After more than two months of rehearsals, “The Importance of Being Earnest” opened in the Blackbox Theatre on Feb. 6, 7, and 8. The witty, satirical show follows Jack Worthing, played by senior Lily-Rose Garcia, and Algernon Moncrieff, played by senior Sophie Ankeles, in mishaps stemming from their alter egos named Earnest.
Junior Naomi Diehl, who watched the show on Friday night, commented, “The way the cast played with the comedy of the dialogue and stage direction really sold it for me.”
“I wanted to make sure that this play would contrast with the other plays that have been selected last year and then this year,” explained Upper School Performing Arts Teacher Sam Robinson, who directed the play. “In looking at our community I thought that ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ would be something that resonated with them.”
The decision was also influenced by the play’s inclusion in the curriculum of a senior English class, AP Literature: Pursuit of Happiness. Because the production aligned with the class’s current unit on the play, the entire class attended opening night. This production continues a trend set by last year’s winter play “Macbeth,” which was also tied to the sophomore English II curriculum. “
“The Importance of Being Earnest” featured double casting, with the actors split into a “Town” cast and a “Country” cast. With twelve total cast members, five roles were double cast while four remained single-cast. The Technical Theatre class created the set for the show.
“I interact with [the character] Cecily a lot in the play, which was double cast with Annie [Delbridge] and Molly [Villaverde], and they did totally different things with the character,” said Ankeles, who played Algernon in both casts. “It genuinely did make it a different show every night, which was really fun, and I think it challenged me to [make] a couple different decisions and show different sides of my character.”
The cast dedicated significant rehearsal time to developing their characters, mastering both their distinct personalities and the required dialects.
“We spent one day before the show riffing off in character, just completely improvising our characters,” described junior Olivia Rivera-Vasquez, who played Gwendolyn. “I really loved that.”
The actors had to master Received Pronunciation, a standard form of British English pronunciation, ensuring their posh British accents felt natural to their characters’ aristocratic status. To navigate Wilde’s fast-paced, satirical dialogue, the cast focused on comedic pacing, ensuring the play’s iconic lines landed effectively with the audience.
One unusual aspect of the play was the eating and handling of food on stage. Playing the gluttonous Algernon required Ankeles to master the difficult task of balancing vocal clarity with her character’s constant eating. After eating many muffins throughout the rehearsal process and in the shows, Ankeles stated, “I’m not as fond of muffins as I was before.”
“I was truly inspired by the creativity of the performers and by their dedication, and the production far exceeded what I had dreamed possible for the show,” Robinson commented. “This is one of the best directing experiences that I’ve had.”
