News & Updates
Check this space for the latest news about the progress of our production!
February 2 2018
Playwright John McKinney interviewed on live radio on
WPKN-FM's "State of the Arts."
John discusses the play with WPKN talk show hosts Richard Pheneger and Peggy Nelson, on "State of the Arts."
January 31 2018
Come to our Chekhov talkback discussion Wednesday, Jan 31!
Jesse Edward Rosbrow
Scott C. Sickles
John McKinney
Leslie Kincaid Burby
This Wednesday, January 31, following our 7 pm performance, there will be a panel discussion featuring Chekhov scholar Jesse Edward Rosbrow, playwright John McKinney and director Leslie Kincaid Burby. The discussion will be moderated by Scott C. Sickles.
Jesse Edward Rosbrow has studied and worked on Chekhov as both a director and a scholar. He founded the indie theatre company Theatre of the Expendable, and was its Artistic Director for five seasons. For TotE, he adapted and directed a production of Three Sisters. Jesse has a BA from Vassar College, where he studied Drama (mostly directing) and Latin (mostly dead guys) and a MA in Theatre from Hunter College (where, among other things, he wrote a few papers about Chekhov). He presented the paper “If Only They Could See: Blindness, Absence, and the Subversion of Villainy in Uncle Vanya and Three Sisters” at the Comparative Drama Conference in 2014. He is currently developing an adaptation of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard.
Scott C. Sickles (moderator) is artistic director emeritus of the WorkShop Theater Company where, during his 5-year tenure, he focused on new play development while maintaining strong classical theater programming... and where he helped develop and produce The Chekhov Dreams. As a playwright, he received the 2016 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Original Full-Length Script for his drama Composure. His comedy of manners, From the Top, has a strong Chekhovian influence (and he hopes his other plays do as well, at least a little). He is currently a scriptwriter on the daytime drama General Hospital. His work in daytime has garnered three Writers Guild of America Awards and five Emmy nominations. He is currently adapting Hamlet, retelling the story from Gertrude and Ophelia's perspectives.
Watch our new promo!
Watch our homespun teaser video!
January 22, 2018
Check out our new promos!
Before John became a playwright, he was a copywriter at numerous New York ad agencies writing TV and radio commercials for hundreds of national brands. Well, now the two skill sets come together, as he takes his hand to crafting the promotional material for our show! Take a look at our latest spot, and be on the lookout for more to come!
January 10, 2018
Sound design in action
Actors Dana Watkins and Elizabeth Inghram pause for quick photo op while adding voiceover elements to the sound design. Meanwhile, Charlotte Stoiber, who plays the third leg of the play's romantic triangle, brings her own vocal talents to the sound booth. The soundscape actually plays a critical element in the play's story, as you will discover when the play opens in 8 more days!
December 20, 2017
Posters are up!
Look what our lighting designer, Diana Duecker, saw on at work today at Theatre Row (working on another project). Two giant posters displaying our show to the world! One inside the lobby, the other in a lit display casement outside the building facing 42nd St!
For a closer look at our poster, click here.
December 12, 2017
Tickets now on sale!
The box office is now set up! Book your tickets now!
At last! Time to grab your seats to this exciting theatrical event! Tickets are already selling like hotcakes, so get yours now! Just to to Telecharge.com at this link here:
November 12, 2017
Feeling the rush of Russia!
The Dream Team celebrates the launch of The Chekhov Dreams at their vodka infused pre-pro party!
Thanks to our amazing production team (and Ramya Hipp's brilliant location scouting) the Dream Team was able to kick off its pre-production party in style last Friday, as well as pay tribute to our amazing Indiegogo donors. Here are a few glimpses of our team and friends at the exquisite upstairs lounge at Russian Samovar, toasting to our much anticipated production in January!
November 2, 2017
The Chekhov Dreams Pre-Pro Party is coming!
Friday, November 10!
Russian Samovar Restaurant
256 West 52nd St.
7-10 PM
Enjoy a specialty cocktail created by Russian mixologists just for our event! Or enjoy delicious pirozhkis or maybe a tasty blini, then wash it down with a shot of chilled crystal fire from an exquisite array of infused vodkas! All in a special upstairs parlor with the 19th Century charm and mystique of Chekhovian era Russia! This classically authentic Russian restaurant is a one-of-a-kind experience that we felt would be perfectly suited for a similarly unique theatrical production such as ours.
But that's not all! You can also win fun and unique prizes playing our Not-So-Russian Roulette game! (All proceeds go toward producing our play)
This is a cash bar event, though our VIP donors (those who contributed $100 or more and claimed the Pre-Pro Party perk) indulge for free!
But most of all, come join the cast, crew, designers and donors of The Chekhov Dreams as we toast to our upcoming theatrical adventure!
October 6, 2017
MARK YOUR CALENDAR! OUR PRE-PRO PARTY IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10!
Including a special pre-party VIP hour to salute some of our most valued Indiegogo backers! All others are welcome to join in the fun. Stay tuned for more information on time and location as our party planning committee will be rolling out some fun and crazy ideas!
September 18, 2017
SUCCESS!
Thanks to an amazing outpouring of support and trust from our beloved backers, our crowdfunding campaign reached its goal, and beyond! Our hoped-for amount was $12,000, and in response, you all pulled together and raised $13,455! With more pledges on the way!
These funds by no means will pay for the entire show, and in fact represents only a fraction of the total cost (estimated to be just under $35,000). But now the show is guaranteed to happen, and we can all begin to commit ourselves to our various artistic pursuits.
We are now looking to raise even more capital through individual tax-deductible donations (hopefully available by mid-October) thus giving ourselves the chance to mount an even more exciting theater experience than we originally planned. So if you missed out on our crowdfunding campaign and you'd like to take part in this dream with us, click the DONATE tab to find out how.
September 10, 2017
FINAL COUNTDOWN!
OUR INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN ENDS AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!
'CHEK' OUT OUR MATCHING FUNDS OFFER AND OUR LATEST PERKS BLOWOUT!!!
The clock is ticking! Only hours left before our campaign ends! Please help us attain an even higher level of production value for our show by taking advantage of a 2-for-1 MATCHING FUNDS! -- Going on now!
We'll even reward you with drastically reduced pledge prices on some of our best perks! (Due to lack of time, the Indiegogo site will not list these "extras" but rest assured we will follow up and make sure you receive everything listed here.) Go ahead and claim any perks on the Indiegogo site as per normal. We will ask you for your EXTRA perk preference once we receive your pledge.
LATEST PERK OFFERS -- GOOD THRU MIDNIGHT SUNDAY!
NAME THE FIANCE CONTEST -- Only $5.00!
Make a donation of $5 or more, and you'll be eligible to name a character in the play! For details, go here!
BOTTLE OF KVASS (Russian fermented beverage) -- Only $5.00!
Kvass is a fermented beverage that is very popular in Russia, but very rare here. The taste is something similar to a low- or non-alcoholic beer.
THANK-YOU PACKAGE -- Now only $10.00! (Reduced from $25)
Get a video thank you card, social media shout-outs and a place in our Hall of Dreamers page.
ADOPT-A-PROP! -- Now only $20.00! (Reduced from $300)
See Perks Page (under Tab "DONATE") for details on this perk and a projected props list.
DIGITAL COPY OF THE SCRIPT -- Now only $25.00! (Reduced from $150)
DIGITAL COPY OF THE SOUND DESIGN -- Now only $25.00! (Reduced from $150)
SIGNED COPY OF THE SCRIPT -- Now only $50.00! (Reduced from $200)
Receive a bound, hardcopy of the final script, signed by the author!
INVITATION TO OUR PRE-PRO PARTY -- Now only $50.00! (Reduced from $100)
• Perk bonus!
Now when you refer a friend to our campaign, you get your choice of any single perk that your friend is eligible for! (For perk qualifications, see right side of Indiegogo page).
• Name-the-fiancé contest!
In The Chekhov Dreams, a budding romance forms between our protagonist, Jeremy, and the young and adorable Chrissy, who unfortunately is engaged to be married. The name of her fiancé? YOU decide! Between now and midnight tonight (Sunday), any new supporters or current supporters who kick in $5 or more may submit a name for this important off-stage character! (Any male name other than Carl or Frank). So you can say you helped write this play! For details, stay tuned for future updates or watch this space!
All this, and a 2-for-1 MATCHING FUNDS OFFER to boot! But hurry! Time is running out! It all ends at midnight tonight! (Sunday) So go to our Indiegogo page and make your pledge soon!
JOIN OUR LIVE CHEK-A-THON ON FACEBOOK!
THIS SATURDAY, SEPT 9 at 6 PM!
Join us for our Facebook live video event during our "final push" to reach our goal! Hosted by John McKinney with a special appearance by director Leslie Kincaid Burby and friend and backer Alanah Rafferty! With exciting games, contests and promotions to keep those contributions coming in! Such as:
• Perk bonus!
Now when you refer a friend to our campaign, you get your choice of any single perk that your friend is eligible for! (For perk qualifications, see right side of Indiegogo page).
• Referral Contest!
Win extra perks and rewards by bringing in the most funds through referrals. 2nd and 3rd place prizes as well!
• Special auction!
Get a great deal on signed copies of John's play anthologies, with the bidding starting as low as $5! Other valuable items as well!
• Name-the-fiancé contest!
In The Chekhov Dreams, a budding romance forms between our protagonist, Jeremy, and the young and adorable Chrissy, who unfortunately is engaged to be married. The name of her fiancé? YOU decide! That's right! Starting at 6 pm Saturday, any new supporters or current supporters who kick in $5 or more may submit a name for this important off-stage character! So you can say you helped write this play! For details, stay tuned for future updates or watch this space -- or watch Saturday's Chek-a-thon!
Our Indiegogo campaign is live, but ending soon! Only a few days left to get The Chekhov Dreams funded! Please visit the site now, at https://igg.me/at/chekhovdreams.
Check out our teaser campaign! A blitz of movie trailers promoting our Indiegogo pitch video for The Chekhov Dreams!
Watch this space for news about our pre-production kickoff party -- coming this fall!
