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This two-woman comedy pits an actor against a director in a battle of wits, emotion, exasperation, egotism, and the ultimate need for one another.

After a falling out and subsequent hiatus from each other, actress Hortense agrees to star in a new play written and directed by Gertrude. They meet for the first rehearsal, which begins cordially as they tentatively become reacquainted.

However, not one line is rehearsed as they are instead distracted by the misunderstandings, prejudices, and annoyances that continued to fester during their years apart.

Written by one of France’s hottest contemporary playwrights, Victor Haïm, Stage Combat was nominated for five Molière Awards in 2003, winning one for best play of the season, and one for best director.

Here’s what our critics say:

“‘Stage Combat’… is about the way artists interact, and how they interact with audiences. Plot is almost superfluous to [playwright Victor] Haim’s concerns…The actresses are well-matched… [and] it’s open to interpretation how Machiavellian the two characters are as they maneuver around each other. ‘Stage Combat’ succeeds well enough as an interesting intellectual exercise, and it has its share of laughs…” – Robert Loerzel, Evanston Review