These two shorts plays follow the successful season of Cole for SoACT, which is returning to its Basement home with the double bill of Chekhov.

The Proposal and The Bear promise a display of light and entertaining comedy.

And in a departure from recent SoACT seasons these plays will be staged in a series of Sunday performances during August – billed as A Month of Sundays With Chekhov – at 3pm and 8pm from this weekend through to August 22.

“These plays are short, pithy and very funny” director Margaret Bannister said.

“Gentle humour is used to explore the pitfalls of human interaction, attraction, love and mutual misunderstanding.”

Margaret has assembled a cast of seasoned local performers to bring these delightful plays to life.

In The Proposal – featuring Trevor Dawson, Monique Phillips and Bill Turner – a farmer comes to ask for the hand of the daughter of his next door neighbour, but various distractions keep getting in his way.

The Bear features Michael Luckins, Liz Fletcher and Leigh Ladd.

Smirnov arrives at the home of a recently widowed woman to collect a debt incurred by her late husband.

When she is unable to pay him immediately an argument ensues which threatens to end in considerably more than tears.

Anton Chekhov is best known for his longer and more considered plays, notably The Seagull, The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya and The Three Sisters.

These earlier short plays are sure to delight in a program running no more than one-and-a-half hours.

A Month of Sundays with Chekhov will play in the SoACT Basement Theatre – at the rear of the Wagga Civic Theatre – for eight performances only. Bookings are available at the Civic Theatre booking office on 6926 9688 or online at www.civictheatre.com.au.