A few nights ago, I sat close enough to the great stage actor Bill Irwin to give him a dirty look he could have spotted with ease had his focus been on me. It wasn’t intentional, or even personal; I was just reacting to Mr. Irwin playing the arrogant, whiny professor Serebryakov, the most patently, comically loathsome of the complex and beautifully drawn characters in “Uncle Vanya,” in a production staged for only 40 attendees in a loft at Manhattan’s Flatiron District.

The performance of the Chekhov classic was one of 16 being presented through July 16 before audiences of that size ($20 tickets are available via digital lottery here) in the private space, which has been refurbished by an accomplished scenic designer, Walt Spangler. A long wooden table is the centerpiece of Mr. Spangler’s set, with a plush sofa positioned on one side and a piano surrounded by art and old photos on the other, adjacent to a modern kitchen that has been crammed with books and wine bottles.