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April 16, 2014 — The Allegheny Playshop Theatre concludes its 84th season with “The School for Lies” by David Ives. Directed by Mark Cosdon, the play will be performed April 24-27 in the Gladys Mullenix Black Theatre in the Vukovich Center for Communication Arts at Allegheny College. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

The inspiration for Ives’ glittering romp is “The Misanthrope,” Molière’s comic masterpiece. With Louis XIV’s patronage, Molière was able to establish a satirical contemporary style of playwriting that included sharp criticism against his enemies. David Ives has loosely adapted those ideas and transposed them into 21st-century verse with humorously bawdy results.

Cosdon has staged the production by balancing its 17th-century location and culture of narcissism, greed and flashy fashion with 1980s America, a period of similar excess. The production underscores the idea that not being true to your own self is one of the largest obstacles to personal truth and love.

Company members include Allegheny College students Dan Keitel, Leanne Siwicki, Mary Lyon, Lee Scandinaro, Maggie Boone, Nate Freed, Sam Reitman, Chris Schuchert and Luke Aslanian Davis. Samantha Hoderlein, a junior at Allegheny, is the stage manager. The costumes are designed by Miriam Patterson, and the scenery and lighting design is by Michael Mehler.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $7.50 for non-Allegheny students, senior citizens and Allegheny employees. Although admission is free for Allegheny students with identification, they are asked to make reservations. This production contains strong language. For more information or to order tickets, contact the Playshop Theatre Box Office at 814-332-3414.

Caption: Left to right, Allegheny College students Mary Lyon, Daniel Keitel and Leanne Siwicki in the Playshop Theatre production of “The School for Lies.” Photo by Bill Owen