The Proposal and The Bear
by Anton Chekhov - translated by Stephen Mulrine

directed by Elaine Larkin

The Proposal – A nervous Ivan Lomov, dressed in all his finery, arrives in the home of Stepan Stepanovich Chubukov to seek permission to propose to his daughter, Natasha Stepanova. Permission is granted and all is well, until the moment comes for Lomov to propose to Natalya. Instead of a romantic proposal, Lomov somehow ignites a passionate argument over which of them owns the Oxen Meadows. Tempers soar and a simple proposal unravels in the most splendid fashion.

The Bear – All Popov wants is to be left in peace to continue mourning of her husband. All Smirnov wants is to recover the what he is owed and be on his way to pay his own impending debts. When neither will give an inch, all hell breaks loose. As the pair engage in a heated battle of wills, the dutiful Luca gets caught in the middle. Obviously, the only solution is a duel to death…