By David Hirson

Directed by Emmanuelle Delpech

A Supplementary Study GuideWritten by Mark SherlockPrepared by Emily Schuman

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table of contents

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meet the characters..................................

synopsis.........................................................

playwright david hirson.............................

the language of la bête...........................

the arden production.................................

historical context........................................

discussion questions.................................

glossary.........................................................

bibliography..................................................

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meet the charactersElomire

BejartA member of the theatre troupe, and Elomire’s second-in-command. While he understands Elomire’s stance against Valere, he feels that they should accept Valere into the troupe anyway; Bejart is more concerned that opposing the will of the Prince will cause them to lose their patronage at the court.

A local street performer who has become a favorite of Prince Conti and has been chosen by the Prince to join the troupe, even though his personality and artistic style are strikingly different from Elomire. Valere loves language, lowbrow humor, and (above all) himself.

The leader of the theatre troupe in residence at the estate of Prince Conti. Since his troupe receives the patronage of the court, he attempts to be open minded when they are asked to add another member to their company. However, when he meets Valere and learns that he is the Prince’s choice, he feels he must refuse for the sake of the troupe and his overall artistic principles.

Valere

Ian Merrill Peakes, James Ijames and Scott Greer. Photos by Mark Garvin3

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Prince Conti

Dorine

A French noble on whose estate the action of the play takes place. He is the patron of Elomire’s theatre troupe, and he cares deeply

about the state of the theatre they produce. He feels the work Elomire is producing hasgotten boring, and his idea of bringing in Valere to join the troupe is partly motivated by a desire to reinvigorate them.

Elomire’s young serving maid. She is going through an adolescent phase where she will only speak in rhyming, one-syllable words.

meet the characters

members of Elomire’s troupeM

adel

eine

Bej

art

Catherine D

e Brie

De B

rie

Marquise-Therese Du Parc

Rene

Du P

arc

Dito van Reigersberg, Amanda Schoonover, Michael Doherty, Alex Keiper, Alex Bechtel, Wendy Staton, and Taysha Canales. Photos by Mark Garvin

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synopsisact i

James Ijames, Ian Merril Peakes and Scott Greer. Photos by Mark Garvin

The action of the play takes place in the year 1654, in the antechamber of the dining room in Prince Conti’s estate. The estate is located within the town of Pezenas in the French province of Languedoc.

As the play begins, we meet Elomire, the leader of the court’s theatre troupe, and Bejart, his second in command. Elomire enters to escape his meeting in the next room with Valere, a local street performer. The Prince has taken a liking to Valere, and has decided that Valere should be the newest member of the troupe. As they enter, Elomire declares that he can’t stand another word from Valere and that he could never share the stage with him. Bejart is attempting to calm Elomire down, and remind him that they have no choice but to accept Valere; if they refuse the Prince’s command, their livelihood is at risk. Elomire can’t accept this fate, and eventually drops to his knees in prayer (forcing Bejart to join him) “…to beg the Lord that we be spared this hell.” (12)

Bejart stands back up, but Elomire is still on the ground as Valere enters from the next room to find out why they have both disappeared so suddenly. He sees Elomire kneeling, and is relieved to see that a sudden burst of religious devotion is what drove him from their meeting (as opposed to something he had said). He joins Elomire in a blessing, and uses the opportunity to explain how devout he regularly is.

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synopsisact i cont.

Actor Scott Greer. Photo by Mark Garvin

As he is prone to do, Valere then seizes both the room and the conversation. Un-interrupted, he speaks at length on the following subjects: his opinion on the dinner they served him that evening, how improper it is to babble uninterrupted, how skilled he is at choosing not to talk when he easily could, how important it is to be honest (and how honest he is), how deeply they’ve gotten to know each other during this conversation, and the need for someone to gag him (or else he might start to talk too much). In between these subjects, Valere is frequently diverted by the same reasons: his attempts to flatter Elomire, his frequent struggles to remember names and quotes, and his delight at his own cleverness with words (as well as several phrases he feels are exceptionally brilliant as soon as he utters them).

Elomire, sensing the opportunity to speak again after Valere has finished, begins to let Valere know that he isn’t welcome in their troupe. His attempt is interrupted, however, when Valere notices Bejart’s hunchback. Valere points out Bejart’s condition very bluntly and loudly, embarrassing and insulting Bejart to his face. Elomire then tells Valere how strongly he despises him; Bejart attempts to stop Elomire several times, again fearful for their jobs.

Elomire finally succeeds in telling Valere his criticisms. Valere responds by asking them to be written down, as he is anxious to improve. However, in describing how anxious he is to get better, he accidently insults one of Elomire’s earlier plays; this, in turn, causes Elomire to try to end the meeting and get Valere to leave once and for all.

Before he gets the chance to kick Valere out permanently, Dorine (Elomire’s maid) enters and lets them know the Prince has arrived. Everyone panics, and the panic carries us through to the end of the Act.

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synopsisact iiThe second act picks up immediately where the first act left off, and we see the entrance of Prince Conti. The Prince reveals that he has been eagerly anticipating the meeting of Valere and Elomire, and had been waiting out in the hall to see how they would take to each other. His curiosity got the better of him and he came in to see how the meeting was going.

The Prince brings up one of Valere’s older plays that he loved, titled “The Dying Clown.” Bejart mentions that he had seen a performance of the play last year in Brussels. Valere is aghast; he feels that he was ‘off’ that night, and that he feels ‘disgraced’ that Bejart witnessed that performance. The Prince feels that Valere could make up for it by performing a small section of the play right at that moment, just for the three of them. Valere protests, but the Prince insists; Valere performs the final couplet of the play, and the small crowd is clearly unimpressed. Even though Valere manages to save himself by convincing the Prince that the play is deliberately written to get worse as it gets older, the underwhelming performance has given Elomire an idea.

Elomire suggests that he would love to see how Valere succeeds in doing a play that is written in a different style; “Still won’t you show, Valere, how you excel, at forms much more conventional as well?” (63) The Prince is very taken by this idea, and insists Valere perform the play he saw in the public square six weeks ago: “The Parable of Two Boys from Cadiz.” Valere protests, but ultimately relents and leaves to go prepare. Bejart follows Valere out to fetch the rest of

the members of the theatre troupe as an audience.

Photo by Mark Garvin7

synopsis

Left alone with Elomire, the Prince confesses that he wants Valere to join the troupe because the work of the troupe has become boring and stagnant; and new blood is needed to revive it. Elomire replies that he is open to change, but he simply can’t accept Valere. They continue to debate this issue, until Elomire suggests the compromise of letting the upcoming performance of “The Parable of Two Boys from Cadiz” determine Valere’s fate. Elomire brings up the point that Valere always performs alone, and never in a troupe; thinking this will embarrass Valere and turn the Prince against him, he offers the suggestion that the troupe join Valere in the upcoming performance of “The Parable” to see how well he would work with the company. The Prince agrees, and a compromise has been set.

Bejart leads the other members of the theatre troupe into the room, and they loudly protest the idea of Valere joining the troupe. Elomire tells them that they are to join in Valere’s performance of “The Parable,” and their objections only strengthen. Valere re-enters to begin the performance, but protests when he learns he is to perform with a full cast. Eventually, realizing he has no choice, he begins the performance.

The play begins; Valere’s performance is energetic, highly stylized, and completely absurd. The members of the troupe are resistant and embarrassed at first, but they begin to relax and enjoy themselves as the show goes on. As Valere’s play comes to an end, they have given over fully to the performance and are working together with Valere to tell the story. The Prince’s reaction is a blank slate, and he begins to discuss the possible social commentary of the play; everyone is on edge, since they can’t tell whether or not the Prince enjoyed the show. Elomire takes the Prince’s reaction as confirmation that Valere has failed, and (thinking that he has won) he very bluntly criticizes the play and Valere to the entire room. The Prince turns on Elomire and, visibly upset, reveals that he enjoyed the play, and that Elomire’s reaction was both wrong and insulting.

act ii cont.

Alex Keiper and Taysha Canales. Photo by Mark Garvin8

Alex Keiper and Taysha Canales. Photo by Mark Garvin

synopsis

The Prince invites Valere to join the troupe. Elomire reminds the Prince of an earlier vow to leave if Valere stays. The Prince tells Elomire that, since Valere is staying, he is welcome to pack his bags and leave that night. He then turns to the rest of the troupe; he thanks the troupe members for their service if they choose to leave with Elomire, but if they are interested in staying, they should join him in the next room.

As the Prince exits, Elomire turns to the troupe and begins to apologize for the new difficulties they will be facing as they leave the court’s patronage together. The troupe cuts off his speech, and, one by one, lets him know that they would rather stay. Bejart is the final troupe member to reject Elomire, and he then leads the troupe into the next room to meet with the Prince. With the troupe gone, Valere slowly turns to Elomire and expresses him disappointment that things didn’t work out for him. He bids Elomire farewell, but manages to get in one final insult

of their earlier dinner before he leaves.

Left alone, Elomire wonders if he made a mistake in standing so firm in his opinion, but he justifies it by reminding himself that his idealism is worth defending; “If LIFE – not grim survival – is the aim, / The only hope is setting out to find, A form of moral discourse to reclaim, / The moral discourse fools have undermined.” (115) He vows to continue along his journey, takes his suitcase from Dorine, and exits. An emotional Dorine is left alone in the light, watching him leave, as the play

act ii cont.

Actor Dito van Reigersberg. Photo by Mark Garvin9

david hirson and the birth of la bête

He went on to attend college at Yale. Rather than pursuing theatre further at the university’s acclaimed drama program, he rebelled against his upbringing and, as he described it, “sampled the full world of liberal arts”; he majored in English, and began reading and writing as frequently as he could. After he finished his studies at Yale, he continued his studies of literature as an Oxford scholar. While at Oxford, his writing was published in The Times Literary Supplement, a well-respected weekly literary publication. He has been quoted as saying that this is the first time he began to seriously consider himself as a writer. When David Hirson was 17 years old, he had seen a production of Moliere’s Tartuffe with his father. He became infatuated with the style of verse, and was disappointed to find that modern playwrights were neglecting a form of writing that seemed to be so alive with the joy of language. An interest in this style stayed with him in the years after this teenage encounter; while a student at Oxford, he was known to amuse himself by composing descriptions of fellow students in rhyming verse. He developed a reputation among his fellow students for these bits of verse, and they are said to be part what caught the eye of one of the editors of The Times Literary Supplement. When he was 29 years old, after his time at Oxford and after his realization about his abilities as a writer, David found himself at his mother’s house in Los Angeles. Although he had spent time studying other fields, he had never fully forgotten his initial passion for theatre. Also, his time studying literature had only strengthened his fascination with verse and rhyming couplets. Over the next year and a half, David committed himself to following through on this long-gestating idea, and wrote a play in rhyming couplets from first line to last. La Bête was born.

David Hirson, the playwright of La Bête, was born in 1958 in New York City to parents Roger and Alice. David received a taste of the theatrical world early on; his mother worked as an actress in television and film, and his father is possibly best known for writing the book of the musical Pippin. David’s parents separated during his childhood, so he split time between their homes while attending Rye Country Day School outside of the city. While at school, he explored the world of theatre further by performing in several plays.

Image: http://d3rm69wky8vagu.cloudfront.net/article-photos/large/1.154095.jpg10

Image: http://d3rm69wky8vagu.cloudfront.net/article-photos/large/1.154095.jpg

the language of la bêteLa Bête is a play that is written in verse, using rhyming couplets and a rhythm known as iambic pentameter.

Verse is a term applied to poetic writing where the language is composed according to a rhythmic unit, or a foot. It is often presented on the page in individual lines that have the same number of feet.

The most common type of foot contains two syllables, and the syllables that receive (or don’t receive) stresses in the foot differentiate the different types of poetic feet from each other. (These different types of poetic feet are also referred to as meters). The most common of these is an Iambic foot, where the first syllable in the foot is unstressed and the second syllable is stressed.

The term “iambic pentameter” comes from the amount of iambic feet that are used in each line of verse. “Penta” is a Greek prefix meaning “five”. Therefore, the term “iambic pentameter” tells us that there will be five iambic feet (or meters) in each line of the verse.

A rhyming couplet is a pair of successive lines of verse that rhyme, and are of the same rhythmic length. (In the case of this play, they are all ten syllables long.)

photo by Mark Garvin

Ian Merril Peakes and Scott Greer as Elomire and Valere

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the language of la bêteThe following is a small section of one of Valere’s many speeches that he makes shortly after his first entrance. It is written in verse, and it is a great example of iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets.

Come in? Well Heaven Bless Us! NOW I see: It was a sudden burst of piety That took you from the table, am I right? I’m so relieved! I thought, perhaps, your flight Was caused by something I had said or done… (Elomire opens his mouth to speak) No, don’t explain. GOD BLESS US EVERY ONE! I, too, am very pious, most devout: I cross myself… twelve times (or thereabout) Before I take my morning tea each day! At lunch I’m up to forty; and I’d say By nightfall it’s… a staggering amount; But what a foolish waste of time to count!

Even though it looks unusual on the page, keep in mind that it’s the job of the actors to bring the words to life and use them to tell the story on stage.

What are some of the ways an actor might use this unnusual language structure to help bring these words to life? Think about the writer’s choice of words,

word placement, and rhyming schemes.

Try it out yourself!Find a partner and listen to each other deliver the speech above. What is the same in your delivery? Your partners? What is different? What conclusions

does this lead you to about how the section is written?

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the language of la bête the arden production production teamDirector - Emmanuelle DelpechAssistant Director - Alice YorkeScenic Designer - James KroznerCostume Designer - Rosemarie E. McKelveyLighting Designer - Thom WeaverSound Designer - Jorge CousineauStage Manager - Alec E. Ferrell

Director Emmmanuelle Delpech, Stage Manager Alec E. Ferrel and Assisant Stage Manager Will Freske

Actors Ian Merrill Peakes, James Ijames and Scott Greer

Actor Alex Keiper

rehearsal photos

Photos by Mark Garvin13

the arden production meet the cast

Scott Greer as Valere Ian Merrill Peakes as Elomire

James Ijames as Bejart

Alex Keiper as Marquise-Therese Du Park

Michael Doherty as Du Parc

Dito van Reigersberg as Prince Conti

Amanda Schoonover as Dorine

Taysha Canales as Madeleine Bejart

Alex Bechtel as De BrieWendy Staton as Catherine De Brie

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Alex Bechtel as De Brie

historical context

the birth of french theatreIn the 16th century, France experienced a tremendous amount of civil conflict and violence known as the “Wars of Religion”. This conflict was between French Catholics and Protestants, and it lasted up until the end of the 16th Century. This violence restricted the growth of French Theatre at a time when it was growing in many other European nations (such as England, Spain, and Italy). France’s first public theatre was built in Paris in 1548. It was titled the ‘Hotel de Bourgogne’, and it was constructed and operated by a local group of merchants and tradesman that wanted to produce religious plays. This also happened to give the group complete control over the only public theatrical venue in France during that time, and they ended up charging a large fee to any outside company wanting to perform. This inhibited the domestic growth of a French theatre during this time, and it also led to many touring theatre troupes choosing to avoid Paris altogether.

Things began to change around the end of the 16th century. A French law passed in 1598 called the ‘Edict of Nantes’ ended the religious conflict that had taken hold of France throughout the previous century. Around the same time, public appetite for the religious plays produced by the group behind the Hotel de Bourgogne began to decline. These two factors opened the door for an increase in French theatre artists and an increase in touring theatre troupes choosing to come to France.

Drawing of the interior of the theatre of the Hôtel de Bourgogne by Pierre A. Wille, the younger (1767).

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historical contextMolière: An actor and playwright, Jean Baptiste Molière is considered both the foremost comic French actor of his time, and the greatest comic dramatist in the history of French drama.

Born in 1622, Molière would co-found a theatre troupe in the year 1643 with members of the Bejart family. They toured France over the next few years, but would soon break apart due to financial difficulties. Molière and the Bejarts would soon go on to join another established troupe, and this would give Molière the opportunity to begin to present his first plays. This new troupe would tour primarily in the south of France, and would have the good fortune of receiving royal patronage in the 1650’s.

In 1658, the troupe returned to Paris, and only a few years afterward would receive the direct patronage of the King himself. This began a stretch of time (continuing until his death in 1673) where he wrote and performed many of his works that are today considered classics (such as The School for Wives, Tartuffe, Don Juan, and The Imaginary Invalid).

When Molière arrived in Paris, he spent time sharing a theatre space with a troupe from Italy. This is considered to be Molière’s introduction to Commedia Dell’Arte, which would heavily influence his work for the rest of his career. Molière would frequently use the form to satirize various social and political elements in French society.

Although it is never explicitly stated in the play, the circumstances of Elomire’s troupe receiving the patronage of the Prince of Conti strongly parallel the experience of Molière’s troupe during their time in the south of France. Also, the name ‘Elomire’ happens to be an anagram of ‘Molière’.

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historical context

french theatre influences and stylesNeoclassicism: A movement that believed drama should be inspired by and follow the rules of the Greek and Roman dramatists. In particular, the ideas of Aristotle’s Poetics were guidelines to be strictly obeyed. This movement gained traction within France in the early 1600’s, and it influenced much of French drama during the time when the story of La Bête takes place.

Commedia Dell’Arte: A theatrical form that involves a usage of stock characters that are based on universal character types of high and low status. These characters were placed in scenarios, and the actors portraying these stock characters would improvise much of the action and dialogue. It was born in Italy in the early 1600’s, but migrated to France where it was embraced and became highly influential. As each scenario would employ several of the stock characters, the form was popular with France’s traveling theatre troupes; members of troupes would often come to specialize in portraying one particular character. In La Bête, it is very likely that Elomire’s troupe was well versed in this style of performance.

Commedia Dell’Arte stock characters

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discussion questions1) The Prince of Conti wants Elomire to work together with Valere. Even though the Prince supports Elomire, Elomire refuses because he fears Valere will harm the work of his troupe.

- Do you think that Elomire was right in standing up for his ideals/beliefs? Or, since the Prince supports Elomire and his troupe, does Elomire have a responsibility to listen to the Prince?

- Why do you think this way? If you were in Elomire’s shoes, what would you have done?

2) Elomire feels that art should be refined, and be used to communicate important ideas and themes. Valere, by the end of the play, is revealed to represent art that exists primarily to entertain and please its audience.

- What do you think art (in any form: plays, movies, television, books, etc.) should do? Should it exist solely to entertain and please its audience? Or should it exist to communicate a higher idea or theme? - When you seek out art or culture in your life, which of these purposes do you prefer? Why?- Think about some examples of plays, movies, television, or books that are present in popular culture today.

o Is there an example that you think stands for Elomire’s point of view? What is it? What higher idea or theme do you think it

communicates?

o Is there an example that you think stands for Valere’s purpose? What is it? Why do think that it exists solely to entertain or please its audience?

Scott Greer and Ian Merrill PeakesPhotos by Mark Garvin18

discussion questionsafter seeing the performanceWARNING: contains spoilers!3) After the performance of “The Parable of Two Boys from Cadiz,” the members of the troupe are given the choice of following Elomire (and losing their jobs in the court) or performing with Valere (and remaining in their court positions. Even though they despised Valere earlier in the play, every member of the troupe (other than Elomire) chooses to remain at the court.

- Why do you think the actors chose to stay? Were their minds really changed by the experience of performing with Valere? Or were they more concerned with keeping their positions at the court? - What do the members of the troupe say or do in the play to convince you of this interpretation? - If you were in their shoes and faced with this decision, what would you have done? Why?

4) Prince Conti claims that he brought Valere to the court because he wanted Valere and Elomire to work together. However, he also reveals to Elomire that he has been disappointed with the work the troupe has recently produced. Finally, we learn throughout the play that Elomire has his own personality traits that upset oth-ers and ultimately drive them away.

- Do you think the Prince is being honest about his intentions in bringing Valere into the troupe? Or, is it possible he is attempting to drive Elomire away and permanently change the troupe? - Why do you think this is the case? What do the characters say or do in the play that convinces you of this interpretation?

5) The title of the play, La Bête, can be translated to mean either “The Beast” or “The Fool”. Valere is initially viewed as the unpleasant character, but at the end of the story he has won over The Prince and troupe (as well as earned himself a place in the court). Elomire is initially viewed as the hero and protagonist, but at the end of the story, he has revealed himself to be pompous and egomaniacal in his own right; in the end, he has driven everyone away and been left completely alone.

- In your opinion, who is the bigger “beast” or “fool? Valere, or Elomire? Why do you think this is the case?

discussion questions

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glossary

locationsLanguedoc – A former province and current region in the south of France

Pezenas - A town within the Languedoc region (about 14 miles from the southern coast of France)

Zanzibar – An island in the Indian Ocean, located just off the African Coast

Algiers – The capital city and largest city in Algeria

Gibraltar – A British Territory in Southern Spain

Ghent – A large city in the Flanders province of Belgium

Flanders – A province within Belgium

Zurich – The largest city in Switzerland

Morocco – A nation in the northern region of Africa

Utrecht – A Dutch city and province

Cadiz – A city in southwestern Spain

french termsLouche (11) – Not reputable or decent

Haricots (16) – Green beans

Velouté (16) – A significant sauce in French cuisine, it is made of equal parts butter, flour, and stock.

Lycée (25) – A French public secondary school.

Dommage (31) – Too bad

Comme vous-même (59) - Such as yourself

Cirque Soleil (62) – Sun circus

Faute de mieux (66) – For lack of something better

Ennui (68) – Boredom, melancholy

Actor Amanda Schoonover.

Photo by Mark Garvin20

glossary

real-life referencesPrince Conti – A title of French nobility.

Corneille – One of the great French dramatists of the 17th Century, particularly with works of classical tragedy. The plays considered to be his greatest works were composed in the 1630’s and 1640’s.

Cicero – A Roman writer and scholar; considered to be one of the great Roman orators.

Scaramouche – A stock character of the Italian theatrical form known as Commedia Dell’Arte, he was most often portrayed as a dishonest and mischievous servant.

Pentateuch – Also known as the Torah, it is traditionally made up of the first five books of the Christian and Jewish scriptures.

Dithyramb – A wild choral chant or song, performed in honor of the Greek god Dionysus

Sorbonne – A complex of buildings in Paris, it is also used as a term referring to the old University of Paris (which is considered to be one of the oldest universities in the world).

Mephistopheles – A demon character that has appeared throughout traditional German folk tales. It is most familiar as the devil in the legend of Faust.

Lapidary – Something elegant and concise enough to be engraved on stone. Also refers to someone who does the engraving of stone.

Logos - Greek term for the use of reasoning, and the internal consistency of the logic

Exegetes – One who explains and interprets a piece of text.

Actor Scott Greer.Photo by Mark Garvin

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