Covenant College Theatre Department Presents Tartuffe

Exploring Hypocrisy Versus True Religious Devotion Through Molière’s Classic Comedy

  • Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Covenant College Theatre Department presents Tartuffe Nov. 15-23
Covenant College Theatre Department presents Tartuffe Nov. 15-23

This November, the Covenant College Theatre Department presents Tartuffe, French playwright Molière’s famous comedy, translated by Donald M. Frame.

Review for Tartuffe:

The play relates the story of Orgon, who naively takes a pilgrim named Tartuffe into his home. Deceiving Orgon through an upright and religious front, the sensual and greedy Tartuffe gains so much respect that Orgon soon relies on Tartuffe’s advice for every decision he must make. The reasonable Cleante, Orgon’s wife Elmire, and Dorine the maid remain free from Tartuffe’s deception, and must slyly reveal his true character to Orgon before time runs out. 

Tartuffe debuted on May 12, 1664 at the Palace of Versailles before French King Louis XIV. Later adaptations of Tartuffe came to be banned, as the court accused Molière of heresy due to the play’s content. While Molière worked diligently for his play to be published under a new name, the original ban was lifted two years later, and Tartuffe has been a wild success ever since.

Camille Hallstrom, director of Tartuffe, said that Molière most likely wrote the main character, Orgon, for himself. “Cleante, the moderate raisonneur, is the character we are supposed to listen to,” she said in a statement. While she hopes it will be a hilarious show, Hallstrom called Tartuffe “a justly famous play, and a good choice for a Christian college. We need to think about what constitutes genuine devotion to God and what is hypocrisy.”

Tartuffe will be performed in Sanderson Hall Auditorium at Covenant College, 14049 Scenic Hwy. on Lookout Mountain Nov. 15 at 8 p.m., Nov. 16 at 8 p.m., Nov. 22 at 8 p.m., and Nov. 23 at 2:30 p.m. Following the matinee performance on Nov. 23, a 30-minute Tartuffe discussion panel will be held including faculty members Dr. Jiewon Baek of French, Dr. Bill Tate of English, and Director Camille Hallstrom of theatre.

Tickets can be purchased at the door while seating is available. The show is $10 for adults and $7 for seniors, students, and Covenant employees. To purchase tickets, visit covenant.edu/theatre or contact the box office by phone at (706) 419-1051 or email at  boxoffice@covenant.edu.


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