Three Sisters

Anton Chekhov wrote the play Three Sisters in 1900 as a commission for the now-famous Moscow Art Theatre (MAT). The production debuted there in 1901 and was directed by the MAT’s two founders, Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. It was the first play that Chekhov penned specifically for production at the MAT. Three Sisters uses the three titular characters—Olga, Masha, and Irina—to examine the decay of the Russian aristocracy. Raised and educated to become the elite in cosmopolitan Moscow but ultimately relegated to a provincial town in the countryside, the sisters struggle to renegotiate their purpose in life, searching for meaning as they remain perpetually at odds with their environment and constantly long to return to Moscow.

At first, Russian audiences were unsure what to make of the play’s style, which strikes a fine balance between realism and naturalism. However, as the play’s run continued, the story gained traction amongst audience members and critics alike. After World War I ended in 1918, the Moscow Art Theatre began to tour internationally, sharing Chekhov’s work around the globe. Although Chekhov died in 1904 at the age of 44, his work became the prime representation of Russia in the broader literary canon, and the playwright achieved a posthumous level of fame that he never achieved during his lifetime.