Boston University School of Theatre
Thérèse Raquin
by Neal Bell
Directed by Jim Petosa
October 2004

Thérèse Raquin tells the story of a young woman, unhappily married to her first cousin by an overbearing aunt who may seem to be well-intentioned but in many ways is deeply selfish. Therese’s husband, Camille, is sickly and egocentric, and when the opportunity arises, Thérèse enters into a turbulent and sordidly passionate affair with one of Camille’s friends, Laurent. In his preface, Zola explains that his goal in this novel was to “study temperaments and not characters” and he compares the novel to a scientific study. Because of this detached and scientific approach, Thérèse Raquin is considered an example of Naturalism. “… Zola allows no rest from the pervasive gloom and neither does Neal Bell in his ambitious, intelligent adaptation. Bell stimulates both our voyeurism and our moral sensibilities, and he honors Zola’s exquisite sense of cultural detail …” Carol Burbank, Chicago Reader


Therese Barbato, Therese
James Smith, Laurent
Tim Spears , Clerval

Artistic Team

Neal Bell, Playwright
Jim Petosa, Director