“A Tragedian in Spite of Himself” (1889) In the play, Ivan Ivanovitch Tolkachov asks to borrow a revolver from his friend, Alexey Alexeyevitch Murashkin. Murashkin inquires to the reason, and Tolkachov complains bitterly about the bad events in his life. Murashkin expresses his sympathy, and then asks Tolkachov to take a sewing machine and a caged canary to Olga Pavlovna, a mutual acquaintance. On hearing Murashkin's request, Tolkachov snaps and begins chasing Murashkin around the room, screaming that he wants blood.

“The Anniversary" (1891) In this funny one-act play, Anton Chekhov takes on the corporate world. The play is named after the 15th anniversary of a bank, during a celebration when everything seems to go wrong, from the annoying young wife of the chairman of the board to an intrusive woman who demands that the bank make good for a claim she made on the War Department to the snapping of the patience of the bank clerk who is preparing the chairman's speech. The Anniversary is similar in its effect to The Wedding, another one act classic.

American Theatre of Actors, Inc. (ATA) was founded in 1976 by James Jennings to promote the development of new playwrights, directors and actors, and to provide them a creative atmosphere in which to work. The plays are dramas, comedies, and hybrids, dealing with the social and ethical problems of contemporary society.

12,000 actors have worked at ATA including Dennis Quaid, Bruce Willis, Dan Lauria, Chazz Palminteri, Danny Aielo, David Morse, Edie Falco and Kathryn Hahn. Our productions are sometimes grouped as 'festivals,' such as a Playwrights Festival or a Directors Festival. In 2016 we began an initiative to feature women in theatre as directors and playwrights, today this is our WIT! (Women in Theatre) program.

**HEALTH & SAFETY at the ATA:
Late seating may be problematic.

ADA Access: Call 24 hours in advance for all wheelchair access. Please have an assistant if you are in a manual wheelchair to get over the front entryway steps. Electric wheelchairs must use our 53rd street entrance and we need to plan ahead with you. Call 212-581-3044 or 917-773-2933. Only 1 wheelchair spot is available per performance.

Masks in the theatre are optional until further notice.
If you are feeling unwell or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, have been exposed to anyone within 14 days of your visit, or have been instructed to self-isolate, we ask that you stay home and contact the ticket site (or producer of the show) to discuss a ticket refund or exchange.
Ticket purchasers are responsible for informing and providing this information if they are providing the ticket for a guest. Anyone that does not abide by our protocols may be denied entry to our facility.

We recognize that public health guidelines may change and therefore our policies are also subject to change without notice. If you test COVID positive within a week of being in our facility, you may have exposed others. Please call us as a tracing contact: 212-581-3044.