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July 25, 2026 

7:00 PM

Scottish Rite Cathedral

725 Cotton Street, Shreveport, Louisiana


Whiskey Cat Productions presents

a staged reading of

 

Les Liaisons Dangereuses

 

 

By Christopher Hampton

From the novel by Choderlos de Laclos

 

With

Blayne Weaver   Charity Schubert   Cara Johnston

Susan Kirton   Emma Greer   Mikah Thomas

Kimberly Talley  Chris Alan Evans  Ariel Roberson    

 

Technical Director & Co-producer 

Josh Talley

 

 

Producer

Charity Schubert

 

 

Directed by

Heather Hooper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Historical Overview: 18th Centuary France 

By Tyrrell Woolbert

 

The setting of Les Liaisons Dangereuses is 1780s France: the final decade before revolution against King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette. Sometimes called the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason, the 18th century was a complex organism animated by often contradictory beliefs, motivations, and priorities.

 

At the beginning of the 18th century, over 90% of French people were peasants, but French politics encouraged the primacy of King Louis XIV. Nicknamed “the Sun King,” Louis XIV embodied the notion the world revolved around him. Even the architecture of his palace at Versailles reiterated royal supremacy: Louis XIV’s bedroom was positioned at the literal center of palace life. He lived in an environment of cartoonish luxury, employing 500 people just to prepare and serve his elaborate, rigidly planned meals. He dined from a gold plate “au public,” surrounded by spectators who “had to bow to the food as it passed.” By time of the Sun King’s death in 1715, his stomach was “three times the size of that of the average adult,” and the French monarchy had firmly assumed an air of absolutism. 

 

Absolutism, or absolute monarchy, is a form of authoritarianism that dominated some parts of early modern Europe. French proponents of this model argued that the king’s will was supreme, and he had the right not only to tax at will, but to imprison at will, too. Between 1660 and 1790, over 1,300 out of 5,279 people were imprisoned without any due process. Part of the justification for monarchical absolutism was religious. The king’s power was defined as unquestionable because he was divinely ordained; thus to challenge the king would be to challenge God, an act of heresy.

 

The specific god in question was that of the Roman Catholic Church. Catholicism was the official state religion of France. French kings’ coronations included their being anointed with consecrated oil, “said to have been brought from heaven by a dove.” The church was more than a spiritual shepherd; its influence was ubiquitous, touching almost everyone’s daily life. “[Before] 1789 it was the church that kept the registers of births and deaths that marked the beginning and end of each person’s earthly existence,” and it exerted powerful influence over what sort of existence each person had. Censorship of purportedly immoral media, for instance, was not uncommon. In 1762 the Parlement of Paris even ordered the burning of Rousseau’s novel Émile. Religious devotion was taken so seriously that for decades, non-Catholics, e.g. Jews and Protestant Huguenots, were violently oppressed and forcibly expelled. 

 

Paradoxically, the intolerance of early modern religious zeal coexisted with notable instances of flexibility. For example, pursuing a religious vocation was one of the only available ways for women at the time to enjoy agency and power. Educational opportunities for girls and women were extremely limited, but those who did learn to read and write often did so for the explicit purpose of religious study. There was also an agreement between the French monarchy and the Vatican that the former would be responsible for selecting bishops (for English history buffs, this issue was part of the fallout between King Henry II and his Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas a Becket).

 

Unfortunately for the dynastic House of Bourbon, by the second half of the 18th century there was growing dissatisfaction with and resentment toward the monarchy. The Sun King’s successor, Louis XV, was unpopular, not least for the troubling amount of debt amassed by the end of his reign. Despite attempts by Louis XV and his grandson Louis XVI to reform the economy, animosity between the crown and the nobility festered. One way the monarchy tried to recover financially was “to impose direct taxes on formerly tax-exempt privileged elites,” a move that was not welcomed graciously by its wealthy targets. Resentment among the nobility, compounded by radically shifting political philosophy elsewhere in the west (think the American Revolution), contributed to the violence that erupted with the revolution of 1789, 7 years after Les Liaisons Dangereuses hit the market. 


Major Productions of Les Liaisons Dangereuses

 

1985, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK

 

 

 

 


2008, Roundabout Theatre Company

 

 

 

 

 


2012, Sydney Theatre Company

 

 

 

 


2016 Donmar Warehouse, London, UK

 

 

 


2026, National Theatre

 

 

 

 

 


Who's Who


Cast

Charity Schubert

La Marquise de Merteuil
Blayne Weaver

Vicomte De Valmont
Cara Johnston

Tourvel
Charleszette Tyson-Roe

Narrator
Emma Greer

Cécile de Volanges
Susan Kirton

MME. DE VOLANGES
Kimberly Talley

Mme. Rosemonde
Chris Alan Evans

Azolan
Ariel Roberson

Emelie

Creative Team

Joshua Cale Talley

Co-Producer / Technical Director
Heather Hooper

Director

Meet the Company


Charity Schubert (La Marquise de Merteuil)

Charity Schubert is based in New York but spent her formative years learning her craft in Shreveport. Most recently she has been seen onstage in Shreveport at Stage Center as Jean, the White House Press Secretary in POTUS, directed by Lyn Cramer. Last Minute, a comedic short film Charity produced and starred in won the 2025 Louisiana Film Prize, had its NYC premiere at the Tribeca Festival in June of 2026, and is currently enjoying a successful run on the film festival circuit. In 2024 she produced and starred in Napoleonic Code, a short film which was awarded Top Five at the Louisiana Film Prize and is currently available to watch on Crafty on YouTube. 2023 saw Charity direct hit productions of Kate Hamill’s Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy and Erica Schmidt’s MAC BETH at her alma mater, Centenary College of Louisiana. 

@charityschubert
Blayne Weaver (Vicomte De Valmont)

Weaver starred in the feature films CUT TO THE CHASE and 6 MONTH RULE. He has appeared in numerous projects including WOLF PACK, CUPID FOR CHRISTMAS, AMERICAN PIE PRESENTS: GIRLS’ RULES, MANIC opposite Don Cheadle, and THE GOOD OLD BOYS opposite Tommy Lee Jones. He also provided the voice of Peter Pan in the Disney animated feature RETURN TO NEVERLAND. On the stage, Weaver has starred as Paul in MISERY, Kaffee in A FEW GOOD MEN, and Black Stache in PETER AND THE STAR CATCHER for Stage Center, George in OF MICE AND MEN for Shreveport Little Theatre; Bernard in BOEING, BOEING and Serge in ART for River City Rep; and as Trip in the Los Angeles premiere of ANON by Kate Robin for Echo Theater Company.

@blayneweaver
Cara Johnston (Tourvel)

Cara Johnston is a playwright and actor originally from Dallas, Texas. Her plays, The Little Glass Slipper as Performed by the Queen of France and Her Friends, and The Madwoman, premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, earning five-star reviews, an OffFest nomination, and an official selection for Frame of Mind, airing on PBS. Her new play, Great White Throne, was a Tennessee Williams One-Act Play Finalist and is premiering at Renaissance Theatreworks this fall. Cara lives in Milwaukee with her husband and pet bunny.

Charleszette Tyson-Roe (Narrator)

Originally hailing from Monroe, Louisiana; this performer has been entertaining since she was very young and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon!

 

Singing in church is where she got her start, then eventually doing so in school and in the community as well. Not long after she worked her way into acting when an audition opportunity meant for one of her sisters turned favorable for herself.

 

Since then she’s been participating in various short films, operas and local plays, her most notorious thus far portraying the title role of Cinderella in BPCC’s rendition of Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.

 

Whilst on her acting journey she has even been fortunate enough to work her way into SAG-AFTRA after obtaining a speaking role in a feature length film.

 

As Charleszette continues in her growing career she only hopes to always involve herself in works she considers “worth it,” and this is certainly one of them. 
 

She is more than excited to narrate such a masterpiece and looks forward to helping bring such art to life. 

@unforzetteable
Emma Greer (Cécile de Volanges)

Emma Greer is a graduate of Centenary College of Louisiana’s theatre department. Her most recent production work was directing Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus at Marjorie Lyons Playhouse. She was last seen on stage as Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Centenary Theatre Program. 

Susan Kirton (MME. DE VOLANGES)

Susan Kirton is the host of the weekday, lifestyle television show “Loving Living Local,” on KTAL NBC 6 and KMSS Fox 33. A community theater presence for decades, she is an award-winning actress, screenwriter, director, and producer who has appeared on local and national television, feature films and national radio. Susan Kirton and her family of industry professionals—actor Patrick, artist Haley, and actor Eric—are the creative force behind 1034 Productions., Together they have produced three standout shorts that have transitioned from Louisiana Film Prize to the national festival circuit.

Kimberly Talley (Mme. Rosemonde)

Kimberly Talley was last seen on stage in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Caddo Common Pavilion. Other local theatre credits include Jersey Boys, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. She's also appeared in several short films for Louisiana Film Prize, and was nominated for Best Performance for her role in the 2022 Top 20 short The Cut.

Chris Alan Evans (Azolan)

Chris Alan Evans is a Shreveport-area based actor and filmmaker. You can see him now in the feature films Peeping Todd and The Twin, both of which he was a producer and co-writer. As a writer/director his short films Hivemind Deluxe, Toots., and Caught On Tape have all won festival awards and garnered international film festival acclaim as well as played Oscar-qualifying festivals in the U.S. On stage, Chris most recently played Captain Taylor in A Soldier's Play, Stan in Sweat, and Valene in The Lonesome West. He is also a graduate of Haughton High School and Northwestern State University. 

@christopevans
@velvetysatin
Ariel Roberson (Emelie )

Ariel Roberson is a professional filmmaker. She has lead two features and one short. She is

skilled in music, photography and the method. Her studies with human psychology have helped

with story and developing character. Dissecting scripts is a favorite.

Ariel has had an extremely colorful life learning psychology at a young age from having a strong

religious background to dissecting the minds of serial killers on her favorite suspense shows.

She has utilized these gifts with her friends growing up and to keep herself safe. It has helped

her through school, a New York lifestyle inside and outside of her favorites: hospitality and a

walk about city life.

During Ariel’s time in New York City she delved deeper into hospitality, which helped her to learn

how to engage with people and further her theatrical sensibility that she helped nurture with

acting classes in New York, Louisiana, and through her agency Wilhelmina Rocky Mountains.

Ariel picked up a camera at a young age, as well as singing, and putting on mini plays for her

friends and writing scripts-

which guided her through talking to boys on the phone. Her first on

stage performance was in pre school and with acting was sprinkled throughout the rest of her

life with Arsenic and Old Lace, The Time of Your Life, Monster Plans, Queen of the Night, The

Box, and her film performances. She started learning set production in 2016, though had

touched on this experientially starting in 2014. She is a professional photographer as well as

actor and is currently rehearsing for Les Liasions Dangereuse to be performed on stage at the

Scottish Rite Cathedral in Shreveport, Louisiana.

 

@arielroberson212
Joshua Cale Talley (Co-Producer / Technical Director)

Josh Talley is a Shreveport Native who loves to create theatre and film, with a long history in Shreveport. Onstage or backstage Josh always strives to elevate the artistic quality and spectacle of any production he is involved with, so its natural he is moving to production roles. Josh would like to thank everyone who supported this production with their time, talent, donation, or other support.

Heather Hooper (Director)

Heather Peak Hooper trained at The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and has a B.A. in Theatre and a Masters in Arts Teaching in Theatre, English, and Speech. She has acted and directed professionally from San Francisco, California to London, England and toured internationally with the American Shakespeare Center.  Some of her favorite plays in which she performed locally are Cover of LifeWaverly Gallery, August: Osage County, and Misery.  Heather is proud to teach theatre at Captain Shreve High School and coach Shreve’s Theatre Performance Team. 

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Donors

Thank you to all our generous donors who supported our fundraising campaign and helped make this staged reading possible. Your support for independent theater is deeply appreciated!

 

Michael Ahuja

Helaine Braunig

Marissa Brown

Kathy Cusumano

Elizabeth Hadwin

Hugh and Laura Hale

Susan Kirton

Alexis McKinney

Chad McClarnon

 

Antonio Molinaro

Carin Pratt

Sarah Rheams

Wayne Schubert

Mary Simpson

Rachelle Spickard

Josh Talley

Joann Wang

Mary Zapczynski

 

 


Special thanks to:

 

Kennedy Wilcher and Centenary Theatre Program

Scarlett Hendricks

Susan and Patrick Kirton

Tyrrell Woolbert


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