Anton Chekhov News

Written by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Anne Occhiogrosso, Centenary Stage Company's mainstage theatrical season continues in the Lackland Performing Arts Center with Reza's 1998 Tony Award and 1996 Olivier Award winning comedy Art from February 16 through March 4.  "Wildly funny, naughtily provocative…" says the NY Post, it all begins when Serge buys an expensive painting by a celebrated artist.  A white canvas with white diagonal lines.  Old friends square off over the canvas, using it as an excuse to hilariously batter one another over various slights and failures.  Art is a hilarious exploration of the very notion of what constitutes art while examining the meaning of friendship.  'Anyone looking for a play that is funny, sophisticated, stylish, stimulating and moving should go to 'ART'.' (Independent, London).

"Stupid F*cking Bird" will make its Wayne State debut at the Studio Theatre at the Hilberry, March 1 thru March 31. This contemporary adaptation of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull" was written by American playwright Aaron Posner and presents a satirical, modern day spin on the theatre classic.

In this joyful romance of gender roles and expectations, Orlando the man wakes up, after a particularly wild night in 17th-century Constantinople, to find himself a woman! She abandons herself to three centuries of navigating love, desire, and the world from an entirely different perspective.  Oft described as the most charming love letter in literature - written by Woolf to Vita Sackville-West - Sarah Ruhl brings the novel to life on stage in a grand, epic adventure that transcends time, place, and gender.   

THE CHEKHOV DREAMS, a dark romantic comedy now in previews Off-Broadway, will host a very special post-performance discussion tonight entitled "Diving Deeper into Chekhov and THE CHEKHOV DREAMS" at The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row (410 West 42 Street).

Schimmelpfennig's play about the failure of liberal intellectuals to confront the historic danger of extremism was written in 2015 in a German context, and it's universal relevance has only become more striking in 2017. Winter Solstice is a portrait of liberal impotence in the face of blind conviction.  Will these well-meaning dedicated people take action when facism is entertaining them in their living room? 

Mr. Chekhov and Mr. Porter takes its audience on a joyous romp through one of history's greatest playwrights by way of one of history's greatest songwriters.

Occasionally the name Anton Chekhov invokes the same kind of anxiety one may get from Shakespeare or other heavy literary writers who we feel like we should go see to appear educated/ arty, but who no one really enjoys. Unfortunately, that makes people forget one of the reasons Chekhov and Shakespeare are great--they know how to balance humor and drama in that way that feels very human and well-rounded. It activates all the parts of the viewer's brain, and leaves one feeling thoroughly entertained and thought-provoked at the end. The Gamm's production of UNCLE VANYA, translated and directed by Curt Columbus' manages to communicate volumes, while keeping everything accessible and relatable. The moments of humor are genuine and serve to heighten the tension in other scenes. Gamm regulars will have seen these actors in a dozen other roles over the years, yet they all managed to adopt their new personas in a way that feels so genuine it's like this world has always existed, and the audience managed to wander in at exactly the right time.

Undermain Theatre is proud to present Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters. Discover the humor and heartbreak of one of the world's greatest plays revealed through a lyrical translation by one of the leading voices in contemporary theatre: Macarthur fellow Sarah Ruhl. Chekhov's tragicomic masterpiece tells the story of the daughters of a revered commander of a Russian military outpost who yearn to return to their cosmopolitan home. The Prozorov sisters, Olga, Masha, and Irina, dream of freedom, sex, romance, and Moscow. Tickets on sale now!

St. Ann's Warehouse presents the American Premiere of Schaub hne Berlin's Returning to Reims, an adaptation of French author Didier Eribon's memoir of the same name, directed by Berlin auteur Thomas Ostermeier, February 4-25. This production marks the first collaboration between St. Ann's and the Schaub hne, whose production of Richard III recently garnered acclaim in BAM's Next Wave Festival.

Celebrated as a revolutionary playwright in turn of the century Industrial Russia, Anton Chekhov delivers an examination of urban and country life in his play, UNCLE VANYA. Now playing at The City Theatre in East Austin, this famous playwrights works are brought to stage for the first time at this community theater. New beginnings of this play date back to 1898 with publishing and debuting a year later in full production by the Moscow Art Theatre. Directed by the godfather of modern acting, Konstantin Stanislavski brings the struggle of class and love to the stage. Set on a run-down estate in the woods of Russia, our hometown family of characters are disrupted by an elderly professor and his much younger, and very attractive second wife, Yelena. The pining title character of the play Vanya is the long running estate manager and brother to the sickly professors first wife. Intimated and teetering on the edge of patience, Vanya befriends the towns local doctor, Astrov in an effort to pass the time and pontificate his frustrations and helplessness. Quickly into the play, Astrov and Vanya fall under the spell of the beautiful Yelena, throwing themselves in circumstances unbecoming of a married woman. Into the mix is Vanya's niece, Sonya who lives in a lonely love with doctor Astrov. With the demise of characters and the estate at risk, our characters desperately attempt to navigate the tough terrain ahead of them.

Mr. Chekhov and Mr. Porter takes its audience on a joyous romp through one of history's greatest playwrights by way of one of history's greatest songwriters.

A man of status with questionable sexual ethics runs rampage. A society fixated on the chaos of the moment ignores their collapsing economic system. A culture of open gun possession leads to rash and deadly consequences. Sounds familiar? Blessed Unrest's raw and sexy rendition of Platonov, or Play with No Name, in new translation and adaptation by playwright Laura Wickens, shows how Chekhov, nearly 150 years ago in Russia, was piercing through the issues that are highly relevant in America today.

The legendary Maly Drama Theatre of St. Petersburg - described by Peter Brook as 'the finest ensemble theatre in Europe' - returns to London this spring for a strictly limited engagement for the first time in over a decade. They will present the UK premi re of Vasily Grossman's epic novel, Life and Fate, and reprise their celebrated production of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket. Press nights will be held for Life and Fate on Tuesday May 8th and Wednesday 9th and on Tuesday May 15th for Uncle Vanya. Both productions will be performed in Russian with English surtitles.

After a sold-out run of Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, Or, The Devil Comes to Moscow, acclaimed director Aleksey Burago and The Russian Arts Theater and Studio returns with Lady With a Lapdog, With Jokes and a Happy Ending, a heart-warming, larger-than-life comedy celebrating the short stories of Anton Chekhov.

Due to high demand, Apollinaire Theatre Company has added a second Sunday performance to the extension of Three Sisters; Wednesday January 17 and Thursday January 18 at 7:30, Friday January 19 and Saturday January 20 at 8:00, and Sunday January 21st at 3:00 and 7:30.

UNCLE VAYNA, Anton Chekhov's most revered work of hope, love, and loss in an exhilarating Austin premiere. When a retired professor and his beautiful young wife are forced to withdraw to an estate in the vast country emptiness, their arrival explode hidden passions and the lives of the entire family come undone. Shattered illusions, deep secrets, and the desire for love run thru the acclaimed play, which has been staged in theatres for over one hundred years. Both joyously comic and poignantly tragic, this newly adapted interpretation written and staged by Rod Mechem, captures all of Chekhov's characters, that have been embraced by audiences for their extraordinary insight into the lives of the ordinary. Uncle Vanya is a classic of world drama still expressing themes that are just as recognizable and resonant today. A must-see for any theatre lover!

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced today that Saoirse Ronan will receive their prestigious Santa Barbara Award, presented by UGG, for her critically acclaimed role in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, an A24 release. Given to a person in the entertainment industry who has made a great contribution to film, the award will be presented to her at a ceremony on Sunday, February 4, 2018 at the historic Arlington Theatre.

In its first outing since the critically acclaimed production of Waiting For Godot in 2015, The Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative returns to the Shoebox Theatre to stage an exciting new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's THREE SISTERS, a classic of modern drama. Adapted and directed by Patrick Walsh, the production boasts a cast of fourteen, including many fresh faces to NWCTC audiences who take a bold approach to Chekhov's masterwork. The production will also tour to the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon as part of a unique outreach program, built off of the new, collaborative production model.

In its first outing since the critically acclaimed production of Waiting For Godot in 2015, The Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative returns to the Shoebox Theatre to stage an exciting new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's THREE SISTERS, a classic of modern drama.

Noche Flamenca returns to The Joyce Theater (175 8th Avenue) with Intimo, a flamenco performance exploring the possibilities and limitations of human relationships, and set to original, live music, February 13-25. Founded in 1993 by Artistic Director Martin Santangelo and globally acclaimed dancer Soledad Barrio, Noche Flamenca honors the raw and rapturous art of flamenco while stretching tradition to explore the human experience in its many varieties. Barrio, whom The New York Times has deemed one of today's great dancers of any genre, performs with a cast of exceptional flamenco dancers and musicians, many hailing from Spain.