Description

By (author) Chekhov Anton; Adapted by Reiss Anya

We need the theatre, couldn’t, couldn’t do without it. Could we?

A successful actress visits her brother’s isolated estate far from the city, throwing the frustrated residents unfulfilled ambitions into sharp relief. As her son attempts to impress with a self-penned play, putting much more than his pride at stake, others dream of fame, love and the ability to change their past.

Chekhov’s darkly comic masterpiece is reignited for the 21st century by one of the most exciting new voices in British Theatre, Anya Reiss, Winner of the Most Promising Playwright at both the Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle awards.

This updated and revised edition was published following the West End production directed by Jamie Lloyd in 2022.

Biographical note:

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), Russian physician, dramatist and author, is considered to be one of the greatest writers of short stories and modern drama.. He is best-remembered for his four dramatic masterpieces: The Seagull (1896), Uncle Vanya (1899), Three Sisters (1901) and The Cherry Orchard (1904).

Anya Reiss wrote her first play when she was 14, as a member of the Royal Court Theatre”s Young Writers” Programme. Her debut play, Spur of the Moment (written when she was 17) opened at the Royal Court Theatre in 2010. Anya won the Most Promising Playwright Award at the 2010 Evening Standard Awards, Best New Play at the 2010 TMA Awards and Most Promising Playwright at the 2010 Critics” Circle Awards. Her play, The Acid Test, opened at the Royal Court in May 2011 and received rave reviews. She also contributed to the Bush Theatre”s Sixty Six Books in 2011 and the Old Vic”s Children”s Monologues in 2010. She wrote the play Forty Five Minutes for the 2013 National Theatre Connections.

Promotional headline:
A contemporary retelling of Chekhov”s masterpiece which ran in London”s West End starring Emilia Clarke.

for collection:
The Modern Plays
series is world famous for containing the work of manyof the finest contemporary playwrights. Established in 1959 with thepublication of Shelagh Delaney”s A Taste of Honey, it remains a seriessynonymous with the very best in new writing for the stage. Today itfeatures over 1000 plays and continues to grow alongside the staging ofnew work.

Feature:
A contemporary literary translation of one of Chekhov”s most famous plays

Feature:
Written and adapted by Anya Reiss, winner of the Most Promising Playwright Award at both the Evening Standard and Critics” Circle Awards

Feature:
An updated and revised edition to coincide with the West End run in 2022 which starred Emilia Clarke and was directed by Jamie Lloyd