McDaniel College Theatre Arts to Present THE SCHOOL FOR WIVES, 4/13-16

McDaniel College theatre arts students perform Moliere's classic comedy "The School for Wives" adapted to be set in the 1950s. The production is directed by Richard Sautter, adjunct instructor in theatre arts at McDaniel. Performances are Wednesday, April 13 - Saturday, April 16, 7:30 p.m., in WMC Alumni Hall at McDaniel College, 2 College Hill, Westminster, Md.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students, seniors (over 60), active military members and veterans, as well as those with a McDaniel College ID. For ticket information, call 410-857-2448.

Written in 1662, "The School for Wives" combines incisive observations about love, lust and marriage with a wealth of physical comedy. The play details the trials and tribulations of Arnolphe, who believes he has constructed a shrewdly perfect plan to win a much younger woman to be his bride.

According to Sautter, one of the interpretive choices the theatre arts department made is to set the production in the 1950s-the last decade where American society as a whole seemed to accept the notion that women should be content with being forced into social positions that made them subservient to men.

"I was thrilled to learn that the department had chosen 'The School for Wives' to be part of the season because it has been one of my favorite plays for years," Sautter said. "Moliere was a master of comedy. Here he combines exaggerated situations and clever dialogue to create a comedy that is funny on the page but also derives much of its humor from the crazy antics that the characters find themselves hurled into.

"To a large degree, it is a play about gender roles and the absurdity of trying to keep half of humanity - that is, women - in 'their place.'"

Students in the cast are sophomores Bryan Bowen of North Beach, Md., as Arnolphe; Torreke Evans of Atlanta, as Alain; Jessica Preactor of Reisterstown, Md., as Georgette; Brandon Richards of Huntingtown, Md., as Horace; Megan Smith of Federalsburg, Md., as Agnes; and Alexandra Tolle of Woodstock, Md., as Chrysalde.

The cast also includes juniors Wesley Brown of Potts Camp, Miss., and Jehan Silva of Gaithersburg, Md., and freshman Jennifer Willard of North Potomac, Md.

Visit www.mcdaniel.edu/theatre for more information about McDaniel College and the theatre arts department.

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