(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- The Lord Stirling Theater Company presents The Importance of Being Earnest in the English Barn Theater at the Farmstead Arts Center from on two weekends from May 31 through June 9th. This is Oscar Wilde’s most popular and well-known play; a delightfully witty comedy mockingVictorian traditions and social customs, where manners and appearance are everything and style is more important than substance.
First performed in 1895 at St. James’s Theater in London, this “trivial comedy for serious people” continues to entertain audiences over a century later with its brilliant wordplay and hilariously absurd plot in which two young aristocratic gentlemen use fictional identities to escape tiresome social obligations and pursue their romantic desires.
The Lord Stirling Theater Company’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest is directed by Lisa M. Black of Westfield. The cast includes: Ryan Fleming of South Brunswick as Jack Worthing (Ernest), Derek Egidio of Columbia as Algernon Moncrieff, Sarah DeVizio of Chester as Gwendolen Fairfax, Sharon McGuire of Westfield as Lady Bracknell, Allegra Mroz of Roxbury as Cecily Cardew, Cass Cochrane of Colonia as Miss Prism, David Kelley of Fanwood as The Reverend Canon Chasuble, and Jeff Forbes of Westfield as Lane/Merriman.
The Farmstead Arts Center is located at 450 King George Road in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Performances will take place on Friday, May 31 at 7:30pm, with additional performances on June 1 at 7:30pm, June 2 at 4:00pm, June 7 and 8 at 7:30pm, and June 9 at 4:00pm. Tickets are $20 general admission, or $15 for seniors (65 and over), Farmstead Arts members, and students. Tickets may be purchased online or at the door (cash only).
The Importance of Being Earnest begins The Lord Stirling Theater Company’s sixth season at the Farmstead Arts Center. Past productions include Treasure Island and Othello in 2018, Arsenic and Old Lace and Of Mice and Men in 2017, And Then There Were None and The Dresser in 2016, The Tempest and Frankenstein’s Fate in 2015, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in 2014. A dynamic community of creative artists based in Basking Ridge, the group is committed to presenting innovative theater for diverse audiences, through readings and full productions of classical theater and new works, as well as exploring the American experience through compelling productions that illuminate and celebrate our history, culture and literature. The theater group fosters the next generation of theater artists and audiences by providing unique hands-on educational programming and training in all aspects of theater production.
The English Barn Theater is wheelchair accessible. Anyone anticipating the need for additional accessibility services please send an e-mail in advance to [email protected].
Funds for these events have been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through the State/County Partnership Local Arts Program Grant administered by The Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission.
