Anton Chekhov lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress." Chekhov renounced the theatre after the reception of "The Seagull" in 1896, but the play was revived to acclaim in 1898 by Konstantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre, which subsequently also produced Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" and premiered his last two plays, "Three Sisters" and "The Cherry Orchard". These four works present a challenge to the acting ensemble as well as to audiences, because in place of conventional action Chekhov offers a "theatre of mood" and a "submerged life in the text". Chekhov had at first written stories only for financial gain,
Andrew Upton Andrew Upton Andrew Upton (born 1 February 1966) is an Australian playwright, screenwriter, and director. He is the husband of Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett. As a playwright, Upton created adaptations of "Hedda Gabler", "The Cherry Orchard", "Cyrano de Bergerac", "Don Juan" (with Marion Potts), "Uncle Vanya", "The Maids", "Children of the Sun" and "Platonov" for the Sydney Theatre Company (STC) and Maxim Gorky's "The Philistines" for London's Royal National Theatre. His original play "Riflemind", with Hugo Weaving as an ageing rock star planning a comeback tour, opened at the STC on 5 October 2007 to favourable reviews. "Riflemind" opened