The Indiana University Department of Theatre and Drama's second University Theatre production of the 2000-2001 season was Moliére's The Misanthrope, directed by Dale McFadden, on November 3, 4, 6-11, 2000.

In these pages the department shares information about Moliére and his masterpiece of comedy.

• A biographical sketch of Moliére by David G. Muller.
• A biographical sketch of Richard Wilbur, translator of The Misanthrope.
• A brief essay, originally published in Theatre Circle Insights, about fashion, comic hypocracy, and the world of The Misanthope.

Pre-show Lecture on the Play—The Misanthrope and the Paradox of Comedy

Roger Herzel on Moliére and The Misanthrope.
       Roger Herzel, Professor of Theatre and Drama at Indiana University, will present this season's second pre-show lecture at 3:30 P.M., Thursday, November 2, in the University Club of the Indiana Memorial Union. Professor Herzel has published widely on French theatre. His work includes the article "'Much Depends on the Acting': The Original Cast of Le Misanthrope" for PMLA—a widely referenced work about Moliére's masterpiece. Last month he presented a paper on stage costuming in 1890s Paris at the International Federation for Theatre Research conference in Lyon, France. He is writing a book on Moliére as theatre practicioner for Cambidge University Press and has recently been commissioned to write the entries on 17th-century French theatre for the new Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance.
       Few people anywhere are better prepared to discuss The Misanthrope than Dr. Herzel. Join us for what promises to be an informative introduction to one of the most interesting, vital, and ambiguous comedies in the repertoire of world theatre.