Anton Chekhov -
Dear Author...Dear Actress: the Letters of Anton Chekhov & Olga
Knipper - runs 50 minutes
This original reader's theatre piece was created by Trinity Rep actress, Anne Scurria, and actor/Living Literature Artistic Director, Barry Press.
It shares a five year correspondence between Russian physician, author and
playwright, Anton Chekhov with the leading actress of the Moscow Art
Theatre, Olga Knipper.
The letters between Chekhov and Knipper, which have been
edited and assembled into a dramatic performance, show a humorous,
passionate and moving relationship, from courtship to marriage to the
final moments of Chekhov's life.
These letters focus on the last five years of his life,
when he lived and wrote in southern Russia due to ill-health. During
this time, Olga courageously pursued her career in Moscow. Through these
letters we learn about the personal drama between him and the woman he
wooed and wed and of the difficulty of being apart from each other for
long periods of time. We also get an intimate view of the creative
process as well as a glimpse of the artistic temperament of this
prolific author.
As theatre artists living at the turn of the 20th
century, Ms. Scurria and Mr. Press bring their own understanding of a
long distance relationship resulting in marriage. They offer insight into these people
and their unique circumstances. Following the performance they will be
available for a brief discussion about the process of creating
theatrical events from non-theatrical literature and to answer
questions.
Anton Chekhov - A
collection of short stories - runs 1 hour
A Joke, A Work of Art, An Avenger, Elements Most Often
Found in Novels, Short Stories, etc. and How I Came to be Lawfully Wed
