FSU/Asolo Conservatory Presents THE REHEARSAL

The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training continues its 2017-18 season with Jean Anouilh's The Rehearsal : a comedic satire about class, love, and sex in the French aristocracy. The Rehearsal opens on Wednesday, February 21 and plays through March 11 in the Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. A special pay-what-you-can preview performance will be offered to the public on Tuesday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m. with a $3 minimum.

At a French chateau in 1950, Tiger and Eliane (the Count and Countess) are determined to keep their high social standing with a conspicuously lavish ball and a staging of Marivaux's The Double Inconstancy. But when the enchanting, lower class Lucile is added to the play's casting, the true politics of the Count and Countess' passionless marriage is revealed, and the network of their extraneous lovers creates unexpected alliances and enacts brutal revenge. The small circle of aristocracy is left shattered and its members forced to face the true nature of their incivility.

"What an exciting opportunity to work at such a renowned institution with this exceptional cast," says Director Ashley Teague. "The story of this play, although set in another geography and time, is not unfamiliar to Americans. The desperation of these people-clinging to an inherited social power-can serve as a mirror to parts of our own society. Perhaps we can recognize these characters in our own American aristocracy; recognize the play's events from our 2018 newsfeed?"

The Rehearsal premiered at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris in October 1950, and made its Broadway debut in November 1952 starring Jean-Louis Barrault. Roundabout Theatre Company produced the Jeremy Sams translation in 1996, which Variety called "a very dark dance indeed," praising its "shimmer of French farce and breezy mood of...Noel Coward."

"Anouilh's humor comes from characters that can be oafish buffoons, but it also comes from the exacting psychological games these buffoons play on one another," said Greg Leaming, Director of the Conservatory. "It's an incredibly complex comedic voice, and requires a sure-handed skill from every actor onstage. Audiences are going to love how dense and rich this humor is."

The Rehearsal will feature performances from second-year students Olivia Osol, Erik Meixelsperger, Andy Hardaway, Katie Sah, Dylan Crow, Scott Shomaker, and Jenny Vallancourt. The production will be directed by Ashley Teague, with Scenic Designer Jeffrey Weber, Costume Designer Sofia Gonzales, Lighting Designer Christopher McVicker, Sound Designer Alex Pinchin, and Voice and Dialect Coach Patricia Delorey comprising the production team.

Tickets for The Rehearsal are $30 for both matinee and evening performances. To purchase tickets, call (941) 351-8000 or 1-800-361-8388, visit www.asolorep.org, or visit the Asolo Repertory Theatre Box Office at 5555 North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. The box office closes at 5:00 p.m. when there are no evening performances, and phone reservations close one hour before all performances.

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