Irina Grineva as Masha, and Nelli Uvarova as Irina.The cast for Twelfth Night includes Alexander Arsentiev as Orsino, Alexey Dadonov asOlivia, Alexander Feklistov as Sir Toby Belch, Ilya Iliin as Maria, Andrey Kuzichev as Viola, Sergey Mukhin as Sebastian, Dmitry Shcherbina as Malvolio, Igor Teplov as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Igor Yasulovich as Feste, and Mikhail Zhigalov as Antonio.British director Declan Donnellan is the President of the Chekhov InterNational TheatreFestival Foundation in Russia.

In 1999, under the auspices of The Moscow Chekhov InternationalTheatre Festival, he formed a company of actors who are currently performing Boris Godunov,Twelfth Night, Three Sisters, and The Tempest, both in Russia and internationally. Mr. Donnellan isthe ?o-artistic director of Cheek by Jowl, a theater company that has performed worldwide. Cheekby Jowl productions in the U.S., performed in English, include As You Like It, Much Ado AboutNothing, The Duchess of Malfi, and Cymbeline; and Le Cid by Corneille, in French. As AssociateDirector at the Royal National Theatre in London, his credits include Fuente Ovejuna, SweeneyTodd, and both parts of Angels in America. He has directed Falstaff for Claudio Abbado in Salzburgin 2001; Romeo and Juliet for the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 2003; and Andromaque for PeterBrook at the Bouffes du Nord in 2007. His 1997 production of The Winter's Tale still performs atthe Maly Drama Theatre in St. Petersburg. His book, The Actor and the Target, first published inRussian in 2000, has been translated into twelve languages, including Mandarin in 2011.

For hiswork in France he has been made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and has also receivedawards in New York, Moscow, and London, including the Olivier for Outstanding Achievement. Hisfirst feature film, Bel-Ami, starring Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, and Kristin Scott-Thomas, willbe released next year.The Chekhov InterNational Theatre Festival was established by the International Confederation of Theatre Associations. The first festival was held in the fall of 1992 and focused on directors who strongly contributed to theater around the world such as Peter Brook, Giorgio Strehler, Peter Stein, and Otomar Krejca. Over its 19 year history, the festival has added new genres ofperformance including opera and ballet productions as well as performances by the ZingaroEquestrian Theatre and outdoor performances. In 2007, theatrical genres for the ChekovInterNational Theatre Festival expanded to include circus and drama, dance and opera, and new andtraditional styles.

The Chekhov InterNational Theatre Festival sponsors co-productions with foreigndirectors and Russian actors in association with other international organizations. As a space forexchanging ideas and experiences, meetings with artists, round-tables, and readings of plays,Chekhov InterNational Theatre Festival participants have included Peter Brook, Ariane Mnoushkine,Peter Stein, Otomar Krejca, Giorgio Strehler, Theodoros Terzopoulos, Patrice Chereau, Andrey Shcherban, Declan Donnellan, Eimuntas Nekrosius, Tadashi Suzuki, Heiner Goebbels, MatthiasLanghoff, Krystian Lupa, Alexander Morfov, Stefan Moskov, and Rober Lepage, among others.Valery Shadrin is the General Director of the Chekhov InterNational Theatre Festival.

TICKET INFORMATION Tickets range from $22 to $60 and are available for purchase at the Kennedy Center box office or by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600.

Patrons living outside the Washington metropolitan area may dial toll-free at (800) 444-1324 or can visit kennedy-center.org.

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