Temple Repertory Theater (TRT) opens its second season June 23 with rotating productions of Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize winning Buried Child and Molière’s Tartuffe.

In a departure from last season’s in-the-round configuration on Tomlinson Stage, this summer the TRT productions will be performed in the intimate blackbox at Randall Theater.

The two-year-old company features actors currently enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Acting program — a two-year program specifically designed for mid-career actors interested in pursuing an advanced degree — performing along with professional actors, directors and designers affiliated with the Department of Theater.

“The mission of TRT is to foster the growth of the ensemble as we bring life to the greatest plays in dramatic literature,” said artistic director Dan Kern. “While this implies classical texts, there are a significant number of great plays written in the last 50 years that are under-produced, either because of content or cast size.”

Directed by Kern, Buried Child, which gained national attention in the late 70s for its depiction of a nuclear family with a dark secret, features Gregg Almquist as Dodge; Nancy Boykin as Halie; Rob Kahn as Tilden; Steve Kuhel as Bradley; Michael Friel as Vince; and promising young actors Julian Cloud and Jasmine St. Clair as Shelly.

“Buried Child has become a significant milepost for me in my theatrical career,” said Kern. “It is a sad and gorgeous rendering of the struggle for identity that many of us experienced at that rich time in history. It had a profound impact on me and I look forward to sharing that experience with our audience this summer.”

Temple Repertory’s production of Tartuffe will be directed by Barrymore Award-winner Emmanuelle Delpech-Ramey. Witten by French playwright Moliere in 1664, the play features Rob Kahn as Tartuffe; a religious hypocrite who causes chaos in the home of a wealthy Parisian.

The cast includes Yvette Ganier as Madame Pernelle; David Ingram as Orgon; Kate Czajkowski as Elmire; Geneviève Perrier as Dorine; Rebecca Rich as Cleante; Carl Granieri as Damis; Gregg Almquist as Monsieur Loyal; and others.

Delpech-Ramey is currently a student in the MFA Directing Program. Tartuffe will be her thesis production.

“The unifying thematic element in our second season is ‘the courage to see.’ In both plays, the central players are lost in a world that appears to be the truth, but in fact only masks deception. What does it take to push aside the artifice and look clearly at the world around us?” asked Kern.

“Tartuffe speaks to this challenge with inspired humor, Buried Child with pain and fear. But whether we laugh or cry, the courage to truly see the world around us could be one of the most difficult things we’ll ever do. Hopefully this season of plays will entertain and possibly light the way.”

Tickets for Temple Repertory Theater are available now. Previews of Tartuffe begin on Thursday, June 23, with an opening date of Saturday, June 25. Previews of Buried Child begin on Thursday, June 30, with an opening date of Saturday, July 2. Tickets are $20 for faculty and staff and $10 for Temple Students.

For more information call 215-204-1334 or visit www.temple.edu/theater/TRT for more information and a full performance schedule.