The Rehearsal Process: Tartuffe

Hello friends!

Let's catch up. This is a different post from me, but I thought it might be fun & informative to make a post about what the rehearsal process has been like for this show.

First off, this is a classical piece, & probably the most famous play Moliere wrote. He had to rewrite this play multiple times, due to the church originally banning it for being supposedly blasphemous. That was not the intent at all, it was always a satire against those who would feign piety to take advantage of others. A few years later in 1669 he convinced the king of France to allow this work to be published. Since then it's been performed thousands of times, to the enjoyment of audiences all around the world.

So what does a classical play mean for actors? Most noticeably, it is in a heightened language. In addition to that, this play is also written in verse, meaning everything rhymes. Our production used the translation by Richard Wilbur. When translating this into English, Wilbur decided it was easiest to change the rhymes into iambic pentameter, something Shakespeare used with some of his own plays.

For some actors, memorizing iambic pentameter is easy, because you just need to focus on the beginning & ending words in a line, & that way can get into the rhythm of it. While in some ways, it did make it easier for me to memorize, I do always have a bit more trouble than normal with memorizing heightened language. It's hard to memorize a way of speaking that isn't the normal modern day slang. Repetition was the key for me to get all my lines down, & I am proud to say, I was the first actor completely off book (meaning fully memorized), for this production.

This show is also considered a farce, which is the trickiest style of comedy to pull off. For us, it means being deadly serious about the craziest of circumstances. For example, my character is scared she won't get to marry her fiancé, & therefore jumps to the conclusion that she'll either join a convent, or kill herself. That desperation really propels her throughout her scenes, which helps pick up the pace, adding to the comedy.

Timing is the trickiest part in this show, & usually takes the longest to master. Having moments that are quickened, both in movement & dialogue, really adds to the comedy, but also keeps the audience engaged. For us this means jumping on each other's lines so that everyone's quips flow with the same tempo & rhythm. It can also mean multiple people entering or exiting through various doors/places all at once. And with the play having five acts, this allows for plenty of those opportunities.

Our production was also changed to take place in modern day America. The director & team thought it would help connect the meaning of the play with today's audiences, & also shed light on what's going on in the world, & specifically, the U.S. This show was actually chosen a few years ago, to premiere just before the presidential election. Even though that ended up not working out due to Covid-19, the takeaways we hope the audience will perceive are still just as relevant as ever. And in light of the pandemic, & for the safety of all, we will be wearing clear face masks while performing our show.

If you are interested in seeing our show, please reach out to https://heartlandtheatre.org/reservations/ to order your tickets now!

Tartuffe runs September 16th, 17th, 18th, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 30th, October 1st, & 2nd. All shows start at 7:30 PM, except for the 26th (2:00 PM Matinee), & October 2nd (two shows, first at 2:00 PM & second at 7:30 PM).

If you have any recommendations of what you'd like me to write about, or just general comments or suggestions, please send them my way! I truly love & appreciate all feedback.

Slainté!

Kathleen 💛

[ Production poster courtesy of Heartland Theatre. ]