“Welcome to a world of bustles and corsets and smoking jackets, of people marrying for name and station, and making sure you live on the fashionable side of the street,” said Associate Professor of Theatre Ian Borden, who is directing the Nebraska Repertory Theatre’s production of “The Importance of Being Earnest.”
Oscar Wilde’s classic “The Importance of Being Earnest” runs Oct. 3-13 in the Howell Theatre. For showtimes and tickets, visit https://nebraskarep.org.
“’Earnest’ is Wilde’s funniest play, and one of the funniest plays I have ever come across,” Borden said. “The play satirizes the foibles of the monied class, and in doing so, pokes fun at all of us and our pursuit of love, with a sharp wit and a great amount of humor. It has also been described as ‘impossibly stupid people saying impossibly clever things,’ and will be a wonderful, fun night at the theatre.”
The play will take the audience back to 1885.
“It will be a visual delight, as well as a delight for the ears and a quick travel back in time to 1885,” Borden said. “And it’s surprising how much 1885 can say about our world today.”
Borden noted that Wilde once visited Lincoln to visit the Nebraska State Penitentiary (https://go.unl.edu/zvhe). But he said his only challenge as a director is not to get in the way of the classic play.
“The only real challenge is not screwing it up,” he said. “It’s a classic for a reason, and all I really need to do is get out of the way.”
Aaron Harrel, a sophomore acting major from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, is playing Jack Worthing.
“In order to get up to town, Jack goes by the name Ernest, and when he resides at his country house, he goes by Jack,” Harrel said. “Ernest is a mostly upstanding fellow who is constantly nagged on by his friend, Algernon, for his constant affections toward Algy’s cousin, Gwendolen. Anytime she’s in the room, it’s almost as if nothing else exists in the world. Jack, in the country, is guardian to his ward, Cecily Cardew. For years this rouse has been going swimmingly. Surely nothing would fall apart….”
Harrel is looking forward to hearing audiences laugh.
“I’m super excited to hear an audience laugh, for real,” he said. “Throughout the rehearsal process, it was so fun to learn what can make even just our fellow cast members laugh.”
Robbie Exstrom, a senior acting major from Kearney, Nebraska, says ‘Earnest” is a “trivial comedy for serious people.”
“Oscar Wilde satirizes the concepts of identity, honesty and hypocrisy using 19th century England as the backdrop,” he said. “Navigating marital entanglements and societal expectations, we are taken on a journey that exposes the true meaning of being ‘earnest.’”
Exstrom is playing the Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D.
“Doctor of Divinity, Rev. Canon Chasuble, is the bubbly, bumbling priest of Mr. Worthing’s estate who, in all his attempts, tries to hold peace and happiness among the wild cast of characters and is thrown out of his comfort zone when he and the governess of the estate, Miss Prism, begin to speak metaphorically and see each other in a beautiful, new way.”
Tyson Pappas, a junior acting major from Hastings, Nebraska, is playing the butler Lane.
“I play Lane, who is Ernest’s friend and Algernon’s butler,” they said. “He is quick-witted, efficient, and far-and-away the only reason why Algernon hasn’t completely drowned in debt.”
Pappas describes the play as a farce.
“It centers on a young, well-to-do man named Ernest (or Jack, depending on where he is), who leads double lives to navigate his strict social circles with ease,” they said.
Exstrom said audiences may find that 19th century England is more like the current day than it seems.
“Audiences should expect a hilarious, absurd, sincere, witty, engaging and heartfelt world where they may see themselves as well,” he said. “Also, they should expect gorgeous costumes and breathtaking set design that seamlessly transforms the Howell Theatre into the English Victorian era.”
“Though it’s over a century old, it’s still hilarious,” Pappas said. “Audiences should expect to tear up laughing more than once.”
Lydia Berger Gray, an Equity actor based in Chicago, plays Lady Bracknell.
“Lady Bracknell is described as a ‘Gorgon’ by the character of Jack, a ‘monster, without being a myth.’ But from my viewpoint, in playing the role of Lady Bracknell, she is a proud woman with a stern upper lip,” she said. “She values Society and all of its rules and thrives in being the dispenser of them. She married into money and has risen to the top of aristocracy by always being right, and unapologetic.”
She is grateful for the opportunity to work with students on the production.
“Working with these students is very exciting because they are at the very beginning of their professional career,” Berger Gray said. “I am honored to get to be a part of their journey into the wonderful career path that is available to actors.”
She describes the Nebraska Repertory Theatre as “a unique gem” and encourages people to see the production.
“And the only program of its kind in Nebraska—a professional theatre within a university setting,” she said. “Audiences can expect a production unlike any other they could see in the entire state. Students at their best working alongside professional union actors in a production with all the trimmings. And this particular play is a classic! It has remained funny for over 125 years because of, in my opinion, its commentary on society and Oscar Wilde’s mastery of language. So audiences should expect to laugh.”
Berger Gray said the Rep model gives students a unique opportunity to get a leg up in their acting career by earning union credits.
“The Actors Equity Association has its roots in apprenticeship,” Berger Gray said. “Before an actor joins the union, the idea is to work alongside more experienced actors and ‘learn the ropes.’ It’s an opportunity to work on a show where being an actor is a career, not a hobby, and before they even graduate, the students at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film will be ahead of the curve by adding a professional union acting credit to their resume. This is a big deal. I don’t know of many opportunities like this in the country. These students are extremely fortunate, in my opinion, to get ahead in their career in this way. And I love that they are learning about the importance and value of being part of a union.”
Harrel said the designers on the production have something special in store for audiences.
“Audiences should expect a beautiful and fresh new take on the design for the set, some amazingly gorgeous and timely costumes, and jaw-dropping lighting,” he said. “Our design team is really cooking up something special with this one.”
Exstrom said “Earnest” is for everyone.
“Even though this play was written in 1895, the themes, and especially the humor, are still so relevant today,” he said. “You will be swept away into the world of ridiculous honesty and fall in love with these perfectly flawed people. Come see this show!”