Download The School for Wives - Dallas Theater Center

5
Acts
32
ScENEs
893
rhyming couplets
by the
40
36
MoliÈre’s age
when he wrote
The School for Wives
plays written by
MoliÈre In his lifetime
numbers
4
plays by MoliÈre
produced by dtc
10
times MoliÈre's work
has been produced
by dtc
Stay Connected
9
Number of pies
thrown onstage
each night
In 17th century France, Molière wrote
The School for Wives (L’École des
Femmes), which appeared at the Palais
Royal as a Christmas novelty. It was the
first time he had taken up the pen since
marrying Armande, a French actress. It
is remarkable that, in his new comedy,
as in the one produced when his
passion for her was growing upon him,
he resorted to the ethics of marriage for
his materials.
The chief personage in the piece,
Arnolphe, a wealthy middle-aged roué,
has arrived at the conclusion—after a
wide experience of womankind—that
the best safeguard of a wife’s honor is
extreme ignorance; that if she is not to
befool her husband she must be a fool
herself. No girl should know anything
except how to sew, pray, spin and love
the man to whom she is pledged.
Arnolphe returns home after a ten-day
absence. He has recently renamed
himself “Monsieur de la Souche”. His
friend Chrysalde has a few opposing
opinions to share with him, his
thoughts on Arnolphe's new name
being one of them. He also warns him
about the faultiness of his longtime
plan of confining his ward, Agnès, to a
convent to “be raised in ignorance of
life” with the hope that someday she
may be his innocent and dutiful wife.
Arnolphe pays him no heed. Now that
Agnès is of marrying age, he moves
her into his house and plans to soon
wed her. Horace, the son of Arnolphe’s
dear friend Oronte, arrives at Arnolphe’s
house and confesses he has fallen
in love with a beautiful girl. She has
told him of how her master, Monsieur
de la Souche, keeps her hidden away
from the world. Not knowing about
Arnolphe’s new name, Horace confides
to him his plan to steal away Agnès.
Thus begins the game of scheming
by each man to hold onto Agnès despite
unexpected challenges.
by
Dallas Theater Center would like to recognize the generosity of our major corporate partners.
The Moody Foundation Neiman Marcus Pier 1® Target Southwest Securities, Inc.
Molière
translated into
Feb 20-Mar 29
k a l i ta h u m p h rey s t h eat er
English verse by Richard
Wilbur
directed by
the StudyGuide
Kevin Moriarty
2014
2015
Season
On
Molière
Arnolphe
Chrysalde
(chamblee ferguson)
l e f t: M o l i è r e a s A r n o l p h e f r o m S C H O O L F O R W I V E S .
t h e a t r i c a l c o s t u m e d r a w i n g b y E u s t a c h e L o r s a y.
Molière was born in Paris on January 15, 1662 and died on February 17, 1673.
At fourteen he went to the College de Claremont and later studied law at the University of
Orleans. But his life took a turn in 1643 when he started a theater company (Illustre Théâtre,
Illustrious Theatre Company) with brother and sister Joseph and Madeleine Bejart. The
company failed and Molière ended up in debtors’ prison. When he got out, the company spent
thirteen years touring the provinces.
Molière’s writing was very much influenced by commedia dell’arte but his style grew from
that influence. He is often relegated to the role of comic frivolous playwright, perhaps because
his plays thrive in their physical action and their snappy dialogue. But this interpretation
misses the level of biting social satire he brought to his work. He wrote about the flaws of
humanity, the humanity that he saw all around him, every day. He created characters filled
with extremes: misers, hypocrites, hypochondriacs, and misanthropes.
Political ties with
Molière/ Theater:
It is important not to see Molière as contesting the divine right
of kings (or its domestic corollary) itself. That is, he agrees that
husband/fathers should run their households like absolute monarchs,
just as he agrees that God has ordained that King Louis XIV is not
constitutionally restrained in his conduct of the affairs of France. His
point is rather that certain conditions must be met if these are to
be competent and responsible in the discharge of the duties for the
discharge of which they have been given exclusive authority.
The theory of divine right of kings holds that kings are appointed
by God to rule, and that they are solely accountable to God for the
discharge of their duties. They are not, in other words, authorized
to rule capriciously or unjustly. Errant kings (like miscreant popes)
can suffer grievously in purgatory or even be sent to hell. At the
same time, however, if they rule badly, their subjects have no right
of political rebellion to secure their removal. The only recourse for
neglected or abused subjects is to bear their misfortune patiently,
praying to God for relief.
In theatre history, there are few examples of upheaval in a nation’s
theatrical culture as sudden and pronounced as that which occurred
in revolutionary France. The coup de theatre for the Paris stage
came in the form of government legislation abolishing long-standing
royal supervision over the theatrical enterprise. When these laws
were enacted in January 1791, months of debate followed about
theatre regulation that involved issues of aesthetics, economics
and censorship and the institution of theatre with social, cultural,
educational and political importance.
Going
Off-Script
Often, people think that physical comedy—crude jokes,
pratfalls, and gross bodily functions—is a relatively modern
invention. But that’s actually a mistake. Physical comedy is
as old as comedy itself. From the ancient Greeks and Romans
to Vaudeville to Family Guy, people have been slipping on
banana peels and laughing about it for thousands of years.
This was especially true in Molière’s lifetime; he lived in the
age of Commedia dell’Arte, an Italian style of comedy based
on improvisation and intense physicality. These comedies
were not scripted—troupes of actors would choose certain
“scenarios,” or outlines of a story, and each actor would take
on one of about twenty stock characters to perform. Every stock
character had not only a specific mask and costume, but also
a specific physicality. Some of the characters were acrobats
or clowns, and performers would become well known for
their hilarious physical interpretations of a certain archetypal
character. None of commedia dell’arte’s scenarios or characters
were particularly deep or complex—one-dimensional stock
characters would get into zany misunderstandings about love,
sex, and money, and everyone would get what they rightly
deserved by the end of the show.
Molière himself was actually a renowned commedia performer,
but when he began writing his own plays, he deviated boldly
from the tradition of Italian comedy. His comedies were not
only scripted but, for possibly the first time in history, were
written entirely in rhyming verse. His stories were complex, his
characters three-dimensional and compelling. However, if you
look closely at The School for Wives, you will still find some
similarities between the works of Molière and the improvised
works of the commedia tradition.
( k i e r a n c o n n o l ly )
Also known as Monsieur de la
Souche, Arnolphe is a rich old
man who is infatuated with his
young ward, Agnès. He makes
every effort to keep her isolated
from the rest of the world so that
she will love only him, but his
plan backfires as she falls for the
young and handsome Horace.
Arnolphe’s close
friend, who advises
him against both his
name change and his
relationship with Agnès.
Agnès
Horace
(morgan lauré)
(daniel duque-estrada)
Arnolphe’s ward, Agnès
is sweet, innocent, and
apparently dim-witted, but
as the play progresses we
find that she is smarter
than she seems.
w h o ' s WHO
costume
renderings
by
jennifer
caprio
Alain & Georgette
(chris hury)
( L i Z M IKEL )
Oronte
(dennis raveneau)
Arnolphe’s
meddling servants.
Horace’s
father and
Arnolphe’s
dear friend.
Son of Arnolphe’s good
friend Oronte and lover
of Agnès. Not knowing that
Arnolphe has changed his
name, he confides in him
that he is in love with the
ward of Monsieur de
la Souche.
Angelique
(sally nyst u e n vahle )
Chrysalde’s
sister-in-law.
Who’s Who in Commedia dell’Arte
Molière’s The School for
Wives is separate from
Commedia dell’Arte, but
some characters in the
play share similarities with
some typical Commedia
stock characters. Take a
look, and as you watch
the show, see if you notice
some of these archetypes
in action.
Dottore
Pantalone
Innamorati
Columbina
This character has “spent
his whole life learning
everything without
understanding anything.”
He was usually shown as an
older man, incompetent in
his profession, but blinded
by ego and pride.
Usually portrayed as a
very old upper-class or
wealthy man. He is greedy
not only with money, but
with women, power, and
anything else he desires.
Sweet, innocent young
characters who are
infatuated with one another.
In traditional Commedia,
they were often the only
characters who did not
wear a mask.
A maid, and usually the
smartest character in the
show. She would often be
sassy or even flirtatious,
but she never lost her wits.
She would usually help the
Innamorati get together.
(translation: The Scholar)
(translation: The Pants)
(translation: The Lovers)
(translation: Little Dove)
On
Molière
Arnolphe
Chrysalde
(chamblee ferguson)
l e f t: M o l i è r e a s A r n o l p h e f r o m S C H O O L F O R W I V E S .
t h e a t r i c a l c o s t u m e d r a w i n g b y E u s t a c h e L o r s a y.
Molière was born in Paris on January 15, 1662 and died on February 17, 1673.
At fourteen he went to the College de Claremont and later studied law at the University of
Orleans. But his life took a turn in 1643 when he started a theater company (Illustre Théâtre,
Illustrious Theatre Company) with brother and sister Joseph and Madeleine Bejart. The
company failed and Molière ended up in debtors’ prison. When he got out, the company spent
thirteen years touring the provinces.
Molière’s writing was very much influenced by commedia dell’arte but his style grew from
that influence. He is often relegated to the role of comic frivolous playwright, perhaps because
his plays thrive in their physical action and their snappy dialogue. But this interpretation
misses the level of biting social satire he brought to his work. He wrote about the flaws of
humanity, the humanity that he saw all around him, every day. He created characters filled
with extremes: misers, hypocrites, hypochondriacs, and misanthropes.
Political ties with
Molière/ Theater:
It is important not to see Molière as contesting the divine right
of kings (or its domestic corollary) itself. That is, he agrees that
husband/fathers should run their households like absolute monarchs,
just as he agrees that God has ordained that King Louis XIV is not
constitutionally restrained in his conduct of the affairs of France. His
point is rather that certain conditions must be met if these are to
be competent and responsible in the discharge of the duties for the
discharge of which they have been given exclusive authority.
The theory of divine right of kings holds that kings are appointed
by God to rule, and that they are solely accountable to God for the
discharge of their duties. They are not, in other words, authorized
to rule capriciously or unjustly. Errant kings (like miscreant popes)
can suffer grievously in purgatory or even be sent to hell. At the
same time, however, if they rule badly, their subjects have no right
of political rebellion to secure their removal. The only recourse for
neglected or abused subjects is to bear their misfortune patiently,
praying to God for relief.
In theatre history, there are few examples of upheaval in a nation’s
theatrical culture as sudden and pronounced as that which occurred
in revolutionary France. The coup de theatre for the Paris stage
came in the form of government legislation abolishing long-standing
royal supervision over the theatrical enterprise. When these laws
were enacted in January 1791, months of debate followed about
theatre regulation that involved issues of aesthetics, economics
and censorship and the institution of theatre with social, cultural,
educational and political importance.
Going
Off-Script
Often, people think that physical comedy—crude jokes,
pratfalls, and gross bodily functions—is a relatively modern
invention. But that’s actually a mistake. Physical comedy is
as old as comedy itself. From the ancient Greeks and Romans
to Vaudeville to Family Guy, people have been slipping on
banana peels and laughing about it for thousands of years.
This was especially true in Molière’s lifetime; he lived in the
age of Commedia dell’Arte, an Italian style of comedy based
on improvisation and intense physicality. These comedies
were not scripted—troupes of actors would choose certain
“scenarios,” or outlines of a story, and each actor would take
on one of about twenty stock characters to perform. Every stock
character had not only a specific mask and costume, but also
a specific physicality. Some of the characters were acrobats
or clowns, and performers would become well known for
their hilarious physical interpretations of a certain archetypal
character. None of commedia dell’arte’s scenarios or characters
were particularly deep or complex—one-dimensional stock
characters would get into zany misunderstandings about love,
sex, and money, and everyone would get what they rightly
deserved by the end of the show.
Molière himself was actually a renowned commedia performer,
but when he began writing his own plays, he deviated boldly
from the tradition of Italian comedy. His comedies were not
only scripted but, for possibly the first time in history, were
written entirely in rhyming verse. His stories were complex, his
characters three-dimensional and compelling. However, if you
look closely at The School for Wives, you will still find some
similarities between the works of Molière and the improvised
works of the commedia tradition.
( k i e r a n c o n n o l ly )
Also known as Monsieur de la
Souche, Arnolphe is a rich old
man who is infatuated with his
young ward, Agnès. He makes
every effort to keep her isolated
from the rest of the world so that
she will love only him, but his
plan backfires as she falls for the
young and handsome Horace.
Arnolphe’s close
friend, who advises
him against both his
name change and his
relationship with Agnès.
Agnès
Horace
(morgan lauré)
(daniel duque-estrada)
Arnolphe’s ward, Agnès
is sweet, innocent, and
apparently dim-witted, but
as the play progresses we
find that she is smarter
than she seems.
w h o ' s WHO
costume
renderings
by
jennifer
caprio
Alain & Georgette
(chris hury)
( L i Z M IKEL )
Oronte
(dennis raveneau)
Arnolphe’s
meddling servants.
Horace’s
father and
Arnolphe’s
dear friend.
Son of Arnolphe’s good
friend Oronte and lover
of Agnès. Not knowing that
Arnolphe has changed his
name, he confides in him
that he is in love with the
ward of Monsieur de
la Souche.
Angelique
(sally nyst u e n vahle )
Chrysalde’s
sister-in-law.
Who’s Who in Commedia dell’Arte
Molière’s The School for
Wives is separate from
Commedia dell’Arte, but
some characters in the
play share similarities with
some typical Commedia
stock characters. Take a
look, and as you watch
the show, see if you notice
some of these archetypes
in action.
Dottore
Pantalone
Innamorati
Columbina
This character has “spent
his whole life learning
everything without
understanding anything.”
He was usually shown as an
older man, incompetent in
his profession, but blinded
by ego and pride.
Usually portrayed as a
very old upper-class or
wealthy man. He is greedy
not only with money, but
with women, power, and
anything else he desires.
Sweet, innocent young
characters who are
infatuated with one another.
In traditional Commedia,
they were often the only
characters who did not
wear a mask.
A maid, and usually the
smartest character in the
show. She would often be
sassy or even flirtatious,
but she never lost her wits.
She would usually help the
Innamorati get together.
(translation: The Scholar)
(translation: The Pants)
(translation: The Lovers)
(translation: Little Dove)
5
Acts
32
ScENEs
893
rhyming couplets
by the
40
36
MoliÈre’s age
when he wrote
The School for Wives
plays written by
MoliÈre In his lifetime
numbers
4
plays by MoliÈre
produced by dtc
10
times MoliÈre's work
has been produced
by dtc
Stay Connected
9
Number of pies
thrown onstage
each night
In 17th century France, Molière wrote
The School for Wives (L’École des
Femmes), which appeared at the Palais
Royal as a Christmas novelty. It was the
first time he had taken up the pen since
marrying Armande, a French actress. It
is remarkable that, in his new comedy,
as in the one produced when his
passion for her was growing upon him,
he resorted to the ethics of marriage for
his materials.
The chief personage in the piece,
Arnolphe, a wealthy middle-aged roué,
has arrived at the conclusion—after a
wide experience of womankind—that
the best safeguard of a wife’s honor is
extreme ignorance; that if she is not to
befool her husband she must be a fool
herself. No girl should know anything
except how to sew, pray, spin and love
the man to whom she is pledged.
Arnolphe returns home after a ten-day
absence. He has recently renamed
himself “Monsieur de la Souche”. His
friend Chrysalde has a few opposing
opinions to share with him, his
thoughts on Arnolphe's new name
being one of them. He also warns him
about the faultiness of his longtime
plan of confining his ward, Agnès, to a
convent to “be raised in ignorance of
life” with the hope that someday she
may be his innocent and dutiful wife.
Arnolphe pays him no heed. Now that
Agnès is of marrying age, he moves
her into his house and plans to soon
wed her. Horace, the son of Arnolphe’s
dear friend Oronte, arrives at Arnolphe’s
house and confesses he has fallen
in love with a beautiful girl. She has
told him of how her master, Monsieur
de la Souche, keeps her hidden away
from the world. Not knowing about
Arnolphe’s new name, Horace confides
to him his plan to steal away Agnès.
Thus begins the game of scheming
by each man to hold onto Agnès despite
unexpected challenges.
by
Dallas Theater Center would like to recognize the generosity of our major corporate partners.
The Moody Foundation Neiman Marcus Pier 1® Target Southwest Securities, Inc.
Molière
translated into
Feb 20-Mar 29
k a l i ta h u m p h rey s t h eat er
English verse by Richard
Wilbur
directed by
the StudyGuide
Kevin Moriarty
2014
2015
Season