The French Artist Mr. Jef Pays visited India from 12th April until 10th May for giving training to the Kootu-K- Kural team, in Puducherry. For this one month duration the group leaned the play on Moliere “The little Wife’s School. First time the artists were trained by this classical theatre, and they practiced for long dialogues. The play was adopted in Tamil and the main characters were designed by the French artist Jef Pay. After their practical rehearsal it was displayed in the Public performance.
When Kootu-K-Kural director expressed about this play he said that the young artist took the first time practice for the classical play. They learned many things on body languages, exercises for expressions, approaches etc. He added that the training input has been delivered as output in the public performance. Overall the entire team satisfied for their outcomes and their continuous training for nearly one month. After this the team decided to make the rehearsal within the team for another couple of month with the support of local trainers. Might be some changes will be adapted to the needs and understanding of the audience in our place.
The author Molière wrote The School for Wives (L’École des Femmes), it is remarkable that, in his new comedy, as in the one produced when his passion for her was growing upon him, he resorted to the ethics of marriage for his materials. The chief personage in the piece, Arnolphe, a middle-aged roué, played by Molière himself, has arrived at the conclusion, after a wide experience of womankind, that the best safeguard of a wife’s honor is extreme ignorance, that if she is not to befool her husband she must be a fool herself.
No girl should know anything except how to sew, pray, spin and love the man to whom she is pledged. Her library should consist of only two books, the Bible and the Maxims of Marriage. Nor does he fail to reduce these theories to rigid practice. Intending to espouse his ward Agnes–Mdlle. Debrie–he has her brought up at a convent school in complete seclusion. But the young lady, with a type of intelligent simplicity, unconsciously outwits him; she bestows her affections upon the gallant Horace, and the guardian, after being made the confident of the latter, is eventually left out in the cold.
The character of Arnolphe is finely contrasted with that of Chrysalde, who utters a series of noble sentiments in favor of the cultivation of the intellect in a woman. It has been hastily assumed by some writers that Molière and his wife are before us in Arnolphe and Agnes. Far, indeed, is this from the truth, Armande bearing as little resemblance to the unsophisticated ward as her husband did to the tyrannical guardian. It is not improbable; however, that some of the most emotional passages in the play derived additional intensity of feeling and expression from his experiences. In these, no doubt, the dramatist himself, rather than the character, is speaking. For a similar reason his acting may have gained in force and tenderness. However that may be, L’École des Femmes, especially toward the end, was pervaded by a depth of sensibility which he had not previously displayed, and which, joined as it was to unequalled dramatic excellence, exerted a strong fascination over most of the audience.
This comedy was fiercely attacked by several, who accused it of being wanted in good taste, sound morality, rules of grammar, and, what was more dangerous, of undermining the principles of religion. The second scene of the third act, in which mention is made of “boiling cauldrons,” of a soul as “white and spotless as a lily,” but “as black as coal,” when at fault; of “The Maxims of Marriage or the Duties of a Wife, together with her daily exercise,” gave great offense, and were said to be like the phrases of the catechism or the confessional. A formal patron of Molière, the Prince of Conti, who had become a mere devotee, wrote against it in his Traité de la Comédie et des Spectacles, and in later times, even such men as Fénelon, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Geoffroy have found much to blame in this comedy, whilst several literary men, Hazlitt amongst the English, and Honoré de Balzac amongst the French, consider this play as Molière’s masterpiece.
Wahou ! That’s nice to see the Blog updated ! Congratulations Perumal and thank you for your comment on my Blog as well.
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Caro
very interresting