Jeu de Plume
DEADLINE IS EXTENDED TO
26 APRIL 2021
KC MOlière: 400 in 2022 welcomes essays on selected comedies by Molière as part of the city-
wide celebration of the beloved French playwright's 400th birthday (15 January 2022).
All Kansas City area students -- public, private, or charter schools -- are eligible to submit 500 to
900-word essays through their teachers any time from now until the EXTENDED deadline on Monday 26 April
2021. Winners of cash prizes and publication on the kcmoliere400in2022.com website will be
announced in May.
In the 17th century, an indoor tennis court (jeu de paume) could serve as a theatre and Molière's
little troupe began in a Paris jeu de paume. But we are looking for a jeu de plume (sport with a
pen) to illuminate the comic delights of Molière's plays.
Our panels of independent judges will award cash prizes of $100, $50, and $25 to first, second,
and third place winners in each of two categories: grades 6-8 and grades 9-12. Teachers,
students, and their families will be invited to an awards reception in late May or early June.
Essays will be evaluated on
Students may base their essay on any play by Molière as long as the bibliographical information
appears on the submission form. In other words, the judges will need to know which translation
of the chosen play was read and referenced by the essay's author. It's okay if a student chooses to
read a chosen play in French.
For grades 6-8, we recommend the short farces such as The Flying Doctor or The Forced
Marriage or Scapin's Schemes. Grades 9-12 might consider Tartuffe, The Bourgeois Gentleman,
or The Imaginary Invalid. Online translations exist for most plays, but bear in mind that there are
considerable differences in the ways some play titles are translated into English.
Click here for a list of all the plays in French and in many different translations:
wide celebration of the beloved French playwright's 400th birthday (15 January 2022).
All Kansas City area students -- public, private, or charter schools -- are eligible to submit 500 to
900-word essays through their teachers any time from now until the EXTENDED deadline on Monday 26 April
2021. Winners of cash prizes and publication on the kcmoliere400in2022.com website will be
announced in May.
In the 17th century, an indoor tennis court (jeu de paume) could serve as a theatre and Molière's
little troupe began in a Paris jeu de paume. But we are looking for a jeu de plume (sport with a
pen) to illuminate the comic delights of Molière's plays.
Our panels of independent judges will award cash prizes of $100, $50, and $25 to first, second,
and third place winners in each of two categories: grades 6-8 and grades 9-12. Teachers,
students, and their families will be invited to an awards reception in late May or early June.
Essays will be evaluated on
- Personal engagement with the selected play text (use examples!);
- Analysis of one or more of the play’s dramatic devices (plot, character, language, themes, stage-worthiness);
- Consideration of how Molière’s writing is relevant to our own times.
Students may base their essay on any play by Molière as long as the bibliographical information
appears on the submission form. In other words, the judges will need to know which translation
of the chosen play was read and referenced by the essay's author. It's okay if a student chooses to
read a chosen play in French.
For grades 6-8, we recommend the short farces such as The Flying Doctor or The Forced
Marriage or Scapin's Schemes. Grades 9-12 might consider Tartuffe, The Bourgeois Gentleman,
or The Imaginary Invalid. Online translations exist for most plays, but bear in mind that there are
considerable differences in the ways some play titles are translated into English.
Click here for a list of all the plays in French and in many different translations:
Essays must be typed and double-spaced. All essays will be submitted electronically by teachers. Teachers may also request submission forms by emailing jeudeplumekc@gmail.com