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Overview
Synopsis
Three Sisters is the third of Anton Chekhov’s four major plays, and maybe the most perfect expression of his artistic genius. It chronicles three and a half years in the falling fortunes of the four children of a recently deceased Colonel in the Russian army: sweet Irina, the youngest and most impressionable; tempestuous Masha, who is trapped in a loveless marriage; practical Olga, who has resigned herself to spinsterhood; and their brother Andrei, whose ill-advised romance and compulsive gambling wreaks havoc on the family finances and eventually forces them out of their home. Weary of their small-town surroundings, the Prozorovs long to return to Moscow, the bustling metropolis they left eleven years ago. Unfortunately, ground down by disappointment, debt, and the oppressive ordinariness of their daily lives, they’re never able to get there. Ten other vivid characters round out the cast -- including a coterie of soldiers whose arrival in town in the first act is a cause for celebration and whose departure in the final act is a cause for dismay. Despite Chekhov’s undeserved reputation for avoiding intense drama, The Three Sisters is packed with action and emotion, including two tumultuous affairs, a fire that devastates the nearby town, and a duel that ends in the death of a major character.
Show Information
- Book
- Anton Chekhov
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 4
- First Produced
- 1901
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- late 19th century, an estate in a small town in russia
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- College/University, Regional Theatre, Professional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Young Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Two revolutions in 1917, the first of which overthrew the imperial government and the second of which placed the Bolsheviks in power.
The first dominant alternative to popular realist dramas from the end of the nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century.
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