Welcome To The Dangers of Tobacco

A graduate of Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS), Aleksey Burago studied under the world famous theater director Pytor Fomenko. The New York Times has called his work “visually stunning…its simplicity is like a tiny, finely honed blade.” Aleksey has directed many productions to critical acclaim in Europe and America, including Beyond Recognition, a play about Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, which had a sold-out run at the prestigious Hermitage Theatre in 

St. Petersburg. His television production of Alexander Pushkin’s Queen of Spades (Moscow TV) was broadcast across the country and received rave reviews. 

In the early 90’s, Aleksey left Russia and emigrated to New York for a better life. He founded Theater 86, then known as Russian Arts Theater and Studio, hoping to share his love and knowledge of Russian literature and the rich traditions of theater training with American audiences. In the capital of the theater world, Aleksey has directed over sixty productions, among them On the Eve (Obie Nominee), Ah, My Dear Anderson (Time Out NY Critic’s Pick), Gamblers, The Overcoat, Crime and Punishment, Uncle Vanya, Dante’s Inferno, and Mozart and Salieri. His latest production of Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, Or, The Devil Comes to Moscow enjoyed four sold-out runs and was praised by Charles Isherwood of Wall Street Journal as “maliciously inventive…The performances are ripe, antic, and enjoyably over-the-top, in keeping with the spirit of Bulgakov’s book. It can be described in many ways—satiric, absurdist, fanciful, grotesque, bizarre—but subtle or realistic it definitely, and exuberantly, is not.” 

Aleksey is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Best Director Award at the Moscow Annual Festival of Classical Plays, Best Director Award at the St. Petersburg Comedy Festival, and the Best Show Award at the International United Solo Festival in NYC. Additionally, Aleksey's creation of Billy Bob Boils the Sea was selected to represent the United States at the 9th International Ordu Youth and Children’s Festival in Turkey. 

As a teacher, Aleksey has taught around the world, including Theatre Academy and Conservatory in St. Petersburg, GITIS Scandinavia in Denmark, Acting Without Acting Festival in Mexico, Theater Communications Laboratory in Japan, Bilkent University in Turkey, Manhattanville College, HB Studio and Fordham University in New York City. 

Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) was a Russian physician, short-story master, and playwright whose quiet humor exposed the absurdity, loneliness, and longing hidden beneath ordinary life. While caring for patients and supporting his family, he transformed modern drama with works including The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard.

In The Dangers of Tobacco, a supposedly instructive lecture becomes a hilariously painful confession. As the speaker strays further from tobacco and closer to the truth about his marriage and thwarted dreams, Chekhov turns comedy into something unexpectedly intimate—a small masterpiece about the danger of never saying what one truly means.

SOPRANO, ACTRESS, TEACHER

Dr. Elena Mindlina is an internationally acclaimed American soprano and actress whose career spans opera, chamber and concert music, musical theater, and drama. Known for her versatility, refined musicianship, and command of repertoire across five centuries and thirteen languages, she has appeared at New York’s Town Hall (Broadway’s Rising Stars), Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, 54 Below, the National Opera Center, and abroad. Her world-premiere recording for Toccata Classics earned a five-star review from BBC Music Magazine, and her story "What It Takes To Be An Artist In New York" was recently featured in Envoy Magazine.

Mindlina has performed leading roles in Theater 86 productions (Yama: The Hellhole, Viy, The Snow Queen), in operas (Eliogabalo, The Stone Guest, Boris Godunov), and has appeared in musicals Roberta (Off-Broadway) and South Pacific (UFOM), as well as in Scott Siegel’s Great American Songbook and Broadway’s Greatest Hits series at 54 Below.

In 2022, following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she collaborated with Aleksey Burago to create and premiere the Shostakovich's staged song cycle at CSUN ChamberFest, transforming chamber music into an act of protest and public witness.

A Doctor of Musical Arts, Mindlina is also a sought-after bel canto and diction specialist whose students perform internationally, appear at major festivals, and win competitions. 

In this production, Mindlina unites her dramatic presence, operatic voice, and violin artistry in Burago’s singular two-actor staging and is thrilled to reunite with Tom Schubert for their fourth production together.

Envoy Magazine Feature – "What It Takes to Be an Artist in NYC" by Elena Mindlina: https://envoymag.com/art/what-it-takes-to-be-an-artist-in-new-york-city/

YouTube Channel: youtube.com/c/ELENAMINDLINA

Tom Schubert is an acclaimed Brazilian-American actor whose international career spans theater, television, film, voiceover, and commercial work. Beginning in Sao Paulo, he performed in stage classics such as Shakespeare's Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, and appeared on popular national television shows including the teen series Sandy & Junior on Globo TV. 

In New York City for over twenty years, he has studied and further developed his acting skills under established award winning professionals of the Tony, Obie, Drama Desk and Screen Actors Guild Awards, like Austin Pendleton and Hellen Gallahger. 

His recent portrayal of Woland in Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita or the Devil Comes to Moscow  at Theater 86 has been critically praised by Charles Isherwood (The Wall Street Journal) and Sara Holdren (Vulture/New York Magazine). Other recent credits at Theater 86 include Evgene Schwartz's The Dragon (Lancelot), Alexander Dumas's The Three Musketeers (Athos/Louis XIII/Duke of Buckingham) and Dante Alighieri's Inferno (Dante). 

Passionate about Anton Chekov's stories, Tom's been in The Seagull (Trigorin) and Lady with a Lapdog (Gurov), also directed by Aleksey Burago, someone he has had the pleasure of collaborating with for nearly two decades. Thrilled to rejoin Elena Mindlina on stage in their fourth production at Theater 86, he’s excited about getting to sing with Mindlina, who’s also his singing coach. A magnetic multilingual performer with a resonant baritone, Schubert brings charisma,  precision, wit, and emotional danger to Ivan Ivanovich Nyukhin, Chekhov’s unraveling lecturer. www.tomschubert.com

It takes a village to build a show. It takes an even bigger village when it comes to creating indie theater! We are super grateful to everyone who made this project a reality. Thank you to the staff at 315 West 39th Street, West Park Presbyterian Church, Victoria Barksy, Maahi Bose, Michel Chahade, Olga Collins, Chico Colvard, Elizaveta Eremenko, Michael Gorbovitski, Dick Griffin, Sammy James Junior, Victor Jones, Marina Kovalyov, Andrei Kouznetsov,  John and Anne-Marie Kuzmich, Lisa Levina, Barbara Oaks, Valery Ponomarev, Danijela Popovich, Yanina Panchishina, Robyne Parrish, Mama Mira Segal, Vlada Von Shats at Russian Samovar, Julie Skarratt and Valery Yershov.