CHEKHOV/TOLSTOY: LOVE STORIES
ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY MILES MALLESON DIRECTED BY JONATHAN BANK & JANE SHAW
JANUARY 23 THROUGH MARCH 14 Chekhov/Tolstoy: Love Stories Adapted for the stage by Miles Malleson
Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd Street) Tickets on sale now! January 23 through March 14 Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri & Sat 7:30PM Sat & Sun 2:00PM Wed 2:00PM: 2/5, 2/19, 3/4, 3/11 No Eve perf: 2/5, 2/11, 2/18
Call the FPC Hotline at: 212-315-0231
LOOK INSIDE FOR NEW TICKET PRICING INFORMATION! Pg. 3
Further Reading Series
YOUTH by Miles Malleson Directed by Maggie Burrows Monday, October 28th 7:30PM Youth is a backstage comedy; the story of a young playwright’s first theatrical endeavor—and first love. Youth is charged with passion and rides on a wave of breathtaking prose and youthful energy. Mint Further Readings are FREE for members of the First Priority Club.
Call 212-315-0231 to book your seats!
In the winter of 2020, Mint Theater Company will present two short plays adapted from stories by two of the world’s greatest authors, Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy. These dramatic adaptations come from one of our favorite playwrights, Miles Malleson, author of Mint productions, Conflict and Yours Unfaithfully, both New York Times Critic’s Picks. Chekhov wrote more than five hundred short stories in the years before he wrote the four plays that made his theatrical immortality. “If you ask any writer whom they revere as the founder of the modern short story, the chances are the answer will be Chekhov,” writes Rosamund Bartlett, author of books about both Chekhov and Tolstoy. Chekhov’s An Artist’s Story tells the story of Nicov, a painter who encounters two very different women on an autumn evening. The flirtatious Genya flatters the artist with questions about miracles and the eternal, while her pragmatic sister Lidia ridicules the artist by questioning the necessity of landscapes in a world where people are poor and hungry. Together, they bring Nicov to a new understanding of himself. Malleson’s adaptation had its first production in 1919, directed by Edith Craig and produced by the Pioneer Players, an independent theater society known for its productions of feminist and Russian drama. Malleson played the title role. Tolstoy’s mystical story, What Men Live By, tells the story of a Russian peasant couple who also come to a new understanding, after their lives intersect with a mysterious stranger with odd ways and a brilliant smile. What Men Live By reflects Tolstoy’s dedication to living out a Christian pacifism based on personal conscience. In the midst of World War I, the pacifist Malleson was inspired by Tolstoy’s empathetic vision. Infusing his adaptation with string quartet music composed for the production by Norman O’Neill, the play premiered as part of an all-female student program by London’s Academy of Dramatic Arts, providing audiences with “the pure milk of the Tolstoyan word on loving-kindness.” Audiences shellshocked by the war welcomed this balm; audiences today will also warm to this hopeful tale of love and redemption. Mint’s production will be the first-ever pairing of Malleson’s Russian gems, codirected by Mint Artistic Director Jonathan Bank and his longtime collaborator, Jane Shaw. Jane has designed sound, and composed and arranged music for thirty Mint productions; she will be making her directorial debut at the Mint.
Youth By Miles Malleson
FREE for members of the First Priority Club Monday October 28th at 7:30 Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd St. Miles Malleson penned the two adaptations featured in Chekhov/Tolstoy: Love Stories early in his career. Another effort from those years was his first full-length play Youth, first published and produced in 1916. Diving head first into Malleson’s life-long obsessions, sex and social justice – Youth is a backstage comedy; the story of a young playwright’s first theatrical endeavor—and first love. Youth is charged with passion and rides on a wave of breathtaking prose and youthful energy. In Youth, we see what drew Malleson to Chekhov’s story of the artist who questions the value of art and beauty. We can also see Malleson becoming the playwright who would write Yours Unfaithfully and Conflict.
About Miles Malleson Malleson was first and foremost “an actor of distinction, an artist of imagination and depth, whose best characterizations, especially in Shakespeare, were among the treasures of our theatre for many years…” Appearances in numerous old movies make his rubber face familiar, but it is thanks to the Mint that his gifts as a writer are now recognized. “What is extraordinary about Mr. Malleson,” The New York Times wrote when reviewing Yours Unfaithfully, “is his ability to create characters who are capable of feeling several things at once, or who don’t really know what they’re feeling at all”—making him the ideal writer to adapt a Chekhov short story.
g n. featurin s Malleso e il y M r y n b e Conflict, Shelton, H eck, Jessie Jeremy B erveris by Todd C to o h P . e k Clar
Building on the aforementioned critical success of Yours Unfaithfully, in 2018 Mint produced Malleson’s political love story, Conflict. “Both plays argue for Malleson as a playwright of insight and wit and cool compassion,” wrote The New York Times. “It is an immaculately well-made, comprehensively satisfying piece of theater, old-fashioned in style without feeling at all dated, and the Mint’s production, directed by Jenn Thompson and featuring an ensemble cast of supreme merit, is beyond praise,” raved The Wall Street Journal. aking him the ideal
Call 212.315.0231 to buy your tickets today!
Update: FPC Membership Privileges For the first time in eight years, Mint is introducing new pricing for First-Priority Club members. During the last eight years, actor salaries have increased by 70% and virtually all of our other costs have increased as well—it is time for us to respond. The good news is that you can still pay the same $38.50 early in the run—after that, you’ll get a 20% discount over regular price, while still avoiding annoying and costly service charges. You will also get the first crack at even cheaper seats. We’re now offering 10 seats per night for only $35. This price is available for specific seats, on the sides in the first two rows: A 1, 2, 13, 14, 15 & B 1, 2, 13, 14, 15. Of course, First Priority Club Members have the first chance to buy these seats. Here’s the breakdown by date for our next production, Chekhov/Tolstoy: Love Stories: Dates Regular Price FPC Discount
Jan 23 – Jan 31 $45 (+$3.50 service charge) $38.50 (no service charge)
Feb 1 – Feb 16 Feb 17 – March 14 $55 (+$4.50 service charge) $65 (+$4.50 service charge) $44 (no service charge) $52 (no service charge)
We hope our new pricing will encourage you to attend early in the run. We’re especially eager for our best friends (you) to come early and to help spread word of mouth, which is still the most meaningful way to reach other theatergoers. If our early dates don’t prove convenient, you’ll save 20% off our regular price. Of course, whenever you attend, we’ll be happy to see you. • • •
First Priority Members who contribute $1,500 or more are entitled to two free tickets per production. First Priority Members who contribute $750-$1,499 are entitled to purchase four tickets at the FPC price. If your annual contribution is less than $750, you are entitled to purchase two tickets at the FPC price. Additional tickets may be purchased at our regular price.
UPCOMING ENRICH
EVENTS
Director and Designers Jane Shaw, Jonathan Bank, and team Sat. January 25, after the matinee
“A Mere Painter of Pictures?” Miles Malleson’s Chekhov and Tolstoy Adaptations Maya Cantu Sun. January 26, after the matinee
In Conversation w/ Maude Meisel: Anton Chekhov & Leo Tolstoy Maude Meisel Sun. February 2nd, after the matinee
A peek into the design process with directors Jane Shaw, Jonathan Bank, and their creative team: Roger Hanna (Scenic), Oana Botez (Costumes), Matthew Richards (Lights), and Chris Fields (Props). This panel discussion will give you some insight into the collaborative process.
Mint Resident Dramaturge, Maya Cantu, will discuss Malleson’s adaptations, and his Political and religious affinities with Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolsoty. Dr. Cantu is an accomplished dramaturge, scholar, and teacher. She is an alumnus of the Yale School of Drama, where she recieved her MFA and DFA in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism.
Dr. Maude Meisel is a former Fulbright Scholar who holds a PhD from the Department of Slavic Languages at Columbia Unversity. She has taught courses in Russian, Humanities, and Drama at Columbia, Middleburry College, and SUNY Stony Brook. She is currently the < 3% Associate Director of the Challenge to Achievement program at Pace University.
Additional EnrichMint events will be added as they are arranged. Check our website for dates and details!
Dear Friends, We’ve been getting curious (worried?) calls from our friends wondering what’s next at the Mint…I’m sorry. I should have let you know that our plan was to be dark this fall, but to return in 2020 with three shows between January and July. Details for the winter show are inside, two short plays adapted by Miles Malleson from stories by Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy. Performances will begin on January 23rd. That may seem like a long time from now, but we also have a Further Reading event planned for October 28, when we’ll be offering a delightfully ardent comedy by Miles Malleson called Youth. Malleson is one of our favorite playwrights; he’s the author of Yours Unfaithfully and Conflict. We’re ready to take calls for your free tickets for our reading of Youth, and for seats to Chekhov/ Tolstoy: Love Stories. Ticket prices are changing for First Priority Club members, for the first time in eight years. Details are inside. Tickets early in the run will still be only $38.50, and after that, you’ll save 20% off of our regular prices. As always, you’ll pay no service charges as long as you call us directly at 212-315-0231. If you have any questions or concerns, we’ll be happy to hear from you. I hope you’ll be able to make the Further Reading; I look forward to seeing you. All the best,
FIRST PRIORITY CLUB NEWS ANNOUNCING! Chekhov/Tolstoy: Love Stories Adapted for the stage by Miles Malleson
Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd Street) Tickets on sale now! January 23 through March 14 Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri & Sat 7:30PM Sat & Sun 2:00PM Wed 2:00PM: 2/5, 2/19, 3/4, 3/11 No Eve perf: 2/5, 2/11, 2/18
Call the FPC Hotline at: Jonathan
212-315-0231
First Priority Club Hotline 212.315.0231
from your friends at Mint Theater
Happy Fall!
www.minttheater.org 212.315.0231 330 West 42nd Street Suite 1210 New York, NY 10036