Photo Courtesy of the 14th Grade Player
The 14th Grade Players opened their production “The Importance of Being Earnest” this past weekend on the Mount Vernon Campus. The show was directed by Angelina Hoidra and ended up selling out each night.
The cast credits the show’s funny moments to the way in which Hoidra decided to direct the show. “Angelina is honestly one of the best directors that I have worked with during my time doing theatre,” said Roger Jeannotte.
This play is timeless and has been performed around the world. The play was written by Oscar Wilde in 1895 and was an early experiment during the Victorian era in England. “Even though it is 100 years old, it still has both timeless messages and timeless humor of the importance of being earnest,” said Katie Banks.
“This play is very me because it’s so funny and fits my sense of humor,” said Hoidra. “This gives an audience room to interpret the meaning of the show for themselves, which I think Oscar Wilde intended to do.”
To truly fit the show’s setting, the cast worked on their British accent with the help of accent trainer Cameron Hopkins. Each actor continually worked on their character’s development and attempted to best present these characters to the audience.
The show had three intermissions, during which the set was changed for each new act. The set was carefully designed by the crew and it set each act apart from the rest.
The cast and audience both thought opening night went great. The actors promised that the show would be fun, satirical, loving, clever, hilarious and deeper than it appeared at its surface.
Photo Courtesy of the 14th Grade Players
“The show is all about characters who in some way pretend to be someone they’re not,” said Flynn Beckman. “I think that’s very relevant to all of us because we are always in some situation where we have to wear a particular face to be approved of or to fit in.”
Upcoming shows include “Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet),” which runs April 3-5 in the Lisner Downstage, “Hotbed Hotel” running from April 17-19 at the West Hall theatre, “The Shape of Things” running April 17-19in Lisner Downstage, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” from April 24-26 in the West Hall Theatre and “The Taming of the Shrew” from April 24-26 in Lisner Downstage.