Molière, the 18th century French playwright, was a master at writing farce and satire. Filled with witty language and outrageous physical comedy, his plays ridiculed the aristocracy, the bourgeoisie, and attacked the hypocrisy of the French church and justice system. We’ll read aloud two Molière plays in hilarious rhymed verse translations by Richard Wilbur. Those readings will be followed by a play of the 19th century English satirist Oscar Wilde. Then we’ll read two contemporary comedies, one by the Italian political theatre creator Dario Fo, and one by the award winner, Tina Howe. Each of these playwrights was influenced by Molière’s brilliant dramatic style.

Format: Each class will be spent reading aloud half a play and discussing scenes. No class presentations will be required. Outside of class, participants will be expected to read the play and assigned articles or reviews of past theatre productions. Class discussions will focus on the play’s style, action, characterization, language, and contemporary parallels to each play.

Resources/Expenses: The plays will need to be purchased individually, and can be found used from Better World Books.com, Alibris.com, Abebooks.com and Thriftbooks.com. The total cost of the five plays should be about $30. Each of the plays is also available from a local branch of the public library.