Widely considered one of the world's greatest writers, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born on January 29, 1860, in Taganrog, Russia. In 1879 he entered the University of Moscow to study medicine and graduated in 1884. He kept a strict writing schedule and continued to practice medicine for the rest of his life. In addition to his numerous short stories, many considered masterpieces of the form, Chekhov wrote over a dozen plays, among them the classics of Western dramatic literature UNCLE VANYA, THE CHERRY ORCHARD, THE THREE SISTERS, and THE SEAGULL.

Tom Donaghy is the author of the plays EDEN LANE, BOYS AND GIRLS, THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST, MINUTES FROM THE BLUE ROUTE, NORTHEAST LOCAL, and DOWN THE SHORE, among others. His work has been produced by some of the most prestigious theaters in the country, including Atlantic Theater Company, Playwrights Horizons, Lincoln Center Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Philadelphia Theater Company, and South Coast Repertory. The plays are archived on video at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center; available in acting editions through Dramatists Play Service; and published by Grove Press in a collection entitled, THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST AND OTHER PLAYS. Mr. Donaghy is the recipient of many honors, including play commissions from The Alliance Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Theater Club, South Coast Repertory, and WNYC Radio; as well as fellowship and production support from the Guggenheim Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, Theatre Communications Group, PEN American, and The MacDowell, Millay, Albee, and Berilla Kerr Foundations. As a filmmaker, Mr. Donaghy is represented by the short film The Dadshuttle.