October 16, 2009

Contact:   Bill Giduz

Orgon (Zach Byrd '10) tries to remain hidden as Tartuffe (Ian Bond '10) pursues his wife, Elmire  (Maret Seitz '10) around the table.

The Davidson College theatre department will present Tartuffe, the masterwork of 17th-century French comic playwright Moliere, on October 23-25 and October 30-31. Ann Marie Costa, chair of the theatre department, is directing a 1983 translation of the play by Christopher Hampton and setting it in modern-day Washington D.C.

Performances are Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m. All performances will be in the Duke Family Performance Hall of Knobloch Campus Center. General admission tickets are $15 for adults and $11 for seniors. For reservations, call 704-894-2135 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, or order online at www.davidson.edu/tickets. The play contains adult language and content and is recommended for ages 13 and up.

This biting satire about religion and hypocrisy is such a standard of French culture that it has become an idiom. Saying "I've been Tartuffed!" in French is an admission the wool has been pulled over your eyes.

As the play begins, the wealthy Orgon and his mother are being very effectively "Tartuffed" by the character Tartuffe, a man of self-proclaimed piety who promises to lead them down the road to salvation. Orgon's "trophy" second wife, Elmire, and his children are up in arms at the situation, recognizing Tartuffe as a scheming hypocrite.

(l-r) Valere (Cameron Parker Kemp '13), Dorine (Jenny Estill '10) and Mariane (Audrey Gyurgyik '12) are caught up in the madcap action of "Tartuffe."

Tartuffe influences Orgon not by telling lies, but by allowing him to use his power as the master of the household over everyone else. Tartuffe eventually leads Orgon into ceding him legal control of his wealth and house, and he is about to marry Orgon's daughter. The play ricochets through hilarious twists and turns as Elmire and the family try to trap Tartuffe into revealing his hypocrisy to Orgon before it's too late. At the very last minute, Elmire takes charge, the authorities intervene, Tartuffe is condemned to prison, and the drama ends well.

The cast features in the lead roles three experienced Davidson seniors who aspire to careers in professional theatre. All have played leading roles in several college productions, and have been featured in Charlotte-area acting company productions. Ian Bond '10 plays Tartuffe, Zack Byrd '10 plays Orgon, and Maret Seitz '10 plays Orgon's wife, Elmire. Director Costa said this trio brings a professional level quality of comic acting to the play.

Other players in the cast are Matt Baum '10, Amy Beeston '10, Austin Bell '10, Julie Brylawski '11, Andrew Dugan '13, Jenny Estill '10, Audrey Gyrugyik '12, Cameron Kemp '13, Lori Pitts '12, and George Pond '10.

Costa sets the play in contemporary Washington, D.C., because of the city's wealth, the many references in the play to government, and the idea that politicians-like Tartuffe-may or may not be telling the truth! The physical set is a house of steel and glass, emphasizing the ability of outsiders to see the hypocrisy of the players as the plot unfolds. Costa has also created two dance scenes to illuminate Orgon's alienation from his family, and the conclusion of the play features a thrilling scene of fog, flying figures and helicopters. Costa said, "It's a dark comedy with an incredible amount of hypocritical moments and a tremendous amount of humor. It should be a very nice night at the theatre!"

All is woe when the authorities show up to secure Tartuffe's prize -- the keys to Orgon's house -- and toss the family into the street.

Bond, who plays Tartuffe, said Costa's production provides him with a complex characterization that provides plenty of acting challenges. "Rather than presenting him strictly as a crook or swindler, we are depicting Tartuffe as truly trying to be devout and religious," Bond said. "But he can't escape his base desire for wealth, power and sex. At the same time he's trying to be good and moral, he's wrestling with his human side. That's how people really are, so it's an exciting role to play."

Elmire is an especially interesting role for leading lady Maret Seitz, because she played exactly the same role in a more traditional high school production of the show five years ago. "I'm excited that this production emphasizes Elmire as a multi-faceted character," Seitz said. "She can be seductive, but ultimately takes charge and exercises authority over the situation. She's a very feminine character, but has a strong backbone. I know from personal experience as a petite blonde that women like me aren't always taken seriously, so it's very nice to play an authority figure even though I'm not the tallest person on the stage."

Seitz noted that the play should be relevant to audiences today even though it was written 350 years ago. She said, "The idea of seeing people for who they are, rather than who we would like them to be, is a major point of the play. People can be easily seduced unless they're aware of what's happening and avoid it. That concept is as relevant today as in Moliere's era."

Seitz has also played leading roles in several college productions, and in the Davidson Community Players' production last summer of "Barefoot in the Park." She and Zack Byrd, who plays Orgon, were nominated for Metrolina Theatre Awards recently for their roles in the college's production last year of "Hamlet." Bond was in the Actor's Theatre of Charlotte 2008 production of "The Little Dog Laughed."

Moliere's original version of the play in 1664 sparked conflict in the Catholic community, and the Archbishop of Paris issued an edict threatening excommunication for anyone who watched, performed in, or read it. It took five years and a rewrite before it was finally performed in 1669.

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,800 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.

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