The Alliance Française is a worldwide non-profit organization founded in Paris in 1883. It is part of a network of over 1,000 chapters in 133 countries. In the United States, the Alliance Française counts more than 140 locations…The mission of The Alliance is to encourage the study of the French language and the various cultures of French-speaking countries and, more specifically, to foster friendly relations between the French-speaking and American peoples.

For those unfamiliar, Candide was written by Voltaire and ridicules the philosophical optimism of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. The play was performed entirely in French, which means that Wendy enjoyed the subtlety of the satire while I laughed when someone died in an especially comic way. All told, though, it was a lot of fun, with flying sheep, horses whose galloping sounded suspiciously like coconuts, and a hero who saves the girl, even though she’s gotten very, very ugly.

If you are a student of French or are simply interested in French culture, get in touch with the Alliance and get involved, and be sure to keep your eyes out for another performance next year!

Here are a few shots we took of the magnificent cast.

At last, we meet our daring hero Candide…and his flying sheep.

And finally, the entire cast of Candide.

Thanks for sticking around for the third day of the FIVE (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING. There are two more days to go, and I hope you’ll join us for both of them. See you tomorrow!