ABOUT THE PLAY

Tartuffe is one of the funniest, most enduring plays ever written. Although it was finished in 1664, it took five years before it actually made it to the stage. The play was suppressed by religious factions in Neoclassical France because of its biting satire of those who use Christianity as a weapon, or as a prop for individual gain. Finally, under the protection of Louis XIV, the play was given a production. It has delighted audiences for the past 330 years. Its messages and themes remain as true today as when it was written so long ago.

The play opens in the family dwelling owned by Orgon, who has fallen under the spell of a scheming, shameless confidence man named Tartuffe. Tartuffe, who was nothing more than a beggar when Orgon found him fervently praying in church, has insinuated himself into the household as a kind of spiritual guru to Orgon. He uses Orgon's sincere love of God to take control of the family, duping Orgon out of his money, dispossessing Orgon's son and rightful heir, while at the same time attempting to seduce all the female members of the household. The boldness of this mountebank climaxes when he attempts to...well, let's just say you have to see it to believe it.

We hope you will join us for this wildly comic celebration of humanity's folly.

One of the wonderful things about a play that has been around for hundreds of years is that it has left a critical trail over the centuries. Humanity responds differently to great art depending on what is going on in the civilization, what the prevailing social mores permit, and how thought is being shaped. The following commentaries on Tartuffe were compiled try Gretchen Wiegel.

17th century
"...a very dangerous play, which under the pretext of condemning hypocrisy or false piety, is all the more capable of harming religion. It allows all those who profess the deepest devotion to be indifferently accused and exposes them to the continual barbs and slander of the libertines..." Archbishop of Paris, 1667.

"Here is what obliges me to defend myself. It is to the truly devout that I want to justify myself in the course of my play. If comedy is used to correct human vices, I see no reason why there should be any exemptions." Moliere, Preface to Tartuffe, 1669.

18th century
"Today, quite a few people find this play, which was previously considered so scandalous, to be a moral lesson. One can boldly promote the discourse of Cleante, in which true and enlightened virtue is contrasted with the imbecilic devotion of Orgon. This discourse is...the strongest and the most eloquent sermon that we have in our language." Voltaire, 1739.

19th century
"Cultivated men and women who do not skim the cream of life, and are attached to the duties, yet escape the harsher blows, make acute and balanced observers. Moliere is their poet." George Meredith, An Essay on Comedy, 1877.

"Convinced that laughter has a special meaning and import, that the comic expresses, above all else, a special lack of adaptability to society, and that...there is nothing comic apart from man, we have made man and Terry Slane character generally our main objective." Henri Bergson, Laughter, 1884.

20th century
"To be flawlessly monstrous is, thank heaven, not easy." Richard Wilbur, Preface to his translation of Tartuffe, 1963

"Under the pretext that Moliere is a comic author and not a reformer, one pretends today that he wanted to satirize neither religion nor hypocrisy, and that he had no other ambition than writing a comedy." Antoine Adam, History of French Literature in the 17th Century, 1952.

And so the arc is complete. At first interpreted as "a dangerous play" by the prevailing religious hierarchy in Neoclassical France, a play that was suppressed by the body politic of the church for five years, Tartuffe is now a classic, finding a place in the canon of great dramatic literature. Let us hope and pray that in the future it does not return to its status as being dangerous, as being a slander perpetrated by libertines. If that happens, we can be assured that the "Tartuffes" of the world are once again using the cross as a scepter and a weapon, rather than a symbol of unselfish love.

----Thom Hofrichter, Director

TARTUFFE: A THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
by Dr. Richard C. Hutchison, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church

A great theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, once said, "There is an element of self-concern in every human enterprise; the important thing is to keep it well identified." He was right, I believe. But, of course, it is much easier to keep it identified in others than in ourselves. We are readily self-deceived by the subtle deceits that work within each of us, convincing us that our motives are altruistic when in fact they are quite self-serving.

There is, however, something much worse than our naivete about the purity of our motives: willful hypocrisy. Hypocrisy, says Webster, is "a feigning to be what one is not, the acting of a false part, especially one who pretends to be pious, virtuous, etc., without really being so."

Tartuffe is about hypocrisy. It is very funny because few things are more ludicrous than some fool whose pretenses have become transparent. We see through Tartuffe, and his pious posturings become more and more amusing. But funny as this play is, it is at the same time profoundly serious. Evil masquerading as good is, in fact, demonic. The devil is the greatest of deceivers.

I can think of no better place for a play about hypocrisy to be staged than in a church. Churches, after all, are where hypocrisy most often lurks, for pious disguises are everywhere at hand. So, when we are through laughing, let us also have a caution. In our Presbyterian Book of Order, we are told that the church is to be "a provisional demonstration of God's will for humanity." Our all too transparent hypocrisies negate our very reason for being. Let tonight's laughter be a prelude to tomorrow's resolve to do better!

ACTORS' BIOS

Bob Ahlersmeyer (A Police Officer) is a graduate of New Haven High School where he played Curly in Oklahoma, and David in David and Lisa. Recent credits include The Taming of the Shrew at Civic, and Li'l Abner at Center Stage.

Ranae Butler (Elmire) was last seen as Amanda in the Purdue-Indiana Theatre production of The Glass Menagerie. She received her M.F.A. in acting from Brandeis University and enjoys working on stage as much today as the day she began doing theatre. Ranae wishes to thank her husband and three children for their support.

Shaun S. Davis (Damis) is making his first appearance on the FPT stage. He recently appeared in The Taming of the Shrew at Civic, and as Action in West Side Story at The Embassy Theatre. Shaun studies communications and theatre at IPFW.

Alicia Dicks (Flipote) is making her Fort Wayne stage debut with this production. She wishes to thank FPT for the opportunity, and her family for their support of her in this venture.

Robert Haluska (Cleante) is happy to be part of a play that has been running for 300 years. Last season he played Eddie, the bartender, in Conversations With My Father. His favorite role is the one of husband and daddy in his offstage life.

Samantha Hills (Mariane) makes her FPT debut with Tartuffe. She last performed this summer in Civic's Fiddler on the Roof. Other local credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Gypsy and My Fair Lady. Samantha would like to thank her husband Kent, for his help and support.

Mary Hopkins (Dorine) has been seen in many FPT productions including The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Red Hot & Cole, and most recently, Conversations With My Father. She is also active in Chancel Choir and serves on the Drama Committee at First Presbyterian Church. She juggles these activities with her job at the Family Chiropractic Clinic where she works with her husband Gary. Together they manage their three marvelous children.

Nancy Kartholl (Madame Pernelle) is a familiar face to Fort Wayne theater-goers. Most recently she has played the title role in The Taming of the Shrew at Civic, and Anita in West Side Story in the joint production by PIT and The Fort Wayne Philharmonic. This marks her debut at FPT. She would like to thank her theater family for their love, comfort, and camaraderie.

Brian Alan Schilb (Valere) is a graduate of the University of Evansville. He was last seen on the FPT stage as Delmont in last season's Miss Firecracker Contest. Most recently he portrayed Petruchio in Civic's The Taming of the Shrew. He is employed as the controller at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites in downtown Fort Wayne.

Orion Toepfer (M. Loyal) is an optometrist in Wabash, IN. He has acted in most theatres in Fort Wayne and has appeared most recently at FPT as Zaretsky in Conversations With My Father.

Lawrence Van Vactor-Lee (Tartuffe) moved to Fort Wayne in January of this year. Active in the theatre community in Lafayette, this marks his Fort Wayne debut. Lawrence is a pastor serving Crescent Avenue United Methodist Church, and he vehemently insists that he was cast against type.

Richard VerWiebe (Orgon) is a United States Administrative Law Judge. He has been active in theater for almost 40 years, performing in dozens of plays, many at FPT. A few of them include The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, The Diviners, The Rivals and Ah, Wilderness. He can also be heard over the airwaves in his weekly WBNI-FM radio program, "The Best Seat in the House."

PRODUCTION STAFF BIOS

Thom Hofrichter (director/light designer) loves his job here at FPT. Thom has been on board since January of this year and so far has directed Conversations With My Father, Schoolhouse Rock Live!, and the congregational production of Our Town. The only hobby his unbelievably busy schedule permits is looking for a bargain home to buy. Any leads? Give him a call.

Ron Badour (scenic designer) assumed the role of technical manager at FPT in January of this year. Last year his designs could be seen on Later Life and Schoolhouse Rock Live! He met, courted, and married his wife, Virginia, in a theater in Flint, MI.

Virginia Badour (costume designer) is Ron's better half, and the two of them run Encore Productions, which will be producing a show in the FPT space during the Spring of 1998. Last spring she designed costumes for SHR Live! Currently, she is working on her B.A. at IPFW.

Terry Slane (wig designer) is the proprietor of Slane Design Associates. In the past he has worked on hair at FPT and is glad to be involved again.

Gretchen Wiegel (dramaturge) is a member of First Presbyterian Church. She is a Professor of French at Taylor University. A native of Fort Wayne, she has been on-stage in L 'Amante Anglaise and The House of Bernarda Alba. Her directing credits include: The Bald Soprano, l'Apollon de Bellac, and scenes from Le Misanthrope.

Abby Kozerski (stage manager) served as stage manager for FPT's musical last spring, Schoolhouse Rock Live! She graduated from Snider last May where she was active in the theater program both on-stage and off. Abby is currently a freshman at IPFW majoring in chemistry (and is quickly realizing how different that is from theater).

Jim Walker (program cover art) has long been an asset to the theater at First Presbyterian Church. Although you usually find him on-stage, this year you will witness one of his other talents: the program art for the season is being done by Jim.

Will Rudolph (assistant director) graduated from IPFW in May. Previously, he has assistant directed Tent Meeting and Chorus Line at IPFW. In March of this year he directed Thou, Meek Lover for the Indiana Voices series at the University. In the real world he deals with only inanimate objects as as network administrator for a local telephone technical support company.

TIME: 1669
PLACE: ORGON'S HOME IN FRANCE
RUNNING TIME IS APPROXIMATELY 2 HRS, 10 MINUTES.

Produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

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