Anton, Himself: First & Last

A Solo Play - Anton, Himself: First & Last

The 2nd most produced playwright in the world
finds you in his study
and confides in you

Your First act happens October 18, 1896, the day after Chekhov’s disastrous opening of The Seagull.
Your Last act happens January 16, 1904, the day before Chekhov’s triumphant & final opening - of The Cherry Orchard.

Both days are challenging in the extreme, but essential to him, and for us.

Production History

Anton, Himself (First) was commissioned and produced by the Actors Theatre of Louisville, published in Moscow Art Theatre, a monograph for ATL’s Russian Classics in Context Festival

Then it was exported by Artistic Director Oleg Yefremov to his Moscow Art Theatre, and to the Yalta Festival in Russia.

Next it was performed at Peoples Light & Theatre Company, Malvern PA, together with Masha, Too, which PLT had commissioned to accompany it, and then at the Chekhov Now Festival in New York, and the Vancouver Fringe Festival.

Anton, Himself (Last) was commissioned by and produced at  
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI to accompany Anton, Himself (First).

What Else They Say about Anton:

“Sunde opens the door for us upon that fascinating, tangled world of the writer in his most intimate moments of creating new work. ...what adds great richness to the underlying comedy is...that here (he) will turn his uncertain career around.”  
Roger Ellis, ed, Scenes and Monologs From The Best New Plays, Meriwether Publishing.  
“An evening in the mind of...Chekhov. ...beautifully sublime portrayal of a man”  
CFRO 102.7 FM Vancouver

“You don't have to like Chekhov to love Anton, Himself ...Sunde credibly takes us to 1896... A compelling performance... The audience loved this production.”  
The Fringe Review, Vancouver  
“Torn between his passion and his pragmatism...an intensely personal side of the author is revealed…a real treat.”  
Terminal City, Vancouver  
“With a voice both poetic and theatrical… (Sunde’s is) a distinctive, even unique, contemporary American drama, more akin to European than to other American plays. …she chooses personal canvases upon which to paint her funny, thrilling, searing, moving scenes. …

“While viewers need know nothing about Chekhov to enjoy (Anton, Himself), Sunde interlards the action with jokes...intriguing to knowledgeable viewers.

“In inquiring about our past, Sunde remarks upon our future. That she does so with a sure histrionic sense is a guarantee that her work will endure in the American theatre after our more commercial fare has proven ephemeral.”  
Contemporary Dramatists, London