Margaret Contreras
Editor-in-Chief
The theatre arts department is showing “Importance of Being Earnest,” by Oscar Wilde, directed by senior theater major Erin Fleming.
Written in 1895, it’s a comedy based in the upper class Victorian of England.
The play centers around Jack and Algeron who create alter egos, Earnest and Bunbury, to escape from their social duties. One wanting to escape to the city and the other to the countryside. The play follows Earnest, or Jack, in a self discovery and his double life. It also follows Algernon and Jack comedic deceit to their lovers; Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew.
“I really wanted to do a comedy,” said senior theater major and director Erin Fleming. “I felt like there was no better playwright than Oscar Wilde to do that. And I thought it would be fun to try to get his words connected to a modern audience through physicality.”
Monday night was the first dress rehearsal for the production. The chemistry between the actors and their characters were palpable.
“We didn’t really solidify who the characters were, right until we started getting it up on our feet and interacting with each other,” Hailey Garcia, junior creative writing and who plays Gwendolen Fairfax, said.
Jack Worthington is the main protagonist leading a double life as Earnest. The secondary character is Algernon Moncrieff.
“I think one of my biggest fears coming into it as director was missing jokes,” Fleming said. “I think, as a director, I have to remember that the audience is going to find different things, humorous or funny.”
Fleming has added her own twist in the production with choreography that shows the emotions and frustrations of the characters. Which also added to the comedy of the written play.
“The moment we started doing the blocking, it was easier to see how these dynamics were formed,” Nick Onalfo, freshman business administration who plays Jack Worthington/Earnest, said.
The first act had the introduction of three of the four main characters; Jack Worthing/Earnest, Algernon Moncrieff and Gwendolen Fairfax.
The show has a total of two intermissions, where the character and the stage change. In the intermission there are small comedic acts played by the two servant characters that appear sporadically in the play.
“I think I feel like every one of these characters has their own sense of humor,” Fleming said. “I wanted to have, like, moments where they could shine. And I also just love doing fight choreography.”
The first act takes place in the home of Algernon Moncrieff. The second act was in the gardens in the home of Jack Worthington and the final act was inside his home.
The stage had a shadow box upstage to help with the ambiance of feeling either inside or outside. Placed throughout the stage were the props and furniture to help enhance the setting.
“I think the first time is definitely more jittery, and when we get that out of our system, it’s like, okay, it’s up from here,” Christopher Cummings, senior English literature who plays Algernon Moncrieff, said. “Our worst is still pretty good, and there’s something that’s comforting in that idea. And I trust in our cast, and I know our chemistry together works well on stage, and it creates a welcoming environment…comedy in general is inviting an audience to let them know it’s good to laugh, or to set the environment.”
The show opened Thursday and runs through Sunday. Performances will be at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday with matinees at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, in the Dailey Theater.
Admission ranges from $7 to $13.
For tickets, visit eventbrite.com.
Margaret Contreras can be reached at margaret.contreras@laverne.edu.
Magaret Contreras is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is editorial director and LV Life editor of the Campus Times and previously worked as editor-in-chief and a staff writer.
Mia Byington is a senior photography major with a minor in marketing. She is a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine.
