Importance of Being Earnest

Due to COVID 19, the play has been postponed until Fall 2020

Southwestern Adventist University’s English department will present Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest as this year’s annual play April 23-26 in the Wharton Auditorium.

The romantic comedy is set in England during the Victorian-era and tells the story of two

men living double lives. Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff are two London aristocrats who disguise themselves as different people when they travel between the city and the country. As the story unfolds, audiences will be entertained by the play’s fun, witty humor and the satirical jabs it takes at Victorian era ideas of love and marriage.

English professor and play director Renard Doneskey explained how he decided what

play to perform this year. “I cycled through about six plays, all comedies. I choose comedies because people leave the theatre feeling really good and having had a good time.” What can audiences expect from this year’s play? “Super high class acting,” Doneskey says. “There’s a great actor in every part.”

This year one of the lead roles is being played by Bryan Barrera, a senior English major

who’s performed in two previous plays at SWAU. “The role of Jack excites me because I have never had a lead role before this one,” he says. “Plus, I am a big fan of Oscar Wilde and I’m excited to see where this play goes.”

The play will be presented this spring on three separate dates: April 23 at 8 p.m., April 25 at 9 p.m., and April 26 at 8 p.m. All performances will be in the Wharton Auditorium of the Mabee Center on the Southwestern Adventist University campus. Tickets are available to community members for $5, but free for all students, staff, faculty, and administration.