Graphic courtesy of Rocky Olguin

Texas Wesleyan University is set to laugh their shoes off with its upcoming fall play, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” set for Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. to Nov. 22. 

Known for its sharp wit and satirical take on Victorian society, this classic comedy about manners promises an evening full of humor, charm and sophistication. The show is directed by Jeanee Everton, associate professor of theatre, and features an experienced cast of Texas Wesleyan students who bring Oscar Wilde’s timeless characters and clever dialogue to life on stage. 

The witty comedy play is about Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who lead double lives to escape the societal expectations of their time. At its core, the play satirizes the shallow values and rigid manners of Victorian society, showing how people often take things too seriously and ignore what truly matters.

Everton’s vision for this show is to try to preserve the natural humor of the playwright. 

“Well, you don’t improve on Oscar Wilde’s writing,” Everton said. “So what you have to do is hope that you can come up to the standard that has been set.”  

Sophomore theater arts major Aaron Simmons, who stars as Jack Worthing, described his role as a man with ambitions who faces challenges. “Some ways I personally connect with my character, he has clear views on what he wants, and he makes his plans, and he sets his plans in motion, and all his plans always end up messed up.” 

Tristan Andrews, a sophomore majoring in theater arts, plays Algernon Moncrieff. He describes his character as dramatic and sassy.

“I kind of try to just lean into that because sometimes Algernon and the other characters on stage, they just talk about the dumbest things. And I try to take it seriously,” he said.

One of Andrews’s favorite parts of the show is when he has to eat about four tea-party-sized cucumber sandwiches in the first act alone. It took several attempts to nail the timing and flow of the scene.

“We have had three different renditions of cucumber sandwiches in order to find one that he could take a bite of, chew and swallow before his next line,” Everton added. 

Along with having fun at the production, Everton hopes that there are other takeaways for the audience. 

“I hope that they’ve enjoyed looking at a bunch of privileged people becoming incredibly concerned about things that really are not very important and paying very little attention to the things that are important in life,” she said.

Current Wesleyan students can get free tickets through the SGA fund by using the code SGA at the online box office website checkout. For more information on obtaining these free tickets, click here for the Texas Wesleyan page.