| L'Illusion Comique by Pierre Corneille Academic Tour 2003-2004 |
University of Minnesota-Morris |
The Théâtre de la Chandelle Verte gave a stirring performance of Corneille's L'Illusion Comique in our Black Box Theater. Enlivening this baroque classic with a clever Brechtian frame and many hilarious gender-bending surprises, the troupe made the play both historically accurate and immediate, relevant, and physically engaging.
Even beginning students enjoyed the performance immensely: "My favorite character to watch was Matamore, played by Francine Conley; and I loved watching Christian Flaugh play Isabelle, along with June Miyasaki as the jailor." Students of all levels benefited from a pedagogical guide sent by the troupe in advance of the performance for classroom use. The players also conducted a talk-back after the play, where many questions about theatrical practice, reality TV shows, and identity and illusion in contemporary society provided a thought-provoking conclusion to a memorable evening. Matthew Senior |
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University of Puget Sound |
I would like to thank you for the wonderful presentation of Corneille's L'llusion Comique on March 6. From the moment we inquired about the possibility of hosting the troupe at the University of Puget Sound to the talkback that followed the performance, your professionalism, talent and good humor made even the details a pleasure. The production was as modern as it was classical. Who would think that a Swiffer would ever find a place in the hands of an actor reciting Corneille's versified speech! I was dying to know how three actors were going to perform a play with thirteen characters... Not only did you accomplish this, but you did so cleverly, convincingly and with panache. Kudos to the director as well as the actors! A delightful time was had by all. The workshop you ran for my students complemented the production nicely. In an hour and a half of theatrical interpretation, you were able to bring out sides of my students that I have never seen, even though I have known most of them for several years. After the performance, they remarked on how surprised they were to see the scene that they worked on presented in a wholly different manner during the performance, which was, of course, one of the points of the workshop itself. Thank you for the opportunity to bring students and community together for an evening of cultural appreciation. I hope to have the pleasure of hosting you again at the University of Puget Sound in the future. Diane Kelley |
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University of Nebraska-Lincoln |
Russell Ganim |
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Whitman College |
On October 17, in Whitman College's Chism Recital Hall, the French proclaimed a victory over a willingly captive audience of students, faculty and community members. The French theatre company Théâtre de la Chandelle Verte performed the play L'Illusion Comique in its original French... The cast consisted of three different actors, each playing a number of different parts throughout the show. This switching of roles was accomplished with the aid of costume changes, the use of elaborate masks and good old-fashioned acting. While the tenets of theatric minimalism may have firmly guided the design of the play's set and props, which included a modern dining chair and laundry hamper, its costumes were quite vibrant, featuring multiple pieces of brightly-colored cloth. Romance, adventure, mystery, excitement: all of these were present in L'Illusion Comique, which entertained French-literate and French-illiterate spectators alike. First-year Chris Chamness was obviously inspired by the show, commenting that "la pièce de théâtre était très bonne et très amusante." In other words, the play was both very good and very funny, a sentiment that first-year Kim Schlesinger also agreed with. "It was great!" she raved.... Whitman French Professor Christine Moritz also sang the praises of L'Illusion Comique: "It was really well done. [It is] amazing that they were able to do so much with so little." Ryan Neal |
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