TORONTO, November 13, 1997 -- Theatre @ York kicks off its season with the world premiere production of a new translation by Quebec writer Marguerite Cordier of Molière's scathing satire Tartuffe. Directed by award-wining Alberta playwright and director Ian Ferguson, this comic masterpiece opens Thurs. Nov. 20 at York University.

A heady mixture of intrigue, greed, sex and laughter, Tartuffe takes deadly aim at social and religious hypocrisy in the timeless tale of the wily con artist who very nearly wins it all.

In a novel twist, Cordier and Ferguson transposed the action from 17th century Paris to a bakery in Quebec City in the 1760s, shortly after the fall of New France to the British. As Ferguson points out, the setting intimates the Anglo-French tensions in Canada today, stretching the boundaries of the play both literally and figuratively.

"It opens the themes to modern audiences", Ferguson says. "We can see in Tartuffe a parody of our current situation. It's tremendous fun."

Ferguson is no stranger to comedy - nor to Moliere. Alongside dramas such as Bone Crack (Toronto Fringe Festival) and Naming the Animals (Union Theatre, Edmonton), his extensive directing and writing credits include Lasky's Fortune, Jim Keegstra - Nazi for the 90s, The Fabulous Kelly, more than 150 episodes of the Live Soap Opera Die-Nasty, and a previous happy collaboration with Marguerite Cordier: a production of her translation of Moliere's Imaginary Invalid, set in the office of the Alberta Minister of Health.

A poet and playwright, Cordier has worked for professional francophone theatre companies across western Canada. Her work include productions for L'Unitheatre, Les Boites a Popicos and Theatre Francais d'Alberta as well as translations and dramaturgy for Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan's production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Robert Lepage.

Theatre @ York's Tartuffe features the Graduate and 4th Year Acting Ensembles of York University's Theatre Department. Set, costume and lighting design are by fourth-year production students in the Theatre program.

Tartuffe previews Nov. 17 and 19 and runs in repertory with the Canadian premiere production of Nicky Silver's black comedy Raised in Captivity from Nov. 20 to 28. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. with a matinee Nov. 26 at 1:00 p.m. Performances take place in the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre, Centre for Film and Theatre at York University, 4700 Keele St. at Steeles Ave. in North York. Admission is $10; students and seniors $7; group rate $5; the preview Nov. 17 is PWYC. For more information call (416) 736-5172 ext. 3. For tickets, call the Theatre @ York box office at (416) 736-5157.

Playdates/Times:
Mon. Nov. 17 -- PWYC preview -- 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Nov. 19 --Preview -- 7:30 p.m.
Thur. Nov. 20 -- opening -- 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 22 -- performance -- 7:30 p.m.
Tues. Nov. 25 -- performance -- 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Nov. 26 -- matinee -- 1:00 p.m.
Thur. Nov. 27 -- performance -- 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 28 -- performance -- 7:30 p.m.

Media contact:

Brigitte Kleer
Manager, Public Relations
Faculty of Fine Arts
tel: (416) 736-2100, ext. 77143
email: bkleer@yorku.ca