Known for its galvanizing, polarizing effect on audiences, David Mamet’s 1992 play Oleanna depicts the struggle between a college professor and a student who accuses him of sexual harassment and thereby spoils his chances for tenure.

In a production directed by Elizabeth Castellano ’12 of New Suffolk, N.Y., Mamet’s highly charged story of sexual politics in the halls of academe is performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Sunday, March 10 and 13, and at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 12, in Gannett Theater, 305 College St. Admission is free and first-come, first-seated. For more information, please call 207-786-8294.

The play is also a commentary on the Supreme Court confirmation hearings that put Clarence Thomas, Anita Hill and the issue of sexual harassment squarely into the public eye.

“Mamet takes on provocative issues,” says Elizabeth Castellano ’12, “and exposes not only individual frailties and conflicts, but also the corrupting influences of organized forces in society.”

“It’s my hope that these characters will spark debate.”

Castellano is directing the piece as part of her coursework toward a theater degree.

The players are Zoe Donaldson, a senior from Mount Vernon, N.Y., and Brian Pfohl, an assistant in instruction in the psychology department who appears regularly on Bates stages.

March is a month for theater classics at Bates College.

Elizabeth Castellano, a Bates junior from New Suffolk, N.Y., directs the college’s production of David Mamet’s Oleanna, a highly charged story of sexual politics in the halls of academe. Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Sunday, March 10 and 13, and at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 12, in Gannett Theater, 305 College St.

Meanwhile, the theater department honors French culture and marks the 50th anniversary of its mainstage venue, Schaeffer Theatre, with a production of Molière’s 1672 satire The Learned Ladies. Martin Andrucki, Dana Professor of Theater, directs. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, March 11-12 and March 18-19, and 2 p.m. Sundays, March 13 and 20. Schaeffer is also located at 305 College St.

Admission to Oleanna is free and first-come, first-seated. Tickets for The Learned Ladies are $6 for the general public and $3 for seniors and students, and are available at www.batestickets.com. For more information, please call 207-786-6161.

Read more about Oleanna.

Read more about The Learned Ladies, Lavinia Schaeffer and Schaeffer Theatre.