This collection includes plays that were shortlisted for the Laboratory for Young Playwrights' "Chekhov: Non-Fiction" competition, as well as those that were longlisted and recommended for publication by members of the Laboratory's expert council.

The All-Russian Theater Laboratory for Young Playwrights "Chekhov: Non-fiction" is a joint project of the Anton Chekhov State Literary and Memorial Museum-Reserve "Melikhovo"  in partnership with the International Chekhov Charity Foundation. The aim of this project is to bring together the efforts and resources of young playwrights, the museum, and the theater in order to create new dramatic works based on Chekhovian themes. The project seeks to explore Chekhov's era, his myth, and the life and legacy of his texts.