The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde
Pasant Theatre
Wharton Center for Performing Arts
October 9th – 11th and 16th – 19th, 2003
Six weeks after the triumphant opening of The Importance of Being Earnest at the St. Jamess Theatre in Londons West End, Oscar Wilde was arrested on charges of “gross indecency.” In another six weeks, he was convicted and sentenced to two years of hard labor for his “crime” of leading what might be construed as a double life – one as the brilliant and witty master of multiple literary genres, welcome in all the best homes; the other as a despicable corrupted of young men, deserving of the worst scorn that could be heaped upon him. Wilde vehemently denied the attacks on his character and defended his life and art with dignity and eloquence.
How bold then, was this work, with its plot that hinges on the explosion of the dual identities created by two young respectable men about town for the purpose of circumventing the strictures of a repressive Victorian society! At its heart, Earnest is a penetrating critique of the social hypocrisy that, in our contemporary world, successfully masquerades as perfectly charming comedy. One can only wonder what Wilde might have had to say about present day politicians, clerics, corporate leaders….and, dare we say it… about almost any one of us.
Production Team
| Director: | Carolyn M. Gillespie |
| Scene Design: | Kirk Domer |
| Costume Design: | Gretel Geist |
| Lighting Design: | Danielle M. Baisden |
| Sound Design: | Daniel A. Swallec |
| Technical Director: | Rob Berls |
| Costume Shop Supervisor: | Karen Kangas-Preston |
| Production Stage Manager: | Erin A. Haggerty |
| Assistant Director: | Khalid Bhatti |
| Assistant Lighting Designer: | Lauren Hill |
Cast List
| Lane/Merriman | Thomas McCartan |
| Algernon Moncrieff | Andrew Towler |
| John (Jack) Worthing | Rick Kunzi |
| Gwendolyn Fairfax | Rachel May Roberts |
| Lady Bracknell | Monica Clark-Robinson |
| Miss Prism | Erin Roe |
| Cecily Cardew | Sarah Habel |
| Rev. Canon Chasuble | Graham Irwin |
| Mr. Gribsby | Edward Howell |