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More than 25 students from Columbia's School of the Arts (SoA) have teamed up with the off-Broadway theatre company Classic Stage Company for the Molière Cycle , a rare repertory of three of French playwright Molière's greatest comedies: Scapin, The Misanthrope and Tartuffe .
Scapin tells the story of two young men foiled in pursuit of their love lives when their respective fathers arrive determined to marry them off, but not to the women with whom they are in love. The play is directed by Romanian director Niky Wolcz, who teaches acting at SoA. Wolcz's wife, Ulla, an SoA lecturer of acting, is the acting coach for Scapin.
The Misanthrope deals with sincerity, social rules and romantic love. It is staged by director Michael Sexton, artistic director of The Shakespeare Society, which presents programs that combine stage performances with commentary by noted Shakespearean writers, scholars, and directors.
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| SoA students perform in Scapin at the Classic Stage Company. |
Tartuffe is Molière's classic tale of a family fooled by a religious zealot whose true desires are for more immediate earthly pleasures. Tartuffe is directed by Classic Stage Company's Artistic Director Brian Kulick, who also teaches directing at SoA.
The limited engagement off-Broadway productions include 17 SoA actors, most of whom are appearing in more than one full-length play. The productions serve as their MFA thesis. Columbia students also serve as house manager, company manager, stage managers and crew.
Besides performing in the repertory, these SoA actors are participating in an educational outreach program at six high schools in New York City, including HS 680 Heritage in East Harlem. The actors are conducting six workshops at each school. The students also are attending a performance and engaging in a post-performance Q &A session with the actors.
"This will enable the high school students to have the opportunity to see their teaching mentors on stage, thereby encouraging young artists to inspire young audiences," says Jessica Jenen, executive director of Classic Stage Company.
The ability for students to perform in a live production such as this is one of the hallmarks of Columbia's School of the Arts. The heart of the School's philosophy is artists teaching artists. That goal is realized through talented students and dedicated faculty members with professional artistic achievements deeply rooted in New York City as well as around the world.
The Molière Cycle currently is running at Classic Stage Company, 136 E. 13 th Street, through Jan. 15.
For a complete list of performances, please visit http://www.columbiastages.com/moliere.html . Tickets are $20 for each play; $10 for students/seniors and can be purchased through Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or http://www.ticketcentral.com/ . |
