The Chekhov Cycle

Two River Theater Company presents The Chekhov Cycle, a five day festival of staged readings celebrating the life and work of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Actors Olympia Dukakis, Louis Zorich, and Austin Pendleton star in and direct staged readings on four successive evenings of Chekhov’s four major plays. The festival also features such noted actors as Laila Robins, Maria Tucci, Christina Zorich, George Bartenieff, Daniel Pearce, David Bishins, Richard Rella, Anne Letscher and Dave Rosenberg.

SCHEDULE

The Three Sisters (1901): Untapped love lies deep and restless within the three Prozorov girls until awakened by newcomers to their remote Russian outpost. Can these strangers bring the sisters the happiness they’ve craved? Directed by Austin Pendleton.

The Sea Gull (1896): A battle for power between mother and son ends in tragedy in this timeless tale of love, jealousy and the nature of art and theater. Directed by Austin Pendleton.

Uncle Vanya (1899): This tragicomedy centers on an ailing professor’s disruptive visit with his very young second wife to his provincial estate. The visit sets off two obsessive love affairs that lead nowhere and a flirtation that brings disaster. Directed by Olympia Dukakis.

Dear Writer, Dear Actress: The Love Letters of Anton Chekhov to Olga Knipper: Read by husband-and-wife team Olympia Dukakis and Louis Zorich, these letters between Chekhov and Olga Knipper tell of their courtship and marriage — interrupted by Chekhov’s stays in Yalta because of his tuberculosis and Knipper’s work in Moscow as an actress. Knipper’s letters contain fine descriptions of the Moscow theater world and the struggles of an actress and a theater company. The letters beautifully convey Knipper’s spiritual longings and explore the changes in the couple’s relationship and the problems, illusions, and complexities of their life together.