From the French Colony to Bengaluru, an adaption of Molière’s The School for Wives 

The play is a ‘disloyal adaptation’ of Molière’s popular play, where the performers explore the story of Agnès when she was just a four-year-old child and was bought by Arnolphe from her guardian. She was raised to be the perfect wife for Arnolphe, albeit an ignorant person. She was kept away from any kind of knowledge or education in a secluded house with only two servants who were as ignorant as she was. With no opportunity to interact with the outer world, she spent 16 years of her life in Arnolphe’s house. Arnolphe is now ready to marry her. Will her story end up the way Arnolphe planned it, or will Agnès write her own story? This is what the play delves into.

Indianostrum, a renowned theatre company from Pondicherry, is gearing up to present a theatrical performance of Molière’s The School for Wives (L’école des Demmes) in Bengaluru. The troupe will present shows on September 7, Friday, at 7.30 p.m. at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield, and on Saturday, September 08, 03:30 pm and 7.30 pm at Ranga Shankara, J.P.Nagar.  

The play is a ‘disloyal adaptation’ of Molière’s popular play, where the performers explore the story of Agnès when she was just a four-year-old child and was bought by Arnolphe from her guardian. She was raised to be the perfect wife for Arnolphe, albeit an ignorant person. She was kept away from any kind of knowledge or education in a secluded house with only two servants who were as ignorant as she was. With no opportunity to interact with the outer world, she spent 16 years of her life in Arnolphe’s house. Arnolphe is now ready to marry her. Will her story end up the way Arnolphe planned it, or will Agnès write her own story? This is what the play delves into.  

Directed by Koumarane Valavane, and assisted by Srijita Kar Chowdhury, the play stars 16 talented actors and a skilled production team from across the country. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Valavane says that he wanted to bring out the experience the character Agnès goes through but in an Indian setup.

“In the play, Molière wanted to do a social experiment, as in those times it was said that if a girl was educated or had knowledge, it would give her the freedom to explore feelings of desire. I wanted to see how this social experiment works in our Indian context. Many Indians for very long have been of the impression that a girl must be protected and if a girl is sent to school or is given the freedom to explore life, she will grow up with aspirations which according to many are wrong.“

“I have taken the freedom to change the script a little, as in the original there is a male protagonist who comes to the rescue of the young woman. But I wanted to build a strong female character who fights her problems and walks into the world. I also imagined Molière coming to India and making this play inspired by our numerous folk cultures like Lavani, Therukoothu, folk songs, Bollywood Cinema, and other popular art forms which are important elements in this play,“ Mr Valavane added. 

The multilingual play which will be performed in English, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, and Tamil is a celebration of expression of Indian theatre says Mr. Valavane “Our new team of actors are from all over India. They come with their own language of theatre, vision of theatre, and their own forms of theatre. The play is a celebration of expression of Indian theatre to find the serpent in or outside us though Molière writing“, Mr. Valavane says. 

Mr. Valavane says that this is a very serious play that uses comedy and he was initially integrated with how the audience would respond to this play. “Molière says ‘The duty of comedy is to correct men by amusing them.’ I was initially integrated with how the audience would respond to this play. However, we all believe in the fact that weakness is something women must fight. We use this play and elements of comedy to question our own culture. There is music, songs, and a celebration. The play ends in a festive way. The audience so far has liked it.” he said. Tickets for the shows are available at the venues and on BookMyShow