Only Human: Anton Chekhov

ACTORS & ARTISTS

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) is regarded as both the greatest Russian storyteller and the father of modern drama. He wrote hundreds of short stories and several plays, including his masterpieces The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard. His works in both mediums have proved massively influential to modernist and realist movements in literature, and he is the namesake for the dramatic principle of “Chekhov’s gun.” Trained as a physician, Chekhov’s interest in social welfare led him to write the non-fiction volume Sakhalin Island, detailing conditions at a Russian penal colony, and he was well-known for his philanthropy, often treating the sick for no charge. Chekhov was awarded the Pushkin Prize in 1888 and remains one of the most iconic voices in literature.

Jane Curtin has appeared on Broadway in Noises Off, Candida, and Our Town. Her off-Broadway work includes Love Letters and the musical revue Pretzels, which she co-wrote. She starred in the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun and won back-to-back Emmy Awards for her role on Kate & Allie. She is an original cast member of Saturday Night Live and also starred in the television film series The Librarian and its spin-off, The Librarians. Her film credits include Coneheads; Antz; I Love You, Man; I Don’t Know How She Does It; The Heat; The Spy Who Dumped Me; Can You Ever Forgive Me?; and Ode to Joy. She starred on the television series Unforgettable and has had guest appearances on The Good Wife, 48 Hours ’til Monday, The Good Fight, Broad City, and most recently United We Fall. Curtin will appear in the forthcoming films Welcome to Pine Grove!, Never Too Late, and Godmothered.

Robin Miles’ theater work includes Richard Greenberg’s The Violet Hour and Jonathan Larsen’s J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation on Broadway, and many other plays. Her television credits include Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, New York Undercover, and National Geographic’s Tales from the Wild. She has narrated more than 375 audiobooks, earned Audie and Best of the Year awards for both narrating and directing, is an AudioFile magazine's featured narrator and an Audible Hall of Famer. She is the director of the recording of Alex Haley’s Roots and narrator of many works of Edwidge Danticat. Listen closely, and you'll even hear her voice at the American Museum of Natural History.

Cynthia Nixon made her film debut in Little Darlings at 12 years old and her Broadway debut at 14 in The Philadelphia Story. Since then she’s appeared in more than 40 plays, scores of films and television shows, and received 2 Emmys, 2 Tonys, and a Grammy Award. She is best known for her role as Miranda on HBO’s Sex and the City. In 2017, Nixon alternated the roles of Regina and Birdie with Laura Linney in Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes on Broadway, winning her 2nd Tony Award. She also appeared on numerous "best actress of 2018" lists for her portrayal of American poet Emily Dickinson in Terrence Davies' much-lauded film A Quiet Passion. Also in 2018 she ran for Governor of New York state. Currently, she can be seen in Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix series Ratched opposite Sarah Paulson and will star in Julian Fellowes’ The Gilded Age. Nixon spends a good portion of her off-time fighting for funding for New York public schools, abortion rights, and LGBT equality. She and her wife, Christine, have 3 children: Sam, Charlie, and Max.

Laura Strausfeld is a writer, director, producer, and independent Chekhov scholar. She has produced and hosted eight Chekhov celebrations, the most recent three with Columbia University’s Harriman Institute, where she was a Visiting Scholar. The Real Vanya, Strausfeld’s mockumentary adaptation of Uncle Vanya, was produced by the Harriman Institute as a staged reading at the Classic Stage Company in 2014. Her play Monica and Linda, about Monica Lewinsky and Linda Tripp’s friendship, will be produced in NYC this spring. She is currently working on a book entitled How to Be Less Miserable: Insights from Anton Chekhov. Strausfeld is the co-founder of Period Equity, a law and policy nonprofit advocating for safe, accessible, tax-free menstrual products.

Sam Underwood’s television credits include recurring roles on Showtime’s Dexter and Homeland, Fox’s The Following, Power on STARZ, AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, the film adaptation of the musical Hello Again, and most recently as Adam Carrington on the reboot of Dynasty. He is the founder and artistic director of New York’s Fundamental Theater Project, with which he produced and starred in One Day When We Were Young by Nick Payne with Valorie Curry at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His New York theater credits include Candida at The Irish Repertory Theatre, The Picture of Dorian Gray at The Pershing Square Signature Theatre, and Equus at John Drew Theater at Guild Hall. Underwood is Creative Director of Initiative Productions, with which he has produced and starred in the short film Ophelia and his one-man show, Losing Days. He will appear in the forthcoming film The Drummer.

Rainn Wilson is best known for playing the role of Dwight Schrute on NBC’s The Office. A member of The Acting Company, Wilson spent ten years performing in regional theater, tours, off- and on Broadway. His film and television credits include Galaxy Quest, Almost Famous, The Rocker, Super, Six Feet Under, Juno, Backstrom, Star Trek: Discovery, the filmed adaptation of Will Eno's Thom Pain (based on nothing), The Meg,Mom, and Solar Opposites. Wilson co-founded SoulPancake, a digital media company that seeks to tackle “life’s big questions” and the Lidè Foundation, an educational initiative in rural Haiti that empowers at-risk women and girls through the arts. He will appear in the forthcoming film Don’t Tell a Soul and the series Utopia and The Power.

Di Zhu is an actress, classical pianist, and Managing Director at The Russian Arts Theater & Studio. Her theater credits include The Master and Margarita, Or, The Devil Comes to Moscow; Three Sisters; Crime and Punishment; Avenue of Wonder; My Uncle Chekhov; Swan Song; The Bear; Uncle Vanya; The Seagull; and Lady With a Lapdog, With Jokes and a Happy Ending. Film and TV credits include Speaking With Music on PBS, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Blindspot, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and Katy Keene.