Ghosteater, Phoenix’s contemporary theater ensemble, presents a new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” set amongst a modern-day Arizona farming family.

The first-of-its-kind show in Phoenix will run for two weeks, between June 13 and 28, at the Roma & Raymond Wittcoff Black Box at Arizona Opera, 1636 N. Central Ave.

This reimagined “Uncle Vanya” transports Chekhov’s exploration of longing, disillusionment, and connection to the land to an Arizona farm, offering fresh relevance and resonance, a theater press release explains.

“Setting ‘Uncle Vanya’ in 21st‑century Arizona brings the play’s enduring questions about longing, purpose, family, and our relationship with the land into stark focus,” director and adapter Matthew Watkins stated. “By transplanting it from its Russian origins to the present‑day American Southwest, we challenge ourselves to reconsider how we live, love, and care for the world today.”

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. on June 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, and 28. Tickets are $30 for general admission, $15 for students, and $22 for Arizona-based artists.

A special pay-what-you-can performance takes place Wednesday, June 25. Live interpretation in American Sign Language will be offered at the Friday, June 27 performance.

Tickets are available at ghosteater.org. Free parking is available at Arizona Opera and on nearby streets, and the venue is wheelchair accessible.

Russian playwright Anton Chekhov published “Uncle Vanya” in 1899 and it remains one of his greatest masterpieces. The play centers on a rural family who have spent decades sacrificing their own needs to support a once-promising brother-in-law’s academic and artistic ambitions. When they realize how little he has truly accomplished — and learn he plans to sell the family farm to cover his debts — a crisis erupts that threatens to tear the family apart.

Ghosteater was founded in 2020 and has produced several productions in the Valley, including last summer’s sold-out run of Duncan Macmillan’s award-winning play “Lungs” at ASU MIX Center.

Aurora Howard as Sonia, left, Katrina Donaldson as Elena, and the cast of “Uncle Vanya” will open their run in Phoenix on June 13.

(Photo by Joya Scott, provided by Ghosteater)