THE ALLEY THEATRE
www.alleytheatre.org
Gregory Boyd, Artistic Director
PRESENTS
THE MISER
April 7 - April 30th, 2006
Alley Theatre's Hubbard Stage
17th century's French Dramatist Moliere's THE MISER (1668) is one of the greatest farces in classic dramatic literature. Moliere uses sharp wit and biting satire to draw audiences into the world of Harpagon, a ruthless, self-absorbed patriarch, perfectly willing to sacrifice his children for greed. THE MISER is Directed by Dominique Serrand and runs at the Alley Theatre's Hubbard Stage through April 30th, 2006. For ticket information, visit www.alleytheatre.org. Photo courtesy of The Alley Theatre.
Two Companies Come Together with the Alley Theatre Production of Moliere's
THE MISER
HOUSTON, TEXAS… The Alley Theatre produces the well-known French comedy THE MISER with the help of innovative Minneapolis theatre troupe Theatre de la Jeune Lune, winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Featuring company members from the Theatre de la Jeune Lune, and members of the Alley Theatre Resident Company, THE MISER brings together two theatre companies for this unique artistic collaboration. This version of the Moliere classic is adapted by David Ball and directed by Theatre de la Jeune Lune founder Dominique Serrand. THE MISER runs through Sunday April 30th, 2006. Please note: This play contains adult language and content.
THE MISER is sponsored by Sterling Bank and Fulbright & Jaworski LLP. Additional support is provided by the Alley Theatre's 2005 - 2006 season sponsor Continental Airlines, the official airline of the Alley Theatre.
One of the greatest farces in classic dramatic literature, Moliere's THE MISER uses sharp wit and biting satire to draw audiences into the world of the tyrannical Harpagon, a ruthless, self-absorbed patriarch, perfectly willing to sacrifice his children for greed. When Harpagon's plans to marry off his children are thwarted by their own love interests, a comedic chaos ensues, filled with lovers, vows, hidden treasure and mistaken identities. According to the Boston Globe, Theatre de la Jeune Lune's production of THE MISER "has such grace and wit that it's churlish to be miserly with one's praise."
Born in Paris in 1622, Moliere is one of the most famous artists of the French Theatre. He is recognized as a master of comedy through his experimentation in comic form and verse. Moliere introduced audiences to such characters as Jourdain the social climber, Tartuffe the religious hypocrite, Harpagon THE MISER, and Argan the hypochondriac, to name a few. His short plays include The Jealous Husband (1645), The Flying Doctor (1648), Sganarelle (1660), and The Forced Marriage (1664). His more renowned plays include The School for Husbands (1661), The School for Wives (1662), The Misanthrope (1666), Tartuffe (1667) and The Imaginary Invalid (1673).
The cast of THE MISER includes Sarah Agnew as Elise, Stephen Cartmell as Cleante, MaggieChestovich as Mariane / Dame Claude, Steven Epp as Harpagon, Nathan Keepers as La Fleche, Barbara Kingsley as Frosine and Jim Lichtscheidl as Valere. The cast also features Alley Theatre Resident Company Actors Charles Krohn as Anselme and David Rainey as Master Jacques, and Alley regular Santry Rush (A Christmas Carol ) as Maitre Simon. Rounding out the cast are ensemble members Jess Akin, Michelle Edwards (Alley's Our Lady of 121st Street), Ezequiel Guerra (Alley's Journey's End), Melissa Pritchett (Alley's The Pillowman), and Brooke Wilson (Alley's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum).
The design team for THE MISER includes costume designer Sonya Berlovitz (numerous productions for Theatre de la Jeune Lune), scenic designer Riccardo Hernandez (Broadway's Caroline, or Change), lighting designer Marcus Dilliard (numerous productions for Theatre de la Jeune Lune) and sound designer David Remedios (resident Sound Designer at the American Repertory Theatre).
Theatre de la Jeune Lune was founded in France in 1978 by Parisians Dominique Serrand and Vincent Gracieux and Minneapolis native Barbra Berlovitz. The three were joined a short while later by Minneapolitan Robert Rosen. All are graduates of the renowned theatre school Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris and jointly share the duties of Artistic Director. Steven Epp joined the company as Artistic Associate in 1983 and was asked to join the founders as co-Artistic Director in 2001. Jeune Lune settled permanently in Minneapolis in 1985, after seven years of splitting their seasons between France and the United States. From its anchor, Jeune Lune has toured in recent years to such prestigious venues as the Yale Repertory Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Trinity Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre and the Actors Theatre of Louisville. The Company was honored in 1998 with a First Bank Sally Ordway Irvine Award for Artistic Vision and most recently the 2005 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS
AUDIO DESCRIPTION, ASL AND CAPTIONING. There will be an open-captioned, audio-described and ASL-interpreted performance of THE MISER at 2:30pm on Sunday April 30, 2006. Funded in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts.
TICKET INFORMATION. Tickets to THE MISER are available for purchase at www.alleytheatre.org at the Alley Theatre Box Office, 615 Texas Avenue or by calling 713-228-8421. Tickets to performances start at only $19. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets at a discounted rate by calling 713-228-9341, ext. 346. The added convenience of reservations by phone or Internet is available for a nominal fee.
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THE MISER
CAST
HARPAGON…………………….STEVEN EPP
CLEANTE……..................…….STEPHEN CARTMELL
ELISE……................................………..SARAH AGNEW
VALERE……............................………….JIM LICHTSCHEIDL
MARIANE / DAME CLAUDE…………..........…………….MAGGIE CHESTOVICH
ANSELME…............................…………..CHARLES KROHN
FROSINE…………………….BARBARA KINGSLEY
MASTER SIMON………….................................................SANTRY RUSH
MASTER JACQUES……………..............DAVID RAINEY
LA FLECHE…………..........................................NATHAN KEEPERS
ENSEMBLE: Jess Akin, Michelle Edwards, Ezequiel Guerra, Jr., Melissa Pritchett, Santry Rush, Brooke E. Wilson
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