Directed by Associate Professor of Theater Chris Flaharty, the Oberlin Theater Department is proud to present our Fall MainStage, The Misanthrope, as an audio play.

In this sharp social satire by the inimitable French actor-writer Molière, Alceste is disgusted by the vanity and hypocrisy of society—so he vows to be completely honest no matter the cost. Ironically, he loves the beautiful, young Célimène, whose sharp tongue and manipulative socializing make her the embodiment of the very person he professes to detest. Can love stand up to truth? The Misanthrope provides both relief from 21st-century anxiety and timeless insights into the foolish heart of the human creature.

Regarding his choice to produce an audio play, Director Chris Flaharty says, “All theaters closed around the world last March. But artists have found ways to put out work online through Zoom, film and other imaginative forms—and interestingly, one that I used to like really, really a lot when I was in high school: the Audio Play. So I thought, what a fabulous form for actors and audiences at a time like now, right?”

This is “production” in an old-school yet freshly defined format, an engagement with vivid theater-making in collaboration with—and in spite of—our current COVID-19 environment and its necessary restrictions on the ways in which we have traditionally approached live theater-making.

The audio play will be available online only for three days, November 20- 22. Advanced registration is required!