Orchards, Orchards, Orchards
by Samm-art Williams, Maria Irene Fornes, John Guare, Spalding Gray, Michael Weller, David Mamet, Wendy Wasserstein, Anton Chekhov

This is a collection of seven Chekhov stories (selected from the 25 volumes of Chekhov stories) and seven one-act plays based on them.

The plays were commissioned for the 1985-86 season of the Acting Company.

The volume will interest those concerned with both forms.

The dramatists' efforts are surprisingly successful.

Some of the plays are more literal reflections of the original stories than others; some, undoubtedly, can be given greater life in performance.

Wendy Wasserstein's abstract rendition of Drowning , a story about love which reveals the darker side of Chekhov, and Spalding Gray's Rivkala's Ring , a monologue in the form of a play, are the most dramatically innovative.

Gray's monologue, which has the mood of a poem, is loosely inspired by Chekhov and is a haunting reminder of the alienation and paranoia which are experienced by some in American society.