Anton Chekhov's “The Seagull” was first performed in 1896. Its premiere took place on 17 October 1896 at the Alexandrinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The play had a famously disastrous first night. The audience reacted with hostility, and the actor Vera Komissarzhevskaya, playing Nina, was reportedly so intimidated that she lost her voice. Chekhov, who watched much of the performance from backstage, was deeply discouraged and told his publisher that he would stop writing plays.
The production's failure did not last. Later performances were received more favorably, and the play gained a far more influential second life through the Moscow Art Theatre production of 1898, associated with Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. That production helped establish “The Seagull” as one of Chekhov's four major plays, alongside “Uncle Vanya,” “Three Sisters,” and “The Cherry Orchard.” A common mix-up is 1898: that year marks the celebrated Moscow Art Theatre production, not the play's first performance.