West Chester University’s Department of Theatre and Dance, in cooperation with University Theatre, will present Carlo Goldoni’s The Honorable Maid in late April.

This production – which will be held from April 20-22 at 7:30 PM and from April 22-23 at 2 PM in the Main Stage Theatre of the E.O. Bull Center for the Arts – is a collaboration between theatre faculty and students.

Assistant Professor John Bellomo leads the way as director, with scenic design by Associate Professor Julie Wunsch, costume design by student Heidi Cooper, lighting design by student Rosemary DeCree, and sound co-design by students Curtis Jaeger and Meghan Reed.

Grounded in the styles of commedia dell’arte, The Honorable Maid follows Bettina, an honorable but impoverished maid, as she journeys through love, mistaken identity, and run-ins with “sassy servants.” Bettina is determined to hold on to her merit, despite others who will do anything to get ahead in life.

Is she obsolete in her morality or are the others simply opportunists?

Bellomo adapted and translated the play from early Italian into English. This is the first production of the show in English. He speaks of The Honorable Maid’s style in that it is not classical, like Shakespeare, and not modern, either. Bellomo adapted the play in a way that shifts from the original message that he believes was “meant for a different audience.”

The culture was drastically different in comparison to today’s society, but the entertainment value remains. Bellomo hopes that the audience can see that “even though the play has old-fashioned ideas, we can still use it to laugh at the human condition.”

Bellomo and the cast endeavor to take the audience on a journey that causes it to look at love, marriage, and honor in a different way.

General admission is $10-$12. Click here to purchase tickets.

Click here for more on the WCU Department of Theatre and Dance’s 54th Season.

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