CofC Stages in the College of Charleston’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present its season finale, The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People. Written by Oscar Wilde, this clever play skewers the social niceties of the upper class while exploring the pitfalls of all the ways we perform our own identities.
The story follows protagonists Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff as they explore love, family, and just how far they can stretch the truth in late Victorian England.
The production is directed by theatre professor Todd McNerney. He explains that “Oscar Wilde’s plays, while focused on and framed by the Victorian period and its social practices, have entertained audiences for over 100 years with their witty dialogue and their explorations of the universal behaviors of men and women.”
He further notes that “None have done so more effectively or as humorously than The Importance of Being Earnest. Silly and trivial on its surface, its humor still resonates with how man- (and woman-)kind can take themselves too seriously in all matters, except perhaps the most important — love.”
Theatre students comprise the cast and crew. The show’s designers include students from the College’s School of the Arts: Madison Berry (scenic design), Mattison Gaillard (costume design), Bootsie Baldwin (lighting design) and Amelia Hawke Tebalt (sound design). Theatre major Kate Yarbray serves as stage manager.
DETAILS: Performances of The Importance of Being Earnest will take place at the Chapel Theatre (172 Calhoun St.). between April 12-21. Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. on April 12, 13, 15 and 17-20; and 2:00 p.m. matinees are on April 14, 20 and 21.
Individual tickets are $25; $20 for seniors (65+), military/veterans, and children (18 & under); and $12 for CofC students, faculty and staff.
To purchase tickets online:
Ticket link for faculty and staff
Or buy tickets at the George Street Box Office by calling (843) 953-4726 or emailing gsbo@cofc.edu.