Olga Knipper Olga Knipper Olga Leonardovna Knipper-Chekhova (; – 22 March 1959) was a Russian and Soviet stage actress. She was married to Anton Chekhov. Knipper was among the 39 original members of the Moscow Art Theatre when it was formed by Constantin Stanislavski in 1898. She played Arkadina in "The Seagull" (1898), played Elena in the Moscow premiere of "Uncle Vanya" (1899), and was the first to play Masha in "Three Sisters" (1901) and Madame Ranevskaya in "The Cherry Orchard" (1904). Knipper married Anton Chekhov, the author of these plays, in 1901. Knipper-Chekhova played Ranevskaya again in 1943, when the theatre
Libby Appel "The Magic Fire" (also at the Kennedy Center), "The Merchant of Venice", "Breaking the Silence", "Enrico IV" (the Emperor), "The Seagull" (Portland). (Chronological order, most recent at the top) Appel has completed five commissions from OSF for new versions (from literal translations from Russian to English by Alison Horsley) of "The Cherry Orchard," "The Seagull," "Uncle Vanya," "Three Sisters" and "Ivanov." Libby Appel Libby Appel (born May 14, 1937) served as the fourth artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) from 1995 to June 2007. Appel directed more than 25 productions at OSF, and her artistic vision influenced the