ProgrammeThe Importance of Being Earnest

by Oscar Wilde

Directed by Peter Edwards

CAST

Pianist - David Eddison

Summer 1985

Act One : The flat of Algernon Moncrieff, Half-Moon Street. W
Act Two : The garden at the Manor House, Woolton.
Act Three: The same, a few minutes later.

Excluding Shakespeare, The Importance of Being Earnest probably ranks as the most famous play in the English language. Its joy lies in the use of language to mirror the aspirations and pretentions of its characters. Each of these characters is inordinately selfish - and even the two butlers offer glimpses of a life outside service. They all express themselves with a surety only seen today in political life.

As an Irish homosexual in nineteenth century society, Oscar Wilde could be described as the classic case of an 'outsider'. It is this quality, allied to his facility with words, that enables him to write such a sharp satire on the manners of his day.

In this production we have tried to treat the play freshly, avoiding the traps of tradition where possible - which, after all, have been described as 'mere slovenliness' by a better authority.
Peter Edwards

PRODUCTION TEAM

Set Design - James E. Wadsworth
Set Construction - Mark Storton and Team-
Stage Manager - Andrew Bean and Team
Lighting - Huw David
Properties -Gordon Chadwick
Wardrobe -Anne Dunlop
Prompt - Jeniene Dawes
Photography - Mark Storton
Publicity - Heather Jamison
Front of House - Geoffrey Pratt

Our thanks to Burnley Borough Council Recreation and Leisure Services for their assistance.