5 W, 4 M
In the fall of 1993, while post-Communist Russia is in the midst of massive social, cultural, and political change, five American college students come to Moscow to study with artists from the renowned Moscow Art Theater. Bogachov, a prominent director who heads the program, dazzles them with his insight, while Laskin, a renowned master teacher, displays his exuberant energy and affection as he leads them in scene study of Chekhov’s Three Sisters. But cross-cultural misunderstandings, interpersonal conflicts, and trouble with classes soon divide the group, while outside the classroom, a tense standoff between President Yeltsin and rebellious Communist hardliners escalates. As the city itself comes under siege, the students are forced to question why they came, and what they will really learn in Moscow.
First produced at the Keene State College Redfern Arts Center in 2003
Winner of the 1999 John Gassner Memorial Playwriting Award