The great English writer G.B.Show wrote, that Chekhov's name shines as a star of the first value among the other European playwrights. Chekhov worked for the theatre much: a drama etude "Kalhas" ("Swan Song",1887), plays "Ivanov", "Leshy" ("The Wood-goblin", 1889, was altered later in the play "Uncle Vanya"), vaudevilles "About a Harm of Tobacco" (1886), "The Bear", (1880), "Proposal" (1888-89), "Anniversary" (1891-92), "The Seagull" (1896), "Uncle Vanya", "The three Sisters" (1901), "The Cherry orchard" (1903). Chekhov liked theatre all his life. The first theatrical impressions were given to him in the youth in his native town of Taganrog. At that time, by his brother Michail witness the first drama experiences were wrote: unremain vaudeville and play "Parentless" men was found and published in 1923 only.

The theatre and art environment of Moscow and st.Petersburg surrounded Chekhov with the beginning of literary activity. Among his acquaintances were musicians, artists, actors, directors, critics and writers. Sometimes Chekov represented himself as a theatrical reviewer. Many Chekhov's stories, feuilletons, articles and letters of 1880-ties were devoted to the theatre and the actors. The writer highly appreciated Russian realistic school. She was well familiar to the great tragic actress M.Ermolova, he made friends with the actors V.Davydov and P.Svobodin, V.Komissargevskaya and M.Savina among Moscow theatres. Chekhov preferred The Maly Theatre, among Petersburg-Alexandrinsky Theatre. Almost all his works, which devoted to the theatre, were full of respect to the actor culture and professionalism.

Chekhov's lager drama works of 1880-ties were not succession on the theatres scenic. The author was accused in "ignorance of conditions of the stage". Meanwhile already in the first plays "Ivanov" and "Leshy" the main art principles of Chekhov's theatre were outlined. Chekhov had refused to divide (traditional at that time) the characters into positive and negative ones. "I... have not created any villain or any angel,"- he wrote. The main conflict of the play Chekhov connects with the sincere world of the heroes, with their feelings and experience. The special emotional tone of Chekhov's plays his contemporaries called as "a mood". But it had appeared the difficult task to catch and to transfer it in to the stage. The "Seagull" was the he play with which Chekhov had great hopes. It failed on the stage of the Alexandrinsky theatre in 1896. Chekhov hardly suffered this failure. Therefore, when the founders of the Moscow Art Theatre Stanislavsky and Nemerovich-Danchenko asked his allowance for opening the second season of 1898-1899 with he play "Seagull" Chekhov had agreed not at once.

The Art Theatre appeared the best interpreter of Chekhov's drama. Anton Pavlovich attended the rehearsals. The producer and actors frequently asked him for the advice's. They created a harmonic ensemble, wick the main realised conception of the dramatist Chekhov. But he went to Yalta because of his illness and couldn't see the triumphal premiere of the "Seagull" on December 17, 1898. "Success is enormous, all of us are mad with happiness", - the participants of the performance wrote Chekhov in their telegram. The same success had another setting of the Art Theatre - "Uncle Vanya" (25 Oct., 1899) "The Art Theatre - are the best pages of that book, what will be ever written about modern Russian theatre", - Chekhov wrote to Nemerovich-Danchenko.

In April 1900, the Art Theatre arrived at Yalta on performances. Many figures of the Russian literature and arts, including Gorky, Bunin, Rachmaninov and others, were going here then. Their aquaintance with the Art Theatre and with Stanislavsky, as well as the meeting with Chekhov, left a bright trace in the Russian and world culture of 20th century. At the request of Stanislavsky and Nemerovich-Danchenko Chekhov right in Yalta started working at the plays "The Three sisters" and "The Cherry orchard".

Chekhov was connected with the Art Theatre also by the family ties: on 25th of May, 1901 he married the talented actress Olga Knipper, and besides late his nephew Mikhail, an ingenious actor and producer performed at the stage of the Art Theatre. Michail Chekhov is the author of the book "About engineering of the actor", and the founder of his own theatrical studio in America in 1940-50-ties.

In spite of a great success of the directors Stanislavsky and Nemerovich-Danchenko, Chekhov was not dully satisfied with their staging. The great producer Vsevolod Meirhold dreamed to create a new must more conditionals to MAT theatre. He was a pupil of Stanislavsky and got aquainted with Chekhov while rehearing "The Seagull" in which he played the role of Treplev. Meirhold considered Chekhov as his adherent person and later he used the dramatist' advice's in his work. In 1927 this great reformatory staged the performance "33 Faints", based on Chekhov's vaudevilles.

In the Soviet times the theatrical interpritations of Chekhov's works differed by a variety. The most noticeable settings are: "The Three sisters" of Nemerovich-Danchenko (1940), "Ivanov"of M.Knebel and B.Babochkin, "The Three sisters", "Uncle Vanya" of G.Tovstonogov, "The Seagull", "The Cherry orchard" of A.Efros, "The Seagull" and "The Three sisters" of O.Efremov. In 80-90th the interest to Chekhov's activities was grown, so new original interoperations by E.Nyakroshyus I.Rajkhel'gauzer, M.Rozovskij, K.Ginkas and others was made. Chekhov's theatrical festivals in Yalta (with 1985) and in Moscow (with 1995) became as a traditional. Chekhov made a great influence on the development of the Russian and world literature. His famous "The Seagull" became a symbol of the MAT and a part of the repertoir of the World Theatre alongside with other Chekhov's plays. The greatest writers of the Europe and America - B.Show, G.B.Pristly, S.Moem, T.Williams and others mentioned the great role of Chekhov in the world art. The play "The House where hearts are broken" by B.Shows (1919) Chekhov called as "an imagination in Russian manner on English themes".

On English scene the big interest to Chekhov's creative activity had appeared after the first World War. During the 20th century many famous directors, for example, L.Oluvie and P.Bruck performed his plays many times. In 60-70-ties the great interest to Chekhov's plays was at its high in France. During that " Chekhov's decade" G.L.Barro, Sasha Pitoev, J. Streller, G.Monne, G.Villar performed his plays. After the Second World War the Chekhov's plays had a long life at the scenes of the theatres of Germany and northern European countries. They were staged by such producers as: P.Shtain, Ralph Longbakka and others. Since the 50-ties Chekhov's plays were widely performed at the theatres of China, Korea, Japan. Today Chekhov is one of the most well known and influential European dramatists in the USA. T.Williams considered "The Seagull" as the ingenious play and dreamed to put it on the scene in his own interpretation.

Now Chekhov's House-Museum in Yalta has a great collection of materials about setting of Chekhov's plays on the scenes of Poland, Hungary, Germany, Finland. So any abonent of the "Internet" network can enlarge this collection by posters, programs photos. Each contribution will be accepted with gratitude.

S.Moem wrote in 1930-ties: "... the most elementary remarks on modern prose can't be donned without a mention of Russian influence, meaning, first of all, Chekhov's creative work". K.Monsfild called Chekhov his teacher. G.Golsworthy wrote about Chekhov's salutary influence on the English literature. About Chekhov's effect on the French literature spoke G.Vercor, A.Vursmer, R.Moriak, A.Trigole, T.Mann dedicated to the Russian writer and his role in the German literature of 20th century his essay "A Word about Chekhov". Many Chekhov's writings were staged for the cinema and television and also were put at musical theatre. The composers S.Rakhmaninov, A.Spendiarov, R.Shedrin, V.Gavrilin and others wrote music on Chekhov's themes.

There are 8 Chekhov's museums in the world nowadays.

• The House-Museum of Chekhov in Taganrog, opened on January in 1914. In 1935 it was transformed into a Chekhov's literary museum. Personal things and the library of the writer are represented here.

• Chekhov's House-Museum in Moscow. This branch of State Literary Museum opened in July 14, 1954 in the house N6 on Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya street. The writers lived here in 1886-90. P.Chaykovsky, I.Levitan, V.Nemerovich-Danchenko, V.Gelyarovsky visited him here.

• The Chekhov's Museum in Sumy (the Ukraine), opened on January 29, 1960 in former Lintvaryov's estate, where Chekhov's family spent the summer months in 1888-89. Here the eldest brother of Anton Chekhov Nikolay died in 1889 and was buried there.

• The Chekhov's Museum in Melichovo, opened on January 1941 in the village Melichovo, Chekhov's region, Moscow district, on the place of Chekhov's house where he lived in 1892-1899.

• The Chekhov's Museum on the island of Sakhalin in Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, opened in 1973 in the memory of Chekhov's staying there in 1890. In 1990, (a century after the writer's trip to Sakhalin), in Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky the " Museum of Chekhov's book "The Sakhalin Island" was opened.
• In 1985 in the Colombo City (Sri-Lanka) on Ceylon the Chekhov's Museum was opened by the employers of Moscow State Literary Museum. There in Sri-Lanka Chekhov spent a few days during his returning from Sakhalin in 1890.
• The Chekhov's House-Museum in Yalta ("Belaya Dacha"). It was opened in 1921 by the writer's sister Maria Chekhova. This house was constructed in 1898-99. The writer lived here in 1899-1904 and Gorky, Bunin, Kuprin, Shalyapin, Rakhmaninov visited him.
• Chekhov's Museum in Badenvailer (Germany) was opened in August 1998. Chekhov spent here the last month of his life and died here on July 15, 1904.

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