Although he is better known for novels such as “The Duel” and plays like “The Seagull” and “The Cherry Orchard,” Russian playwright Anton Chekhov first drew critical attention for his theatrical comedies. Today through May 19, undergraduate students in Ohio State’s Department of Theatre will perform “Thirty-Three Swoons: Four-Farces by Chekhov” at the Mount Hall Studio Theatre, 1050 Carmack Road.

“Chekhov wrote 10 one-act plays in a variety of styles,” said Bruce Hermann, director of “Thirty-Three Swoons.” The students will perform four of these plays.

“Comedy brought him a lot of fame early in his career,” Hermann said. “These plays allow us to have an appreciation of Chekhov’s consummate creativity. They allow us to see the duality that develops later in his plays.”

Practice for “Thirty-Three Swoons” began after spring break. Hermann described the process of perfecting the comedies as “fun and compelling.”

“You feel a responsibility to Chekhov’s genius,” he said. “Doing farce requires a great deal of skill making these words come to life.”

Hermann has never directed Chekhov’s plays before, yet he is very happy with the way the farces have developed with his cast. This experience has made him want to do others.

Laura Gale, an actor in “The Marriage Proposal” and “The Wedding,” two of the farces, was pleased with the response the performance received earlier this week. The show opened Wednesday night to a sold-out crowd.

“It really went well,” she said. “I have felt good about this show for the past few weeks.”

The farces are somewhat improvisational, Gale said, and much to the delight of the actors, the audience was very responsive.

“The audience’s energy brought the show alive,” she said. “It’s a high-energy, fast-paced show. It’s very active for the performers and the audiences. You just can’t sit back in your seat.”

According to Hermann, this is the first experience that the students have had dealing with a Chekhovian play. Despite this naivety, Gale said the actors felt very prepared for the performance.

“The undergraduates are very excited and enthusiastic for (‘Thirty-Three Swoons’),” Gale said.

The remaining performances of “Thirty-Three Swoons: Four Farces by Chekhov” will be held today through Saturday, May 15 – May 19 and May 21 – May 25 at 8 p.m. There will also be a 2 p.m. performance Saturday as well as May 19th at the Mount Hall Studio Theatre Tickets are $12 for the general public, $9 for faculty, staff, Alumni and senior citizens, and $6.50 for students.