THE CHERRY ORCHARD

by Anton Chekhov

Translated by Paul

DRAMA

Schmidt

6 WOMEN, 8 MEN

Liúbov Ranyévskaya returns to her Russian estate after five years in Paris, following her son’s death. But her family is ridden with debt, and their home and beautiful cherry orchard will be auctioned off at the end of the summer. Lopákhin grew up on the estate, the child of former serfs, and has become a wealthy merchant. He suggests they build vacation homes where the orchard sits. The income would save them, but Liúbov and her brother won’t even consider it. They—like the cherry orchard—are a relic from another time: beautiful, but now fruitless. Summer comes to a close, and the Ranyévskayas must leave—with the sound of axes coming from the orchard.

The Seagull

by Anton Chekhov

Translated by Paul

DRAMA

Schmidt

5 WOMEN, 8 MEN

Irína Arkádina is a famous—but fading—actress in Russia at the turn of the last century. She and her lover Boris Trigórin, a well-known author, arrive at her brother Sórin’s country estate for the summer, just as her son Konstantín is staging an experimental new play he’s written and directed, starring his girlfriend, Nína. Konstantín wants to find “new forms of theatre” but Arkádina is far more traditional—and not about to let anyone forget that she’s the star in the family. Her snide comments during the performance enrage Konstantín, who stops the show and storms off. In Konstantín’s absence, Nína comes out and is introduced to Trigórin. Nína is soon enthralled by the successful author, which starts a love affair—and the ensuing jealousies and anger—that will eventually ruin lives.

Three Sisters

by Anton Chekhov

Translated by Paul Schmidt

DRAMA

5 WOMEN, 9 MEN

Raised in Moscow, Ólga, Másha, and Irína are stuck in a rural town they hate. Ólga is a schoolteacher, Másha is in a loveless marriage, and today is Irína’s 22nd birthday and the first anniversary of their father’s death. Friends visit, including Colonel Vershínin, the new dashing army base commander. Soon, the married colonel and Másha begin a passionate affair. Irína, meanwhile, has two suitors, but loves neither. The situation is like a dry forest waiting for a spark. When the smoke clears, one of Irina’s suitors has killed the other, and Vershinin must leave Másha when the army closes the base. The siblings are left to wonder what their suffering means and if there’s any reason to still hope.

Uncle Vanya

by Anton Chekhov

Translated by Paul Schmidt

DRAMA

4 WOMEN, 5 MEN

An elderly professor and his glamorous, younger second wife, Yeléna, return to the rural estate that supports their urban lifestyle. Ványa, brother of the professor’s late first wife, who manages the estate, and Ástrov, the local doctor, fall under Yeléna’s spell, while bemoaning their provincial existence. Sónya, the professor’s daughter by his first wife, who works with Ványa, suffers from unrequited feelings for Ástrov. Matters come to a crisis when the professor announces he plans to sell the estate, Ványa and Sónya’s home, to make more money for himself and his wife.

Paul Schmidt was an actor, librettist, poet, translator, professor, and Russian scholar. His translations of Chekhov’s plays have been praised as “the gold standard in Russian-English translation.”

Schmidt worked in both academic and professional theatre, translating the complete works of poets Arthur Rimbaud and Velemir Khlebnikov as well as works by Gogol, Brecht, and Marivaux for production.