This Halloween, Antony Sandoval directs Eugene Ionesco’s one-act play, The Lesson. The Lesson focuses on the interaction of a Professor who grows increasingly frustrated with his new Pupil and her perceived ignorance. The Professor’s anger causes the Pupil’s health to deteriorate: what begins with a toothache leads to an explosive reaction from the Professor, and the show ultimately ends where it begins.
The Lesson is considered a critically important work in “Theatre of the Absurd.” In Theatre of the Absurd, it is believed that human existence is meaningless and, as a result, human communication breaks down. Ionesco is considered a pioneer of this movement, along playwrights like Tom Stoppard and Samuel Beckett.
When asked what audiences should expect from The Lesson, Sandoval says, "broad comedy, similar to Vaudeville, mixed with horrific or tragic images; characters caught in hopeless situations forced to do repetitive or meaningless actions; dialogue full of clichés, wordplay, and nonsense; plots that are cyclical or absurdly expansive; either a parody or dismissal of realism and the concept of the “well-made play.”
The Lesson features Khiry Armstead as The Professor, Emily Russell as The Pupil, and Erin Cessna as The Maid.
The Lesson runs October 30- November 3 at 8 PM, and November 4 at 2 PM in McWilliam's Lab Theater.
Tickets are available by calling the Lupin Theater Box Office at 865-5106 or online:
