The Importance of Being Earnest
All Female Cast

The Importance of Being Earnest

May 16 - June 12, 2017
Alder Stage

By Oscar Wilde
Directed by Michael Mendelson

An all-female, all-star Portland cast leads this production of Oscar Wilde’s magnificent 19th Century comedy of manners and social status. Lovely Gwendolyn and adorable Cecily don’t care who they marry as long as his name is Earnest (so manly and respectable!). Jack and Algernon are utterly smitten and only too happy to ditch their given names to bamboozle their way into the ladies’ hearts. Imperious Lady Bracknell is aghast, agog and practically apoplectic, but her efforts to impose propriety prove useless against Cupid’s earnest truth. High jinx, bon mots and cucumber sandwiches are served.

  • “A trivial comedy for serious people.” – Oscar Wilde
  • A fresh take on an enduring farcical masterpiece

Resources

STUDY GUIDE! A great resource for all. Download it here.

Learn about the playwright’s life by visiting here and here.

A fascinating comparison between the playwright’s life and the tragedy in Orlando can be found here.

Discover a past production of the play’s musical adaptation, performed with an all-women cast, here.

Keep tabs on an all-women cast performing the play this upcoming Fall by visiting here.

Alder Stage

1515 SW Morrison St, Portland, OR 97205

Press

“…unabashed delight… this winning production is a joy in every way.”

“…a positively delightful show…”

“…superlatively talented women…”

Meg Currell, EDGE Media Network

“I loved this show…pleasure of watching an incredible all-female cast totally rock some really killer hats.”

Krista Garver, Broadway World

“Director Michael Mendelson…given the show a fluid buoyancy, an almost musical flow, that allows the play’s caprices to slide easily forward and carry the audience mostly happily with them.”

Bob Hicks, Oregon ArtsWatch

“The play is two hours of rapier wit, small prevarications, heady but exacting language, and cucumber sandwiches…”

Judy Nedry, Judy Nedry Reviews

“…fluff and frolic…what the country needs now…a little perspective…so we can get on with our lives!”

Dennis Sparks, Dennis Sparks Reviews

“…delicately placed layers creating an energetic and vibrant production.”

Cassie Duncanson, PSU Vanguard

“The casting doesn’t subvert gender roles so much as draw attention to them.”

Shannon Gormely, Willamette Week

“A daring take on a Wilde play.”

Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, The New York Times

“Wilde’s masterpiece is so legendarily evergreen, it practically performs itself.”

Scott Brown, Vulture

Cast

Sarah Lucht
Merriman / Lane
Ayanna Berkshire
Algernon Moncrieff
Jamie M. Rea
Jack Worthing
Linda Alper
Lady Bracknell
Kailey Rhodes
Gwendolyn Fairfax
Vana O’Brien
Miss Prism
Crystal Ann Muñoz
Cecily Cardew
JoAnn Johnson
Rev. Chasuble

Creative

Oscar Wilde
Playwright

Production Team

Megan Wilkerson
Scenic Designer
Bobby Brewer-Wallin
Costume Designer
Kristeen Willis
Lighting Designer
Jen Raynak
Composer / Sound Designer
Luan Schooler
Dramaturg
Mary McDonald-Lewis
Dialect Coach
Arianne Melton
Props Master
Carol Ann Wohlmut
Stage Manager
Karen M. Hill
Production Assistant
Megan Moll
Production Assistant
Trevor Sargent
Assistant Lighting Designer
Alan Cline
Board Operator

Photos

Videos