St. Luke's School Helps Bring Moliere to Many

Nearly 800 students and teachers from across Connecticut (including 135 St. Luke’s students) filled the theater at Pomperaug High School in Southbury for a production of Molière Than Thou. Middle and high school studying French in grades 7-12 were treated to a dynamic performance of professional actor Tim Mooney’s nationally-touring one-man show recounting Molière’s greatest hits.

The event was organized by the Connecticut chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF-CT), whose President is also St. Luke’s Upper School World Language Department Chair Jon Shee. Along with Shee, St. Luke’s faculty members Evan Downey and Amber Berry are also on the AATF-CT Executive Board. The production coincided with National French Week, an annual celebration of the French language and francophone culture.
“We wanted students to be exposed to the most celebrated French playwright, yet we wanted Molière’s works to be accessible to both middle and upper school students,” Shee explained. Students were educated and entertained by the stage performance and engaged with a “Molière Quotation Treasure Hunt” activity as they viewed the show. St. Luke’s French students Alex Levy ‘16 and Becca Leonard ‘16 were invited up on stage to act along with Mr. Mooney during the show.
A recent study by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie found that the number of French-speakers around the world has increased by 25% in only the past four years. “There is much excitement in the air for the pursuit of French studies in general,” shared Shee, “and the impressive statewide turnout for Molière Than Thou is great evidence of that.”