Audition Policy:
The Importance of Being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde |
Auditions!
Audition dates/times:
Friday, April 19th, 5-8PM Sunday, April 21st, 9AM-12PM & 1-3PM Show dates/times: June 7-8, 14-15 @ 7:30PM June 9, 16 @ 2PM Co-Directed by: Chase Leone & Jess Robertson Click Here for the Audition Form! |
Synopsis:
When Algernon Moncrieff learns that his dear friend “Earnest” is actually named Jack and using a pseudonym to avoid scandal, he is overcome with glee, for he has done a very similar thing in the creation of a “poor invalid” by the name of Bunbury whom he uses to avoid social obligations. While Jack finds the concept ridiculous and tedious, Algernon considers it an art form of sorts.
However, the secret identities of both men collide when each becomes infatuated with a woman - Cecily for Algernon and Gwendoline for Jack - who is in love with the name “Ernest,” forcing them both to adopt the persona of the exact same character. With judgmental aunts, frightful christenings, and arguments over an absurd amount of food, these characters attempt to sort out their convoluted double lives.
A comedy full of misunderstanding, deception, and mystery, The Importance of Being Earnest highlights the absurd nature of Victorian England’s aristocracy in a lighthearted and fun fashion. Relevant in modern times more than ever - given the ease with which one may falsify their identity - this show is a charming and witty tale of discovering who we really are.
The Characters of the Show:
Jack Worthing - A serious, respectable, and diligent man, Jack is a wealthy man tasked with guardianship over his adoptive father’s teenage granddaughter. In order to enjoy himself without besmirching his good name, however, Jack goes by Ernest whenever in the city, where he has fallen in love with the beautiful Gwendoline Fairfax, cousin of his best frenemy, Algernon Moncrieff.
Algernon Moncrieff - Known affectionately as “Algy,” Algernon is an aristocratic and debonair young man who refuses to take anything seriously. Witty and handsome, Algernon is intrigued by the discovery of his friend’s ward, Cecily Cardew, and decides to use the alias of Ernest to woo her into marriage.
Gwendoline Fairfax - Posh and proper, Gwendoline is as beautiful as she is pretentious. Educated, sharp, and confident, Gwendoline is set upon a passionate romance with a man by the name of Ernest. Unfortunately, she is at the mercy of her overbearing mother, Augusta, and must conspire if she is to have her one true love.
Cecily Cardew - The ward of Jack Worthing, Cecily is a woman on the cusp of adulthood who has been raised with all the proper care and education Jack could provide. In spite of her proper life, though, she has fallen wildly in love with the idea of Jack’s most wicked brother, Ernest. Without meeting him, she has created a fantastical relationship between herself and this alluring and wicked young man.
Lady Bracknell - Algernon’s aunt and Gwendoline’s mother, Augusta Bracknell is an uptight and intense woman with a deep concern over proper everything. Overbearing, demanding, and deeply judgmental, she rejects Jack as a potential suitor on account of the story of his discovery - he was abandoned in a black handbag as an infant - and refuses to allow Gwendoline to pursue a relationship with him. Though not at all a requirement for the character, it is not unusual for Lady Bracknell to be portrayed by a performer in drag.
Miss Prism - Cecily’s governess, or caretaker and teacher, Prism is rigid in her belief systems and quite stern. She is, however, infatuated with the Reverend Dr. Chasuble, whom she entertains a coy flirtation that neither party seems willing to openly acknowledge.
Reverend Canon Chasuble, D.D. - A “Doctor of Divinity,” Reverend Chasuable is the rector of Jack’s estate and a man eager to please and do right by Jack, Cecily, and Prism. Kindly and a bit apprehensive, the Reverend harbors a not-so-secret crush on Miss Prism, whom he attempts to flirt with through metaphors.
Lane - Algernon’s servant, Lane is monotone and aloof, though he plays along with Algernon’s mischievous ways. Lane only appears in Act 1.
Merriman - Jack’s servant, who remains mostly absent except to introduce newcomers to the estate. Lane and Merriman could be played by the same individual in order to highlight how overlooked the “lower class” characters are.
When Algernon Moncrieff learns that his dear friend “Earnest” is actually named Jack and using a pseudonym to avoid scandal, he is overcome with glee, for he has done a very similar thing in the creation of a “poor invalid” by the name of Bunbury whom he uses to avoid social obligations. While Jack finds the concept ridiculous and tedious, Algernon considers it an art form of sorts.
However, the secret identities of both men collide when each becomes infatuated with a woman - Cecily for Algernon and Gwendoline for Jack - who is in love with the name “Ernest,” forcing them both to adopt the persona of the exact same character. With judgmental aunts, frightful christenings, and arguments over an absurd amount of food, these characters attempt to sort out their convoluted double lives.
A comedy full of misunderstanding, deception, and mystery, The Importance of Being Earnest highlights the absurd nature of Victorian England’s aristocracy in a lighthearted and fun fashion. Relevant in modern times more than ever - given the ease with which one may falsify their identity - this show is a charming and witty tale of discovering who we really are.
The Characters of the Show:
Jack Worthing - A serious, respectable, and diligent man, Jack is a wealthy man tasked with guardianship over his adoptive father’s teenage granddaughter. In order to enjoy himself without besmirching his good name, however, Jack goes by Ernest whenever in the city, where he has fallen in love with the beautiful Gwendoline Fairfax, cousin of his best frenemy, Algernon Moncrieff.
Algernon Moncrieff - Known affectionately as “Algy,” Algernon is an aristocratic and debonair young man who refuses to take anything seriously. Witty and handsome, Algernon is intrigued by the discovery of his friend’s ward, Cecily Cardew, and decides to use the alias of Ernest to woo her into marriage.
Gwendoline Fairfax - Posh and proper, Gwendoline is as beautiful as she is pretentious. Educated, sharp, and confident, Gwendoline is set upon a passionate romance with a man by the name of Ernest. Unfortunately, she is at the mercy of her overbearing mother, Augusta, and must conspire if she is to have her one true love.
Cecily Cardew - The ward of Jack Worthing, Cecily is a woman on the cusp of adulthood who has been raised with all the proper care and education Jack could provide. In spite of her proper life, though, she has fallen wildly in love with the idea of Jack’s most wicked brother, Ernest. Without meeting him, she has created a fantastical relationship between herself and this alluring and wicked young man.
Lady Bracknell - Algernon’s aunt and Gwendoline’s mother, Augusta Bracknell is an uptight and intense woman with a deep concern over proper everything. Overbearing, demanding, and deeply judgmental, she rejects Jack as a potential suitor on account of the story of his discovery - he was abandoned in a black handbag as an infant - and refuses to allow Gwendoline to pursue a relationship with him. Though not at all a requirement for the character, it is not unusual for Lady Bracknell to be portrayed by a performer in drag.
Miss Prism - Cecily’s governess, or caretaker and teacher, Prism is rigid in her belief systems and quite stern. She is, however, infatuated with the Reverend Dr. Chasuble, whom she entertains a coy flirtation that neither party seems willing to openly acknowledge.
Reverend Canon Chasuble, D.D. - A “Doctor of Divinity,” Reverend Chasuable is the rector of Jack’s estate and a man eager to please and do right by Jack, Cecily, and Prism. Kindly and a bit apprehensive, the Reverend harbors a not-so-secret crush on Miss Prism, whom he attempts to flirt with through metaphors.
Lane - Algernon’s servant, Lane is monotone and aloof, though he plays along with Algernon’s mischievous ways. Lane only appears in Act 1.
Merriman - Jack’s servant, who remains mostly absent except to introduce newcomers to the estate. Lane and Merriman could be played by the same individual in order to highlight how overlooked the “lower class” characters are.
