The Importance of Being Earnest

Notes from the Director

Artistic Director's Notes
Almost since our inception, Woman's Will has discussed taking an eventual foray into works not by Shakespeare. How would we do it? What script could we use? But with a chance mention of The Importance of Being Earnest, our path became clear. Delightful, insightful, word-based classical theatre is our forté, and here it is. Gender-switching performances are our metiér, and… well, we all felt sure Wilde would have cast his show with all men if he could! We just couldn't pass it up. But Earnest is not just a fun little ditty; his 1895 comedy of manners is a brilliant and brutal satire on English Society in his time. Did his audiences recognize themselves in the play? Did they learn from it? And more importantly, will we?

Director's Notes
Oscar Wilde wrote the scenario for The Importance of Being Earnest in the late summer of 1894 while vacationing with his wife, Constance, and their two sons at the seaside resort of Worthing. When his family departed, he was soon joined at the cottage by his lover, Bosie, Lord Alfred Douglas. Packed with inside jokes (in an early version of the play, Algernon Moncrieff's character was named Lord Alfred, and the scenario more boldly echoed the sexual complexities of his private relationships), the play is nonetheless a rigorous examination of the hypocrisy that prevailed in London Society of the time and a plea for something better, or at least more beautiful. Dublin-born, Wilde was an outsider whose witticisms had made him the darling of London's drawing rooms, but in his play he skewered not only his own "Bunburying" habits but more importantly the public pretensions hiding the private lives of his very own audience. (By making his Earnest characters people who aren't quite who or what they seem to be, Wilde even trumps the English at being English!) Even here and now, when we no longer grasp every intimate inside joke, Wilde's social critique not only rings true but tickles our ribs. And because we, as audience, gleefully decipher the double entendres which ever so innocently slip off the tongues of his characters, we too are implicated in his games.

It is hard to imagine anyone else in London being as well-spoken as Wilde and his characters, or as careless with both their kindnesses and cruelty. Perhaps it was Wilde's very ability to juxtapose the tricks of farce with cut-to-the-quick linguistic satire that made George Bernard Shaw call the play "heartless."1 Playing his own life as Art, Wilde in his plays "holds a mirror up to nature," as Shakespeare suggested, and points out the ugly truth hidden in plain view. Alas, as Algernon tells us, "the truth is rarely pure and never simple." When the play premiered on a snowy Valentine's Day in 1895, Wilde was both at the height of his career and on the precipice of his downfall. The same witty Oscar whose escapades Society had winked at was soon ostracized from that Society when he lost his libel suit against Bosie's father, who had publicly accused him of sodomy. Ironically, Wilde penned some of his most "earnest" thoughts in prison, in the form of an essay/letter to Bosie, but by then his life, both public and private, had collapsed.

And yet, Oscar Wilde's passionate spirit will live on. Wilde's fellow-playwright and social critic (and a Shakespeare-hater) Shaw once wrote, "Mr. Wilde is to me our only thorough playwright. He plays with everything: with wit, with philosophy, with drama, with actors and audience, with the whole theatre."2 We agree. Enjoy every quip-and do take them personally!

-Virginia Reed

1. As quoted in THE STRANGER WILDE by Gary Schmidgall. Dutton Press, 1994.
2. As quoted in THE PORTABLE OSCAR WILDE edited by R. Arlington and S. Weintraub. Penguin, 1987: p. 3.

Residences

The Pardee Home, Oakland
The Pardee Home was built in 1868-69 by Enoch Pardee, a Gold Rush immigrant to California from the Midwest, who became an eye doctor in San Francisco after mining gold. The house, including its carriage house and water tower, is a centerpiece of Oakland's Preservation Park Historic District, within a short walking distance of such downtown landmarks as Old Oakland, City Hall, and Preservation Park. Once threatened by the construction of Interstate 980, the successful effort to save the house in the 1970s was an important early chapter in the historic preservation movement in Oakland. It was designated a city landmark in 1975, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and was named a California state landmark in 1997.

Stern Grove Trocadero Clubhouse, San Francisco
Built in 1892 for California pioneer George Greene, the Trocadero Clubhouse was conceived as a public hotel and garden for San Franciscans to get away from the City. Initially the scene of gambling, dancing and other sporting activities, it languished during the Depression. Mrs. Sigmund Stern purchased the property in 1931 and donated it to the City as a park and concert venue.

Falkirk Mansion, San Rafael
Falkirk is a 19th century country estate with a Queen Anne style Victorian on 11 acres of sloping lawns, gardens and wooded hillside. Designed by prominent local architect Clinton Day, the house was built in 1888 by Ella Nichols Park and purchased by Captain Robert Dollar in 1906. Falkirk is owned and operated by the City of San Rafael. It has served the community as a cultural center for 28 years, housing a contemporary art gallery and providing seasonal public programs, a cultural series, lectures, art classes and an annual free summer concert. It is available to rent for meetings, private parties and weddings.

An Oscar Wilde Timeline

1854
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland on October 16, the second son of Sir William and Lady Wilde, one of the Irish gentry's most colorful couples. Sir William was a famed surgeon as well as an amateur archaeologist and infamous philanderer. Lady Wilde, the former Jane Francesca Elgee, a renowned Irish nationalist and poet who wrote under the pseudonym "Speranza."

1871-74
Attends Trinity College in Dublin and wins the Berkeley Gold Medal for Greek.

1874-1878
Attends Magdalen College, Oxford. Wins "double first" in university degree examinations and the Oxford Newgate Prize for Poetry. Studies under two of the Victorian era's most eminent and influential figures: John Ruskin, then a professor of art, and Walter Pater, whose latter-day epicurean philosophy is encapsulated in his famous phrase "To burn always with this hard, gem-like flame to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life."

1878
Moves to London where his flamboyance-he wore colorful velvet coats, knee-breeches, and green carnations-and intellect make him the Spokesman of the Aesthetic ("Art for Art's sake") movement.

1880
Writes Vera or The Nihilists, his first play, which is produced, unsuccessfully, in New York in 1883.

1881
Poems published. By this time, Wilde's celebrity is such that Gilbert and Sullivan caricature him with the character of Bunthorne in their operetta Patience, or Bunthorne's Bride.

1882
Begins a successful lecture tour in the United States and Canada, in part to boost attendance at American productions of Patience. At customs, he claims, "I have nothing to declare except my genius."

1884
Marries Constance Lloyd. They, have two sons, Cyril (1885) and Vyvyan (1886).

1887
Becomes editor of The Woman's World.

1888
The Happy Prince and Other Tales published.

1890
The Picture of Dorian Gray serialized in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine and declared immoral.

1891
The Duchess of Padua produced in New York. Meets Lord Alfred Douglas.

1892
Lady Windermere's Fan produced at the St. James Theatre.

1893
A Woman of No Importance produced. Salomé falls afoul of English laws and is published in French.

1894
The Chameleon, containing his "Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young" appears.

1895
An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest produced. Having been accused of "posing as a somdomite" (sic), Wilde sues Lord Alfred's father, the Marquess of Queensberry, for libel. The trial begins April 3. By May 25, Wilde is charged with acts of "gross indecency". He is sentenced to 2 years hard labor.

1896
Wilde's Mother dies.

1897
De Profundis is finished. Wilde is released from prison on May 19.

1898
The Ballad of Reading Gaol is published. Mrs. Wilde dies.

1900
Wilde dies of meningitis in Hotel d'Alsace, Paris.

Bios

• Virginia Reed (Director)
  • has worked as a director, dramaturg, or producer on projects with: Aurora Theatre, ACT Conservatory, Brava! Theater Center, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Greenhouse, Magic Theatre, Mark Taper Forum (L.A.), McCarter Theatre (N.J.), PlayBrokers, PlayGround, San José Repertory Theatre, Venue 9, Woman's Will, and Z Space. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Theatre at Northwestern University and a Masters of Philosophy in Irish Theatre Studies at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. A co-founder of the new company, The Shee, Ms. Reed most recently directed their inaugural production, Augustine (Big Hysteria).
• Chloë Bronzan (Miss Cecily Cardew)
  • was most recently seen as Miranda in The Tempest at the Mill Valley Shakespeare Festival. Other roles include Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Nicole in Froth, Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Celia in As You Like It. This will be her second appearance with Woman's Will. (Previously she had the honor of playing Jessica and Solanio in Woman's Will's production of Merchant of Venice at the Cinnabar Theatre.)
• Lauren Carley (Miss Prism)
  • California Artist-in-Residence, MacDowell Colony Residency recipient and recording artist, Lauren Carley has performed her original solo shows throughout the US, and recently released her solo CD, "Hooked on Weill," featuring original arrangements of the music of Kurt Weill. Most recently seen as Ariel in The Tempest at Mill Valley's Old Mill Park, Ms. Carley also teaches Solo Performance and directs at Colorado College, conducts at the Oakland Youth Chorus, and premieres interdisciplinary works around the world. She has served as Adjunct Professor of Voice at New York University, vocal faculty at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Vocal Department Head and Master Coach for Birch Creek Music Academy, and core artist and voice coach in the Emma Troupe Interdisciplinary Theatre Lab.
• Laura Hope (Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax)
  • is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Theatre at the University of California, Davis, and received an M.A. in Drama from San Francisco State University and a B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She worked for the Magic Theatre for 5 ½ years, where she was the Literary Manager and Festival Director. At the Magic, she produced A Festival of Irish Women Playwrights, Playwrights in Danger, A Festival of Lesbian Playwrights, and three other new plays festivals. Favorite roles as an actor include Cheryl in The American in Me (Magic Theatre), Emily in Girl Scout Rejects (Venue 9), Brooke in Noises Off (North Coast Rep) and Regan in King Lear (Naked Shakespeare Company). Ms. Hope is a co-founder of the new company, The Shee, and most recently appeared as the title character in Augustine (Big Hysteria).
• Rosemary Maciel (Lane/Merriman/Stage Manager)
  • Having moved to the Bay Area from Reno three years ago, and still adjusting to the weather, Ms. Maciel is thrilled to be a part of this Woman's Will production of Earnest. She received her B.A. in Theatre not so very long ago, and is now in the process of living this oh-so-new chapter in her life.
• Erin Merritt (Mr. Algernon Moncrieff)
  • With Woman's Will, Artistic Director Erin Merritt has directed four productions (most recently 2002's critically acclaimed Pericles) and acted in two, playing Lucio in Measure for Measure and the title role in Coriolanus, the first time she played opposite Carla Pantoja. A teacher, dramaturg, director and actor, Ms. Merritt has also worked in the Bay Area and beyond with such companies as Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Shotgun Players, Center REPertory Company, Pacific Repertory Theatre, Willows Theatre Company, Unconditional Theatre, and Washington's Taproot Theatre Company and Interplayers Ensemble. Favorite past roles include The Woman in Scotland Road, Li'l Bit in How I Learned to Drive, and the title role in Sylvia.
• Phoebe Moyer (Lady Bracknell)*
  • just returned from a highly successful run at PCPA TheatreFest (Santa Maria/Solvang) as Boo in The Last Night of Ballyhoo. She is the winner of numerous awards from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and Dean Goodman Choice and has performed throughout the Bay Area for Theatreworks, Theatre Artists of Marin, Marin Theatre Company, Calaveras Repertory Theatre, Center REPertory Company, TheatreFIRST, AmeRican CitiZeN's TheatRE, Angst Ensemble, Pacific Alliance, Sierra Rep, Marin Shakespeare, Willows Theatre Company, Bay Area Playwright's Festival, Quicksilver 11 Theatre Company, Solano College, College of Marin, Actors Theatre of Sonoma, Aurora Theatre Company, and Playhouse West. Favorite roles include Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Daisy in Driving Miss Daisy, and Maria Callas in Master Class.
• Carla Pantoja (Mr. Jack Worthing)
  • Ms. Pantoja is perfectly and absolutely ecstatic about playing Jack. A Woman's Will company member, she has been seen as Antipholus of Ephesus in Comedy of Errors, Aufidius in Coriolanus, and performed as the understudy of Angelo in Measure For Measure. Other Bay Area theatre companies Ms. Pantoja has worked with include Playground, TheatreWorks, Brava!, Bus Barn Stage Company and Teatro Visión.
• Dianne M. Terp (Dr. Chasuble)*
  • is in her fourth year as a professional member (AGMA) of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Ms. Terp has appeared with San Francisco Opera, West Bay Opera of Palo Alto, SOLO Opera of Walnut Creek, and Opera New England. Her roles include The Marquise of Berkenfeld in Donizetti's Daughter of the Regiment, The Widow Begbick in Mahagonny by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, Mistress Quickly in Falstaff, and Madame Flora in Menotti's The Medium. Ms. Terp has a long résumé with the Boston Symphony, including solo performance with the Boston Pops and international tours with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. She received her musical training at Smith College and Boston Conservatory of Music. She also has earned a Masters in Social Policy and Planning from Harvard University.

* Member, AEA
An Actor's Equity Approved Project

Multimedia

Photos

Click on the image to see a larger version.