An independent production of “The Importance of Being Earnest” is being shown at the New Prospect Theater in downtown Bellingham on April 17, and a cast of Western Washington University students will help produce the show.
Jason Dean, the director, producer and props designer said he is excited to share what the cast has been working on for the last few months.
“I have always loved the work of Oscar Wilde and ‘Earnest’ in particular,” Dean said. “I think it is the most soft-edge of his social comedies, poking fun at the superficiality of society and what we place importance on while still having a fundamentally hopeful view of humanity in the message that we ultimately will choose love.”
“The Importance of Being Earnest” follows characters Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who each lead double lives. The play judges the reputation, complex marriage and rigid morality that come from the Victorian values and themes of the play.
“With how harsh and bleak our world is right now, having something light and breezy to break some of the tension, I hope will help everyone feel a little less alone and a little more refreshed,” Dean said.
Mckenna Daley, a student who helped run rehearsals and make props, says she is proud of the work she has done and is hopeful the show will sell seats.
“It’s one of my favorite plays,” Daley said. “I remember seeing it when I was in middle school and I didn’t fully get all the jokes.”
Daley said it is a light-hearted show and isn’t meant to be taken seriously.
Her character is Cecily Cardew, a woman who is judged by her fascination with wickedness for Jack’s immoral ways of leading a double life. She falls in love with Jack Worthing’s alter ego, whose reputation intrigues her.
“She’s a solid character,” Daley said. “Unfortunately, she is a little naive."
Logan Liteky, an actor in the play and a linguistics student, also doubled as their dialect coach. He is excited to see his hard work helping his castmates perfect their dialect pay off. According to Liteky, the director wanted the play to be in Received Pronunciation, which is an old British prescriptive dialect that was intentionally used by the wealthy.
Both Liteky and Daley have seen the show before being cast, but neither had read it all the way through.
“To me, it’s a breath of fresh air and realism theater,” Liteky said. “I think this show has given us a lot of opportunities to make some bold, fun choices and the show serves as a way to remain silly and fun, especially during a time in the world where there is so much bad stuff.”
Doors open at 5 p.m. at the New Prospect Theater. Tickets are $15 for the one-night-only performance and are available on the theater's website.
Jamie Reed is a campus life reporter. She is a third-year public relations major with a minor in anthropology. She likes to draw and listen to music while enjoying the sun when it’s out. You can reach her at jamiereed.thefront@gmail.com.
