"Pseudo-wits and polished frauds" : directing Molière's The Learned Ladies

“Pseudo-wits and polished frauds”: directing Molière's The Learned Ladies examines the preparation, pre-production, and rehearsal process behind The Learned Ladies, staged at the University of British Columbia’s Frederic Wood Theatre from February 7-16, 2008. As detailed in the following paper, my objective was to examine the text through the lens of the commedia dell’arte and its influence on the playwright’s characters and dramaturgy, as well as Molière's feminism. In the rehearsal hall, my focus was on actor creation and “play.” Chapter 1 summarizes my pre-production research, and includes biographical information on both the playwright and translator, as well as the above noted commedia and early feminist influences, while Chapter 2 provides a detailed directorial analysis of Molière's text. A journal – chronicling the entire production process from early design meetings through rehearsals and the run of the show – makes up Chapter 3. Finally, Chapter 4 is a short reflection on the process, outlining major shifts in my thinking and technique, and concluding with my final thoughts on the production.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Fine Arts - MFA

Level thesis:degree_level

master's

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Theatre

Grantor dc:publisher

University of British Columbia

Year dc:date

2008

Author dc:creator

• Gauthier, Patrick

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Licence

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Language dc:language

eng

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/1560

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/1560