Uncle Vanya is the first of Chekhov's three great masterpieces. Set on a remote farm in Russia, it tells of two obsessive love affairs that lead nowhere, and a flirtation that brings disaster. Written towards the end of the 1890s, it casts a diamond-hard glance towards our century.

David Lan's new version of one of Chekhov's greatest plays, was commissioned for a co-production between the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Young Vic. Directed by Katie Mitchell, it premiered at the Young Vic, London, in March 1998, a century after its premiere.

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), Russian physician, dramatist and author, is considered to be one of the greatest writers of short stories and modern drama. Born in Taganrog, a port town near the Black Sea, he attended medical school at Moscow University. He began writing to supplement his income, writing short humorous sketches of contemporary Russian life. A successful literary careered followed, before his premature death of TB at the age of 44. He is best-remembered for his four dramatic masterpieces: The Seagull (1896), Uncle Vanya (1899), Three Sisters (1901) and The Cherry Orchard (1904).

David Lan was born in Cape Town, South Africa where he trained as an actor. He was writer-in-residence at the Royal Court Theatre from 1995 to 1997, and became Artistic Director of London's Young Vic in 2000, winning an Olivier Award for the 2004 Young Vic season. His stage works include Ion and Tobias and the Angel, for which he wrote the librettos, The Ends of the Earth, Desire, A Mouthful of Birds (with Caryl Churchill), Red Earth, Paradise and Bird Child, among many other plays and translations.