Moliere’s ‘Learned Ladies’ speaks to, delights audiences
The Caine College of the Arts is putting on the production “Learned Ladies” at the Caine Lyric Theater. The show opened Tuesday night and will run through Saturday, starting at 7:30 p.m. each night with a matinee on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The story follows young Henriette, who is in love with Clitandre. They plan to wed, but this news divides the household, as Chrysale, Henriette’s father, approves of this union, but his wife, Philaminte, has arranged for someone else to marry Henriette.
Philaminte plans for Trissotin – a scholar who she and the other scholars of the house love – to marry Henriette. This upsets both Henriette and her father. Philaminte is most commonly known to be the head of the household, as is told when the maid, Martine, is fired because she has “bad grammar.” Chrysale and Philaminte go about to try to make sure Henriette marries their suitor of choice.
The play was written by Jean-Baptiste Poquelin under the stage name Moliere. It was originally written in French, but was later translated into English by Richard Wilbur, who translated it so the entire performance rhymed.
The production is done entirely by USU students. The director is Leslie Brott, and the stage manager is LuAnn Baker. While it was not put on as part of any specific class and not mandatory to perform in a production, all students in the bachelor of fine arts theatre performance program were required to audition.
While there are only 12 actors for the show, Brott said the production team was a fair amount larger.
“Shows don’t just happen,” Brott said. “For every actor you see on stage, you can be sure somewhere between 7-12 people worked on the production.”
The set features props and costumes from the time period in order to emphasize authenticity and attributes of certain characters, Brott said.
“My favorite part about working with everyone is the ensemble effort we all put it,” said Tori Benson, the actress who plays Martine. “There isn’t a lead in the show, really. We all have to work together to make sure it works and that the story makes sense. If we aren’t cooperating on stage and bringing our all, the show will fall flat. So it’s really nice to have that sense of teamwork and cooperation and see it pay off when the show goes on successfully.”
The show is the first of six productions the Caine College of the Arts is putting on for its 2013-14 theater season. The other shows will include “Still Life with Iris” and “Tarzan.”
Benson, who is also featured in “S
till Life with Iris,” said the college is looking forward to putting on the shows.
“Basically, a little girl loses her memories when she is taken to a new world and she desperately wants to figure out who she is again,” Benson said. “I play Annabel Lee, a pirate who befriends Iris and helps her find her way home. The play really has an ongoing theme of finding something you’ve lost or identifying who you are and what makes you that way and how to cope when everything seems cloudy and lonely. It’s a show geared for younger audiences, and it’s beautiful.”
All shows featured throughout the season are free for USU students with a valid student ID.