ND Thespians put on French play
LAURA KELLY
News Writer
The dress rehearsal in Washington Hall's Lab Theatre seems just like any other, until the actors speak their first lines. Then this play's uniqueness becomes clear — it is entirely in French.
Brought to stage by the undergraduate cast of "Le Theatre de Notre Dame," this production of Moliere's "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme" marks the group's eighth year of French theater at Notre Dame.
Director Paul McDowell, a professor and assistant to the chair in the department of Romance languages, came up with the idea for the group when he first came to Notre Dame 10 years ago, and since then the performances have sold out every year.
"We've always sold out because the students are so incredible and because the spectators don't need to understand a word of French," said McDowell.
The actors emphasize physical humor and also offer an English synopsis to the audience to aid in their understanding.
"In any given night, 90 percent of the audience doesn't speak French, yet they laugh in all the right places," McDowell said. "The shows have a very broad appeal."
Students in the cast were enrolled in a one-credit class last fall in which McDowell took them through the entire process of bringing a play to the stage. An intense period of rehearsals in the first two weeks of this semester brought the production to its final stages.
The 17th century play by Moliere is a farcical love story, full of slapstick. Drawing from the talents of this year's cast, McDowell said the addition of music and dance elements to the play also adds to the audience's enjoyment.
"We rely on the strengths of the students, and they're a great cast with a lot of energy," said McDowell.
All the students in this year's class were abroad with McDowell during his time as director of the program in Angers for the past two years.
"We knew each other well, and this helped us through what could have been a very long process," said McDowell.
While all the students have knowledge of French, most have never been in a play before.
"These kids are courageous — it couldn't happen without them," said McDowell. "And my hat is off to the audience is as well, for taking the chance and coming to a French play."
All News Stories for Thursday, January 24, 2002
