Masse cast "Et Tartuffe?" with the 12 actors (mostly advanced-level French students) who remained from the original 22 performers in "Travaux." He expressed delight in how the workshop students have grown since last year. Whereas the students, many of whom had little stage experience, had struggled last year with the dual challenges of language and interpretation, now, said Masse, "They are really becoming actors. Before, I had to be not only a director but an acting coach. Now, I'm there with them on stage, but not as much-because this time I really wanted them to create on their own."
Masse describes his version of "Tartuffe" as "two-thirds French, one-third English." The text for the English sections came from a recent translation by the famous poet Richard Wilbur '42.
Masse said that he chose "Tartuffe," which is generally considered Moliere's finest work, because it contains equal parts for men and women, and because it is "the classic French play." For audience members who are not fluent in French, Masse said, "They may not understand the language, but they will hear its poetry. And they will see the emotions of the actors and their movements and gestures, which are almost like choreography."
Masse originally conceived of the workshop as a learning environment, and he stresses pedagogical concerns over performance polish. In "Tartuffe," for instance, to spread the wealth of the text, actors share roles; Orgon is played in the first two acts by Abram Sexson '01 and in the latter half by Bandar Shawwaf '02.
Masse admits that "Tartuffe" is quite an ambitious undertaking. "Last year," he said, "just one scene was such a mountain to climb. [The actors] had to work very hard in the language lab to get the lines right. And now they're taking on the whole play."