The Importance of Being EarnestA Victorian comedy by Oscar Wilde

Directed by:

Lisa KornetskyAssistant Director:

Michael DalbergAudience Guide by:

William Teoh

Performances:October 11, 12, 17, 18 & 19 at 7:30 p.m.

October 18 at 10 a.m.

October 20 at 2 p.m.

University of Wisconsin Parkside MainstageTheatre

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Table of Contents:

- Oscar Wilde biography 3 – 5

- Play summary 6 - 8

- Characters 9 - 11

- Victorian influences 12 - 13

- Fun/educational facts about rehearsals 14 - 16

- Post show considerations 17

- Bibliography 18

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Oscar WildeOn October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (Oscar Wilde) was born to the family of William Wilde and Jane Francesca Elgee. William Wilde was a doctor who was knighted for his work as a medical advisor for the Irish censuses and later founded St. Mark's Ophthalmic Hospital, at his own expense, to treat the city's poor. Oscar Wilde's mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, was a poet who was closely associated with the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848.

In 1878, the year of his graduation, his poem "Ravenna" won the Newdigate Prize for the best English verse composition by an Oxford undergraduate; after which he moved to London to focus on writing poetry, publishing his first collection, Poems, in 1881. The next year, in 1882, Wilde traveled from London to New York City to embark on an American lecture tour, where he delivered an astounding 140 lectures in just nine months. While not lecturing, he managed to meet with some of the leading American scholars and literary figures of the day, including Henry Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Walt Whitman.

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Through his lectures and poetry, Wilde established himself as a leading proponent of the aesthetic movement; a theory of art and literature that focused on the beauty of its nature, rather than the social or political influences of its time. In 1891, he published Intentions, an essay collection arguing the tenets of aestheticism, and his first and only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. The novel is a cautionary tale about a beautiful young man, Dorian Gray, who wishes that his portrait ages while he remains youthful and lives a life of sin and pleasure. The novel received extreme criticism due to the book's apparent lack of morality, according to his critics. Wilde defended himself in a preface to the novel, he wrote,

"an ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style" and "vice and virtue are to the artist materials for an art." This experience opened up the opportunity for him to bring together aesthetic forms and social themes through dramatic literature. At the end of summer in 1891, Wilde had written 3 tragedies that brought no success; but Wilde being the successful writer he has become, decided to take his path of dramatic tragedy to comedy.

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On February 22nd 1892, Wilde’s first comedy Lady Windermere’s Fan debuted at the St. James theatre in London, which brought great popularity and critical acclaim. This propelled Wilde to focus on dramatic writing as his primary literary form, he went on to write and produce several successful comedies including, A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), his most famous play. At this time Wilde was at the height of his success, and gave the working title Lady Lancing to avoid any speculation of its content.

Throughout his life, Wilde remained committed to the principles of aestheticism, He quotes "All art is at once surface and symbol; those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril, those who read the symbol do so at their peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors. Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex and vital."

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Play Summary:

Algernon Moncrieff welcomes his friend Ernest Worthing in for a visit. Through an incident with a cigarette case We learn that Ernest is really Jack Worthing. In the country, Jack must lead the boring life of responsible guardian for his pretty, young ward Cecily. So he made up a younger brother named Ernest, who is the urban socialite. Cecily, we learn is interested in Earnest Worthing. Algernon reveals that he too has a fake friend named Bunbury in which he uses as an excuse to care for away from home. Jack reveals that his is in love with Gwendolyn Fairfax who is Algernon’s cousin and courts her.

We learn that Gwendolen is smitten by the name, Ernest. As she accepts his proposal Lady Bracknell enters and sends Gwendolyn away in a rage. She forbids the engagement because Mr. Worthingwas an orphan who was left in a handbag at Victoria train station.

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At Jack’s country estate, Cecily is avoiding German lessons while Ms. Prism is distracted by Dr. Chasuble. Just as Miss Prism leaves, Algernon arrives as Ernest and immediately takes to Cecily. Cecily reveals that she's been fantasizing about Earnest for quite some time, and has even imagined that she's engaged to him. Miss Prism finds Jack dressed in black mourning clothes. He’s announces that his brother, Ernest, has died tragically in Paris. Cecily comes out to tell her Uncle Jack that Ernest has come to visit. When Jack sees it’s Algernon, he is furious and arranges for Ernest to leave.

Then Gwendolen arrives and is entertained by Cecily. When they learns that the other is supposedly engaged to Ernest Worthing, they start fighting. Luckily, Jack and Algernon show up to clear up any doubt. Their true identities are revealed. The women, realizing they’ve been tricked, suddenly become best friends . Eventually, they confess that the Ernest business was done only so that they could see their beloved ladies as often as possible. Lady Bracknell arrives and gives Cecily an icy glare, and politely asks Jack how big this girl’s inheritance is. When she finds out that Cecily is extremely wealthy, Lady Bracknell’s attitude toward Cecily changes and gives consent for her and Algernon to marry. But Jack, as Cecily’s guardian, refuses to give his consent unless Lady Bracknell allows him to marry Gwendolen. Lady Bracknell wants nothing to do with it.

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Dr. Chasuble shows up to tell Jack and Algernon that everything is ready for their baptisms and mentions Miss Prism. She is brought before Lady Bracknelland confesses the truth: she was once Lady Bracknell’s servant and was in charge of a certain child. One day, she took the baby out for a walk and accidentally left the baby in a handbag at Victoria train station. At this discovery, Jack freaks out and returns with the handbag. Lady Bracknell tells him that a Mrs. Moncrieff is his mother which makes Jack ,Algernon’s older brother.

Then, they all wonder what Jack's real name is, Lady Bracknell tells Jack he was named after his father, Ernest. Gwendolen hugs Ernest. Cecily hugs Algernon. Miss Prism hugs Dr. Chasuble. And Ernest closes the play by insisting that he’s now learned the "importance of being earnest."

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Characters:

Jack Worthing (Ernest Worthing)- Jack lives a double life as Ernest Worthing when he escapes his country obligations. He was found in a handbag as an infant by an old man, adopted and subsequently made guardian to his niece, Cecily Cardew.

Algernon Moncrieff- Algy is the nephew to Lady Bracknell, cousin to Gwendolyn Fairfax, and best friend to Ernest (Jack) Worthing. He falls in love with Cecily and gets tangled in a mess of lies with Jack. He like Jack has invented another life to escape from social obligations.

Gwendolyn Fairfax-Gwendolyn is Lady Bracknell’s daughter, and Jack’s love interest whom she knows as Ernest Worthing. She is sophisticated, pretentious, and takes great leisure in the matter of taste of morality.

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Cecily Cardew-Jack’s ward, and granddaughter to the gentleman who adopted Jack when he was found in the handbag. Cecily learns of Ernest and falls in love with the idea of loving an Ernest. Her obsession with the name has led her to an elaborate fictional relationship with Ernest.

Lady Bracknell-Lady Bracknell married well and expects her daughter to do the same. She is a symbol of the aristocratic society of the Victorian era. She is cunning, authoritative, and manipulative.

Miss Prism- Cecily’s governess, she also once served as a maid to Lady Bracknell. Miss Prism is very critical of Jack’s “unfortunate” brother (Ernest) but secretly has a softer side; she also entertains romantic feelings for Dr. Chasuble.

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Dr. Chasuble-Dr. Chasuble is the rector of Jack’s country estate. He is to christen both Jack and Algernon as “Ernest”. He also entertains romantic feelings for Miss Prism.

Lane-Lane is Algernon’s manservant, he only appears in the city. He is the only other person other than Jack to know of “bunbury”.

Merriman- Merriman is the butler of the Manor House. He only appears in the country.

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Victorian Influences:

Culture/Mannerism:

-Victorian affinity for tradition, ritual and regularity, married to upper class wealth and pursuit of leisure activity, tended to breed a sterile morality.

-Appearances were believed to be everything.

-The public self and the private self were separate. The private self at times went underground while the public self adhered to routine.

-Great Britain was the last of the three great sea-faring nations to break into the Chinese and East Indian trade routes. Tea quickly proved popular enough to replace ale as the national drink of England.

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Fashion:

-Men's clothing were more comfortable, with a slightly easier fit and lower collars.

-Women were bound by the growth of rigid conventions (such as a corset) stipulating the 'correct' dress for each and every occasion

-Victorian Era was a lively style of ornamentation.

-Hats became a symbol of style statement and authority.

-Shawls, cloaks, mantles, scarves and little aprons were also accessories. Gloves and parasols were popular.

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Fun facts about our rehearsal process:

-According to Lisa Kornetsky, her direction was to guide the actors to indulge in the aestheticism of the comedy by Wilde.

-“We are here to entertain”

-On the process of costuming, our actors had to accustom themselves to the abundance of having accessories such as, parasols, canes, hats, gloves, and the most challenging of all corsets.

-“The biggest thing is reacquainting yourself how to not only breath, but properly project from a proscenium stage. You realize why there was such a prevalence of fainting couches in the period, because any exertion gets you feeling lightheaded. On the bright side, it does wonders for your figure and helps improve your posture. I just don't know how women used to do it every day of their lives.”

– Brittany Bouche as Gwendolyn Fairfax-

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-“It is definitely a progression wearing the corsets. The first few days having it on was a struggle. As we dive further into the process the tighter the better! It completely reshapes your body so you have to re-learn how to do the most basic things like sitting, bending and breathing. Ultimately it defines who these characters are as they wouldn't be the same if they were in a baggy t-shirt and sweatpants.”

-Bethanne Duffy as Cecily Cardew-

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-According to our props designer, Olivia Krauss, “During this era, the cucumber sandwich was for those in a higher society. The reason being, was because they were made up of no actual nutrition, it was a sign of luxury. Hence to why it is an inside joke, that Oscar Wilde addresses in this play about the hypocrisy of Victorian customs.”

-The cast has enjoyed the process of playing and exploring the world of duality throughout the rehearsal process.

- “It’s been such fun saying something and doing another, it’s the essence of acting!”

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Post show considerations:

-Does the idea of dual identities/worlds still apply to our time? And why?

-What relationship does the characters have with the natural world? Why do the characters separate the city and country?

-What is the correlation of “bunburying” and having a “social mask”?

-In what ways does the comedy define aestheticism?

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Bibliography:

-SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.

-"The Victorian Web: An Overview." The Victorian Web: An Overview. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.

-"Oscar Wilde Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.

-"The Official Web Site of Oscar Wilde." The Official Web Site of Oscar Wilde. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.

-Bouche, Brittany, and Bethanne Duffy. "Progression of Costuming and Characterization." Online interview. 01 Oct. 2013.