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  The Boy Friend

  Otterbein University Theatre and Dance Department

  Set against the backdrop of the French Riviera, this romantic spoof of 1920s musical comedies tells the story of English heiress, Polly, who is longing for only one thing: a boy friend. Polly's father, convinced that any boy who isn't wealthy will court Polly strictly for her financial situation, forbids her to engage any potential suitors. Honoring his wishes, Polly explains to Tony, the messenger boy with whom she's fallen in love, that she is no rich girl. This is just the tip of the mistaken identity iceberg, as love proceeds to find its way charmingly through nearly every member of the cast and bring them all to a happy ending.

  http://www.mtishows.com/sandy-wilsons-the-boy-friend

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  Tartuffe

  Otterbein University Theatre and Dance Department

  Jean Baptiste Poquelin, later known to posterity as Moliere, was born in Paris in 1622, the son of the upholsterer to the King of France. He received his first training in the theatre as a student in a Jesuit college. At the age of 22 he formed his own troupe, called the Illustrous Theatre, and toured the provinces of France for more than twelve years. Here he came under the influences of the Commedia dell'Arte, learning first hand what amused audiences and developing his dramatic art to perfection. After this apprenticeship, he returned to Paris to become the King's Royal Troupe and to write several of the world's greatest comedies, "The Imaginary Invalid," "The Doctor in Spite of Himself," "The Misanthrope," and "Tartuffe."

  When first produced in 1664, "Tartuffe" was attacked as an insult and a danger to religion. The contemporaries of Moliere could not see that he wasn't attacking religion, but the religious hypocrites and their dupes. The play was banned and enforced by threat of ex-communication. Moliere fought this decree for five years before the ban was lifted, thanks to King Louis XIV, his grand patron.

  Today "Tartuffe" is considered a masterpiece of comic writing and social criticism. It is the most frequently produced play of Moliere, being done recently by The Comedie Francaise on their last trip to the United States. It has been the desire of every great French actor to play the title role, a tribute to the world's greatest writer of comic drama. As Shakespeare's Iago is the greatest scoundrel of the English Stage, Tartuffe is the greatest of the French classic comedy.

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  The Emperor's New Clothes

  Otterbein University Theatre and Dance Department

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  John Brown's Body

  Otterbein University Theatre and Dance Department

  Stephen Vincent Benet, one of America's outstanding poets of this century, was born in 1898 and died in 1943. A direct descendant of military men, Benet published his most important work, "John Brown's Body," in 1928. This long narrative poem captured the Pulitzer Prize and has sold over 600,000 copies.

  In 1952 Charles Laughton conceived the idea of staging "John Brown's Body." In late 1952 and throughout 1953 the production was a smash hit on Broadway and on-tour across the country. The production starred Tyrone Power, Judith Anderson and Raymond Massey. Laughton cut the long poem from its original 334-page length, to conventional play length (80 pages), and planned its reading at the hands of three actors and a chorus. Six years later Curtis Canfield (Director of Theatre at Yale University) staged the play in its present version, first at the Yale Drama School and then at an Off-Broadway Theatre in New York in June, 1960. The music was composed by Fenno Heath of the Yale University Music School.

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  One Acts

  Otterbein University Theatre and Dance Department

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  Death of a Salesman

  Otterbein University Theatre and Dance Department

  Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances, and has been revived on Broadway four times, winning three Tony Awards for Best Revival. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest plays of the 20th century.