The School for Husbands
By Molière | Directed by Hannah Cordes
Co-Sponsored by Elaine & George Keyes

Brothers Sganarelle and Ariste are entrusted with the upbringing of two orphaned sisters in this fast and funny Molière adaptation. While Ariste lets his ward, Leonor, have total freedom, Sganarelle keeps his Isabella locked up in preparation for the marriage he is planning. Still, Isabella falls in love with Valere, a man she sees passing below her balcony. Through intrepid plotting, Isabella passes messages to her intended through the unwitting Sganarelle, even dressing up as her loose-behaving sister to trick Sganarelle into supporting her marriage to Valere.

Schedule

Thursday, July 18, 7:30 p.m. (Preview/Monmouth Night)
Friday, July 19, 7:30 p.m. (Opening Night)
Sunday, July 21, 1:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 25, 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 27, 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 27, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 31, 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 3, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 4, 7:00 p.m. (Post-Show Discussion to Follow)
Thursday, August 8, 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 10, 7:30 p.m. (Closing Night)

Production Team


Hannah Cordes
Director/Intimacy Consultant		 Jim Alexander
Set Designer		 Jennifer Fok
Lighting Designer

Michelle Handley
Costume Designer		 Melissa A. Nathan
Stage Manager		 Cameron Sarchi
Assistant Stage Manager

David Sommer
Assistant Stage Manager		 Llyn Thomas
Production Assistant		 Rew Tippin
Sound Designer

Cast


A.J. Baldwin
Leonor, Ergaste, Magistrate
Mark S. Cartier
Ariste
Will Harrell
Sganerelle

Robbie Harrison
Valere
Y’vonne Rose Smith
Isabella

From the Director
There’s truly nothing I love more than a play about trickery, tomfoolery, and clever women, and The School for Husbands, Moliere’s first full length play, has it all!

The play opens with two brothers whose approach to their relationship with the women they are to marry could not be more different. One believes in the power of choice and freedom, and the other preaches control and dominance with a painfully dogmatic air. I bet you can guess who won’t be getting the girl in the end! Trickery and, as Sganarelle puts it, “rascality” ensues as one of the women plots her way out of her impending marriage.

When I first read the script, I was surprised (and delighted!) by how unapologetically feminist it is. The inclusion of the word “school” in the title is no accident, this play is meant to instruct as much as entertain. A modern audience might not have the same need for the overt lessons prescribed in Moliere’s satirical romp, but the themes remain recognizable. At its heart, School is a play about control and the willful blindness of those so desperate to prove their own worldview that they miss the point entirely. On the flip side, School champions kindness, respect, and care and empowers its characters to make bold choices in pursuit of their own happiness. Perhaps most importantly, it provides us with an opportunity to laugh with each other while simultaneously reflecting on the absurdities of a world shaped by gender essentialism. In a moment when so much feels so scary, it is ever so satisfying to watch the villain play the fool.

So sit back, relax, and prepare to be schooled!