The Cherry Orchard: every role by lines, words, and stage time

Anton Chekhov, translated by Constance Garnett. 19 speaking roles, 13,486 words, about 96 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Lopahin has the most to say in The Cherry Orchard: about 305 lines and 2,595 words, 19.2% of the play. The Cherry Orchard follows a family that cannot bring itself to save its estate before it is sold. It is a true ensemble: Lopahin and Lyubov share the lead almost exactly, each with about a fifth of the words, and the six largest roles all speak in every act. Trofimov and Gaev follow with about a tenth each.

Speaking roles: 19
Scenes: 4
Words: 13,486
Speech time: 96 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Lopahin	305	2,595	19.2%	18.5	4
Lyubov	306	2,531	18.8%	18.1	4
Trofimov	184	1,542	11.4%	11.0	4
Gaev	171	1,346	10%	9.6	4
Varya	148	1,156	8.6%	8.3	4
Anya	123	943	7%	6.7	4
Pishtchik	91	771	5.7%	5.5	3
Epihodov	66	576	4.3%	4.1	4
Dunyasha	73	561	4.2%	4.0	4
Firs	65	515	3.8%	3.7	4
Yasha	66	498	3.7%	3.6	4
Charlotta	46	376	2.8%	2.7	4
Wayfarer	7	48	0.4%	0.3	1
Voice	1	7	0.1%	0.1	1
Varya’s Voice	2	6	0%	0.0	1
Voices from Larger Room	1	5	0%	0.0	1
Station Master	1	4	0%	0.0	1
Voice of Trofimov	2	4	0%	0.0	1
Voice of Anya	2	2	0%	0.0	1

Who speaks in which scene

Darker cells mean more words in that scene. Use it to plan rehearsal calls, or to see how long an actor waits between entrances.

Role	Act 1	Act 2	Act 3	Act 4
Lopahin
Lyubov
Trofimov
Gaev
Varya
Anya
Pishtchik
Epihodov
Dunyasha
Firs
Yasha
Charlotta

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Lopahin: “I have bought it! Wait a bit, ladies and gentl…”	Act 3	281	29
Trofimov: “Humanity progresses, perfecting its powers. Ev…”	Act 2	238	24
Lopahin: “No, what with the luggage and one thing and an…”	Act 1	206	21
Lyubov: “Oh, my sins! I’ve always thrown my money away …”	Act 2	203	21
Trofimov: “All Russia is our garden. The earth is great a…”	Act 2	185	19
Lyubov: “What truth? You see where the truth lies, but …”	Act 3	145	15
Lyubov: “That’s a telegram from Paris. I get one every …”	Act 3	144	15
Lopahin: “I want to tell you something very pleasant and…”	Act 1	139	14
Varya: “We must go to bed. I’m going. Something unplea…”	Act 1	130	13
Charlotta: “I haven’t a real passport of my own, and I don…”	Act 2	126	13

Small roles that can be doubled

These pairs of small roles never speak in the same scene, so one actor could play both. Check entrances and silent appearances in your script before you cast it this way.

Wayfarer and Voice
Wayfarer and Voices from Larger Room
Wayfarer and Station Master
Wayfarer and Voice of Trofimov
Wayfarer and Voice of Anya
Voice and Varya’s Voice
Voice and Voice of Trofimov
Voice and Voice of Anya
Varya’s Voice and Voices from Larger Room
Varya’s Voice and Station Master
Varya’s Voice and Voice of Trofimov
Varya’s Voice and Voice of Anya

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in The Cherry Orchard?

Lopahin, with about 305 lines and 2,595 words, 19.2% of everything spoken in the play. Lyubov is next, with about 306 lines (18.8%).

How long is The Cherry Orchard?

The full text has 13,486 spoken words, about 96 minutes at 140 words a minute before pauses, scene changes, and cuts. Most productions cut the text, so running times vary.

How many speaking roles are in The Cherry Orchard?

19 named roles speak in this edition, across 4 scenes. 7 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.