Chekhov is often internationally considered 'the Shakespeare of the twentieth century'. In his homeland, his plays have become part and parcel not only of the Russian theatre but also of the national lifestyle or psyche, an inexhaustible source of spiritual endurance. We take this so much for granted that we assume that it has always been so, but this is not an accurate view: Chekhov's climb to the stature of the author of The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard was long and difficult, while the process of creating Chekhov's theatre was even more laborious and painful.

In literal terms, the history of Chekhov in the Russian theatre dates back to autumn 1887, when his comedy, Ivanov, was premiered at the Korsh Theatre, a private theatre in Moscow. In the following decade, theatres in Moscow, St Petersburg and in the provinces produced almost everything the young Chekhov was energetically writing for the stage. Although this may seem a good beginning, this period in Chekhov's career as a playwright should more appropriately be seen as a prologue.