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CORVALLIS - Oregon State University will stage a pair of one-act plays by Anton Chekhov - in Russian - on Saturday, April 27, at the Withycombe Hall Lab Theater. The performance begins at 5 p.m. and costs $2 (children admitted free).

The casts are comprised primarily of Russian-speaking OSU students, along with one high school student and one OSU staff member.

Vreneli Farber, an associate professor of Russian in the OSU Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, will direct both "The Proposal" and "The Anniversary." She has directed a Russian play at OSU every year since 1996 except for last year, when she was on sabbatical in St. Petersburg, Russia.

"The casts have mostly consisted of students from Russia and former Soviet republics who are attending OSU," she said. "We've had a lot of fun putting on classics, from Gogol's 'Marriage' to Erdman's 'The Warrant.' This is the first time we've tackled Chekhov, and these two-one act plays are short and very funny - even farcical."

In "The Proposal," landowner Ivan Vasilevich Lomov (portrayed by George Gvakharia) - who is forever worrying about his health - goes to visit his neighbor, Chubukov (Yaroslav Bulatov), to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. Before Lomov can pop the question to Natalya (Irena Kojin), however, they get into a fierce argument and hurl insults back and forth.

Her father, Chubukov, joins the insult-fest and the whole idea of marriage looks like it's on the rocks - especially since the bickering is triggering new episodes of ill health for Lomov.

"The Anniversary" is about the 15th anniversary of a bank and the efforts of a bookkeeper named Khirin (Stepan Karabinyosh) to finish a report for chairman Shipuchin (Jonathan Nukpezah) before the visiting shareholders arrive. But before Khirin can complete the report, he must deal with the exasperating Shipuchin; the chairman's wife, Tatyana (Aleksandra Avakova); and a confused old woman, Merchutkina (Svetlana Erofeeva).

"We have a great time putting on these plays," Farber said. "They're fun for the students, and they have drawn Russian-speaking visitors from Woodburn, Silverton and other locations around the valley to the OSU campus."

The Withycombe Hall Theater is located at 30th Street and Campus Way in Corvallis.