Samira Wiley Will Star in Moliere in the Park's Staged Readings of One-Act Plays

Molière in the Park, in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance and LeFrak Center at Lakeside, proudly presents free staged readings of two one-act plays, Gaël Octavia's FAMILY, translated by Katharine Woff and Lucie Tiberghien, and Richard Wilbur's translation of Molière's THE IMAGINARY CUCKOLD, both directed by Lucie Tiberghien, on Thursday, December 9 at 7pm and Friday, December 10 at 7pm.

What happens when you pair a drama by a contemporary French-Caribbean woman known as Gaël Octavia with a farce by a 17th century man known as Molière?

A night at the theater in 17th century France often meant seeing two very different plays, back-to-back. Molière in the Park is leaning into this tradition with their pairing, even if both plays, in their own unexpected ways, wrestle with identity, truth, secrets, gender, sexuality and control.

In Gaël Octavia's fever dreamlike FAMILY, a trapped wife, a closeted queer husband, and their young children unravel under the weight of "maintaining the facade." What is the disease that spreads through us and our families when social conventions of any kind force us into hiding?

In Molière's farce, THE IMAGINARY CUCKOLD, a tiny innocuous event gives birth to a virus called paranoia that contaminates all the characters in the story like a formidable wildfire. Within no time, all have lost their mind and become "imaginary cuckolds."

The cast for both plays features Emmy and SAG Award winner Samira Wiley (Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale," Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black," Daphne's Dive at Signature Theater), Kaliswa Brewster (Showtime's "Billions," ABC's "Time After Time"), Lisa Gorlitsky (CBS's "FBI," NBC's "Law & Order") and Nate Miller (Junk at LCT, India Pale Ale at MTC). Additional cast members to be announced.

Produced by MIP Co-Founding Executive Producer Garth Belcon. Production Stage Manager is Madison Lane.

The free staged readings take place at the historical Picnic House in Prospect Park, behind Litchfield Villa (95 Prospect Park West between 4 and 5 St.). Running time is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, which includes a post-show discussion with the artists. Reserve at https://www.moliereinthepark.org.

Molière in the Park is an inclusive and anti-racist theater organization. Founded in 2018 by Lucie Tiberghien and Garth Belcon, MIP is the first company in Brooklyn solely dedicated to bringing free theater of the highest quality to the people of the borough, annually. MIP is driven by the conviction that neighborhoods with easy, regular and affordable access to theater are breeding grounds for thriving individuals, families and communities. MIP believes theater promotes health and hope. It encourages communal reflection and fosters empathy as a core value. It is one of the cornerstones of a well-functioning society. For info visit https://www.moliereinthepark.org, like MIP on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MoliereInThePark, follow on Twitter at @MoliereBKPark (https://twitter.com/MoliereBKPark) and on Instagram at @moliereinthepark (https://www.instagram.com/moliereinthepark).

A Brooklynite since 2001, Lucie Tiberghien (Molière in the Park's Founding Artistic Director) was raised in France and Switzerland. Specializing in new work, Lucie spent 15 years developing and directing new plays in New York City and all over the country. Bringing free theater and the works of Molière to Brooklyn was a longtime dream which she is thrilled has become a reality. In 2021, she was awarded the prestigious designation of chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres, by the French Government.

An Independent feature film writer and Producer, Theater Producer and Production Manager, Garth Belcon (Molière in the Park's co-founding Executive Producer) was raised in the Bronx but has called Brooklyn home for more than 15 years. His films include Whiteboys and Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop.

Born in Fort-de-France, Martinique, in 1977, Gaël Octavia has been living and working in Paris since 1995. Trained as a scientist, she is a self-taught jack-of-all-trades who writes novels, poetry, theatre, short stories, screenplays, paints and makes short fiction films. Her texts are marked by Martinique society, in which she grew up, while addressing universal themes such as migrants, family, identity and the female condition. Octavia's plays have been read and performed in France, the United States, the Caribbean, Reunion Island and Africa. Her first novel, La fin de Mame Baby (Gallimard) received the special mention of the jury of the 2017 Wepler Prize. Her latest publications are a play, Rhapsodie (Lansman Editeur), produced and directed by Abdon Fortuné Koumbha, and a novel, La bonne histoire de Madeleine Démétrius (Gallimard), both released in 2020.

Please be advised that Molière in the Park and Prospect Park Alliance are following all NYC mandates - everyone attending must be fully vaccinated. Proof of vaccination along with ID will be checked at the door. No one will be permitted without either one.

Photo Credit: Allie Holloway