Anton Chekhov reads The Seagull to the actors of the Moscow Art Theater, 1898.
Please join us this fall at the Newberry as we read and discuss Chekhov’s plays. What makes Chekhov the architect of modern theater? What gives his plays their enduring power, and are they tragedies or comedies? Chekhov’s mastery of understatement, irony, and mood over plot makes him an elusive and endlessly rewarding playwright. We will trace his evolution from brilliant one-act farces to the revolutionary major plays that changed theater forever, enriched by biographical, historical, and critical context and scenes from film and stage productions. Drawing on the Russian originals, we will compare two outstanding modern translations and explore what is inevitably lost and gained in the effort to bring Chekhov’s language into vigorous, contemporary American English.
Classes meet online via Zoom once a week from 10:00 am to noon CDT for eight weeks starting Saturday, September 26, 2026 and ending on Saturday, November 21, 2026. For the full course description and reading list, click here.
Registration begins on August 26, 2026 at 9:00 am CDT. Click here for the link to the class on the Newberry’s website. The registration link is located on that page, and will be available on the morning of August 26.
Please read “The Bear” and “The Celebration” for the first session. I look forward to our first meeting.
