A Noise Within's TARTUFFE Plays Through May 24

A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company concludes its 2013-14 season with Tartuffe by Molière, closing Saturday, May 24, 2014. Julia Rodriguez-Elliott directs Tartuffe in a translation by Richard Wilbur. The world's most famous scoundrel Tartuffe is comic genius in Molière's tale of naiveté, religious hypocrisy, and the triumphant victory of good over evil - and all in rhyming couplets!

Single ticket prices for Tartuffe start at $34. Contact the A Noise Within box office in person, via phone at 626-356-3100, or online at www.ANoiseWithin.org for updated pricing and seat availability.

Director and ANW's Co-Producing Artistic Director Julia Rodriguez-Elliott said about the play, "I love working on Molière because the comedy can be fierce. Along with the plays being wildly funny, there is a dark urgency within his plays that I am always interested in exploring. The issues of power and submission explored in Tartuffe are always relevant. What is it about us that allows us to submit ourselves to a person or force, which is more powerful? We have all, at one time or another, been taken in by a Tartuffe."

The acclaimed French playwright and actor Molière wrote Tartuffe in 1664, which enjoyed a brief run in front of the king before being thoroughly condemned by the Catholic Church for its lambast of religious fraud. When he died, Molière was initially refused Christian burial due to his banned plays, including Tartuffe. However, over time audiences have come to love and acknowledge Tartuffe as one of the great masterpieces of comedic satire.

The cast features Geoff Elliott * as Orgon, Freddy Douglas* as Tartuffe, Rafael Goldstein* as Valère, Jane Macfie* as Madame Pernell, Carolyn Ratteray* as Elmire, Deborah Strang* as Dorine, Steve Rockwell* as Cléante, Alison Elliot as Mariane, Mark Jacobson as Damis, Bill Hunt* as Monsuier Loyal/Officer, and Elisabeth Morgan as Flipote.
* denotes member of Actors' Equity

A Noise Within is located on the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue at 3352 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107.

About A Noise Within: A Noise Within performs and promotes classical theatre as an essential means for our community to confront the universal human experience, expand personal awareness and challenge individual perspectives. A Noise Within's mission is to produce world-class performances of the great works of drama in rotating repertory with a resident company; to educate and inspire the public through programs that foster an understanding and appreciation of history's great plays and playwrights; and to train the next generation of classical theatre artists.

A Noise Within was founded in 1991. Operating out of a former Masonic Temple in Glendale, they staged a production of Hamlet that was accessible and relevant at a time when classic theatre was not widely performed in Los Angeles. The twenty-year evolution from a small neighborhood theatre to the current acclaimed repertory company has been marked by constantly raising the bar on what great classical theatre can be. The move to a new, permanent home provides A Noise Within with expanded artistic possibilities, a greater scope of educational opportunities, and the capacity to meet demand and reach its full potential.

A Noise Within Producing Artistic Directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott both hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Florida and a Master of Fine Arts from San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre. In 1991, with a mere $3,000 from their personal savings account, they set an ambitious vision for ANW: to establish a home for the classics that would present a challenging repertory, take artistic risks, and ensure accessibility to diverse audiences. Through their passion and persistence, the theatre now ranks as the leading presenter of great world drama in Southern California.

Pictured: Tartuffe (Freddy Douglas as Tartuffe and Carolyn Ratteray as Elmire). Photo by Craig Schwartz.

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