Auditions begin next Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. for the CSUB Theatre’s Winter term production of Molière’s “The Misanthrope”.
Molière’s darkly comic play focuses on Alceste, a man disgusted with the dishonesty and hypocrisy of the members of his social circle. Rather than engage in the insincere flattery and superficial small talk of his peers, Alceste is determined to always give his uncompromising, truthful opinion--even when it means hurting his friends’ feelings or getting sued for slander. His determination to prize honesty above all else is ultimately challenged, however, by his love for Celimene, the most hypocritical and false woman in town.
This production will transplant Molière’s battle between love and honesty to a time and place perhaps more accessible or familiar to contemporary audiences than Molière’s 17th century French court. While maintaining the plot and rhymed verse style of Molière’s original, our production will be set in the early 1990s at a trendy Hollywood café frequented by entertainment industry celebrities and their followers.
Roles are available for four to five men and the same number of women. Auditions are in the Doré Theatre.
All CSUB students are welcome to audition, regardless of major or previous theatre experience.
There are two ways to audition for roles in the production:
1. Come to auditions ready to present a short (less than 2 minute) memorized monologue from a play. The best choices for monologue material will be either from one of Molière’s plays or written in rhymed verse (or, preferably, both), though speeches from other plays are acceptable.
or
2. Copies of selected speeches will be made available at the audition. Arrive a few minutes early to look over and practice one of the speeches from the play, then perform it using the script.
“The Misanthrope” will be performed Feb. 28 - March 3 in the Doré Theatre.
Rehearsals will be held Monday through Thursday nights from 7 - 10 p.m. between Jan. 7, 2002 and Feb. 27. Rehearsal days and times might exceed these times in the week before the performances.
A copy of the script has been placed on reserve in the CSUB Library so interested students can read the script before auditions.
Students with questions about the play, the audition process, or the rehearsal and performance schedule are encourage to contact the director, Don LaPlant, at dlaplant@csub.edu, by phone at 664-2256, or during his office hours (MWF 2-3, TR 10-11) in Faculty Towers 204D.
Runner@csubak.edu