Summerfolk

Summerfolk (Russian: Дачники, romanized: Dachniki) is a play by Maxim Gorky written in 1904[1] and first published in 1905 by Znaniye (1904 Znaniye Anthology, book Three), in Saint Petersburg.[2]

Full of characters who "...might have stepped out of a Chekhovian world",[3] it takes place in 1904—the same year that Anton Chekhov died. The play dramatises the Russian bourgeois social class and the changes occurring around them.[4] In Russia the play premiered on 10 November 1904 at the Komissarzhevskaya Theatre in Saint Petersburg.[2]

The British premiere of the play was given by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre in London on 27 August 1974. It was directed by David Jones, who introduced several of Gorky's plays to Britain.[5]

Nick Dear adapted the play for a production on London's Olivier stage, part of the Royal National Theatre, in 1999.[6]

  1. ^ "Maxim Gorky". Moonstruck Drama Bookstore. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  2. ^ a b Commentaries to Дачники. The Complete M. Gorky in 30 volumes, vol 6. // Собрание сочинений в тридцати томах: Государственное издательство художественной литературы; Москва; 1949 Том 6. Пьесы 1901-1906
  3. ^ Thomson, Helen (November 7, 2003). "Summerfolk Review". Melbourne: The Age Company Ltd. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  4. ^ "Guys & Dolls Media Release & Upcoming Shows" (PDF). Studio 58. January–February 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  5. ^ Gorky: Five Plays, Methuen 1994 ISBN 978-0-413-18110-7
  6. ^ "The Information: 'Summerfolk'". Newspaper Publishing PLC. Sep 7, 1999. Retrieved 2007-01-31. [dead link]