Student Guide - Taproot Theatre Company

1
Table of Contents
Introduction
Oscar Wilde
The Importance of Being
Earnest
Characters
Themes
Our Production
Glossary
Activities
g{x \ÅÑÉÜàtÇvx Éy
Ux|Çz XtÜÇxáà
Uç bávtÜ j|Äwx
Directed by Karen Lund
Study Guide Created by
Play Synopsis
Darrell Olson
& Morgan Aldrich
Algernon and Jack are earnest about love. Cecily and Gwendolyn adore
the name Ernest. But who is earnest about being Ernest? A rousing
escapade of romance, mistaken identities and comic twists leads the
young lovers to the countryside where truth is unveiled through surprising
and delightful discoveries.
Designed by
Melissa Nickerson
Education & Outreach
Department
Educational Touring
Acting Studio
Community Outreach
“Encouraging – Educating –
Entertaining”
Karen Lund
Sara K. Willy
Josiah Wallace
Darrell Olson
Cast
Kevin Brady
Bethany Hudson
Bill Johns
Aaron Lamb
Kim Morris
Pam Nolte
Nolan Palmer
Charity Parenzini
Associate Artistic Director
Director of Education
Director of Outreach
Ed/ Outreach Assistant
John Worthing
Cecily Cardew
Rev. Canon Chasuble
Algernon Moncrieff
Miss Prissm
Lady Bracknell
Merriman/Lane
Gwendolen Fairfax
Setting:
Act 1: Algernon Moncrieff’s flat in Half-Moon Street, W,
Act 2: The garden at the Manor House, Woolton
Act 3: Drawing-room at the Manor House, Woolton
2
bávtÜ j|Äwx
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde
(October 16, 1854 – November 30
30,
1900) was an Irish playwright,, novelist,
poet, and author of short stories
stories. Known
for his barbed wit, he was one of the
most successful playwrights of late
Victorian London,, and one of the
greatest celebrities of his day
Birth and early life
Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin
Dublin, to Sir
William Wilde and his wife Jane
Francesca Elgee.. Jane was a
successful writer and an Irish nationalist,
known also as 'Speranza',
eranza', while Sir
William was Ireland's leading ear and
eye surgeon, and wrote books on
archaeology and folklore.. He was a
renowned philanthropist, and his
dispensary for the care of the city's poor,
in Lincoln Place at the rear of Trinity
College, Dublin,, was the forer
forerunner of
the Dublin Eye and Ear Hospital.
While at Magdalen College, Wilde
became particularly well known for his
role in the aesthetic and decadent
movements.. He began wearing his hair
long and openly scorning so-called
so
"manly" sports, and began decorating
his rooms with peacock feathers, lilies,
sunflowers,, blue china and other objets
d'art.. Legends persist that his behavior
cost him a dunking in the River Cherwell
in addition
on to having his rooms trashed.
Wilde studied classics at Trinity College,
Dublin,, from 1871 to 1874. He was an
outstanding student, and won the
Berkeley
keley Gold Medal, the highest award
available to classics students at Trinity.
He was granted a scholarship to
Magdalen College, Oxford,, where he
continued his studies from 1874 to 1878
and where he became a part of the
Aesthetic movement,, one of its tenets
being to make an art of life.
The aesthetic movement had a
permanent influence on English
decorative art. As the leading aesthete
in Britain, Wilde became one of the most
prominent personalities of his day.
Though he was sometimes ridiculed for
them, his paradoxes and witty sayings
were quoted on all sides.
Aestheticism
He soon took up a job as a reviewer for
the Pall Mall Gazette in the years 18871887
3
1889. Afterwards he became the editor
of Woman's World.
wife took their children to Switzerland
and adopted the name 'Holland'. Wilde
was released with his health irrevocably
damaged and his reputation ruined. He
spent the rest of his life in Paris,
publishing 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol'
in 1898. He died in Paris of cerebral
meningitis on 30 November 1900, in the
Hôtel d'Alsace, now known as L'Hôtel.
Marriage and family
After graduating from Magdalen, Wilde
returned to Dublin, where he met and
fell in love with Florence Balcombe. She
in turn became engaged to Bram
Stoker, the author of Dracula. On
hearing of her engagement, Wilde wrote
to her stating his intention to leave
Ireland permanently. He left in 1878 and
was to return to his native country only
twice, for brief visits.
Edited from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde
In London, he met Constance Lloyd,
daughter of wealthy Queen's Counsel
Horace Lloyd. He proposed to her and
they married on May 29, 1884 in
Paddington, London. Constance's
allowance of £250 allowed the Wilde’s
to live in relative luxury. The couple had
two sons, Cyril (1885) and Vyvyan
(1886).
Work
Queen Victoria
A first volume of his poetry was
published in 1881 but as well as
composing verse, he contributed to
publications such as the 'Pall Mall
Gazette', wrote fairy stories and
published a novel 'The Picture of Dorian
Gray' (1891). His greatest talent was for
writing plays, and he produced a string
of extremely popular comedies including
'Lady Windermere's Fan' (1892), 'An
Ideal Husband (1895)' and 'The
Importance of Being Earnest' (1895).
'Salomé' was performed in Paris in 1894
Photo and text taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_Era
The Victorian era of the United
Kingdom marked the height of the
British Industrial Revolution and the
apex of the British Empire. Although
commonly used to refer to the period of
Queen Victoria's rule between 1837 and
1901, scholars debate whether the
Victorian period—as defined by a variety
of sensibilities and political concerns
that have come to be associated with
the Victorians—actually begins with the
passage of the Reform Act 1832. The
era was preceded by the Regency era
and succeeded by the Edwardian
period.
In 1895 Wilde was arrested and tried for
gross indecency. He was sentenced to
two year hard labour, composing the
poem 'De Profundis' while in prison. His
4
The Aesthetic Movement is a loosely defined movement in
literature, fine art, the decorative arts, and interior design in later
nineteenth-century Britain. Generally speaking, it represents the
same tendencies that Symbolism or Decadence stood for in France,
and may be considered the British branch of the same movement. It
belongs to the anti-Victorian reaction and had post-Romantic roots,
and in so, anticipates Modernism. It took place in the late Victorian
period from around 1868 to 1901, and is generally considered to have
ended with the trial of Oscar Wilde.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aestheticism
www.oscarwildesociety.co.uk
Themes from Earnest
Marriage
The play is actually an ongoing debate about the nature of marriage and whether it is
“pleasant or unpleasant.” Algernon’s own views are relentlessly cynical until he meets
and falls in love with Cecily. Jack, by contrast, speaks in the voice of the true
romantic. He tells Algernon, however, that the truth “isn’t quite the sort of thing one
tells to a nice, sweet, refined girl.” At the end of the play, Jack apologizes to
Gwendolen when he realizes he had been telling the truth all his life. She forgives
him, she says, on the grounds that she thinks he’s sure to change, which suggests
Gwendolen’s own rather cynical view of the nature of men and marriage.
The Constraints of Morality
Morality and the constraints it imposes on society is a favorite topic of conversation in
The Importance of Being Earnest. For instance, Algernon thinks the servant class has a
responsibility to set a moral standard for the upper classes. Jack thinks reading a
private cigarette case is “ungentlemanly.” To which Algernon responds, “More than
half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn’t read,” Algernon points out.
These restrictions and assumptions suggest a strict code of morals that exists in
Victorian society, but Wilde isn’t concerned with questions of what is and isn’t moral.
Instead, he makes fun of the whole Victorian idea of morality as a rigid body of rules
about what people should and shouldn’t do. The very title of the play is a doubleedged comment on the phenomenon. The play’s central plot—the man who both is
and isn’t Ernest/earnest—presents a moral paradox. Earnestness, which refers to both
the quality of being serious and the quality of being sincere, is the play’s primary
object of satire. Characters such as Jack, Gwendolen, Miss Prism, and Dr. Chasuble,
who put a premium on sobriety and honesty, are either hypocrites or else have the
5
rug pulled out from under them. What Wilde wants us to see as truly moral is really
the opposite of earnestness: irreverence.
For Wilde, the word earnest comprised two different but related ideas: the notion of
false truth and the notion of false morality, or moralism. The moralism of Victorian
society—its smugness and pomposity—impels Algernon and Jack to invent fictitious
alter egos so as to be able to escape the strictures of propriety and decency.
However, what one member of society considers decent or indecent doesn’t always
reflect what decency really is. One of the play’s paradoxes is the impossibility of
actually being either earnest (meaning “serious” or “sincere”) or moral while claiming
to be so. The characters who embrace triviality and wickedness are the ones who may
have the greatest chance of attaining seriousness and virtue.
The Double Life
The double life is the central metaphor in the play, epitomized in the notion of
“Bunbury” or “Bunburying.” As defined by Algernon, Bunburying is the practice of
creating an elaborate deception that allows one to misbehave while seeming to
uphold the very highest standards of duty and responsibility. Jack’s imaginary,
wayward brother Ernest is a device not only for escaping social and moral obligations
but also one that allows Jack to appear far more moral and responsible than he
actually is. Similarly, Algernon’s imaginary invalid friend Bunbury allows Algernon to
escape to the country, where he presumably imposes on people who don’t know him
in much the same way he imposes on Cecily in the play, all the while seeming to
demonstrate Christian charity. The practice of visiting the poor and the sick was a
staple activity among the Victorian upper and upper-middle classes and considered a
public duty. The difference between what Jack does and what Algernon does,
however, is that Jack not only pretends to be something he is not, that is, completely
virtuous, but also routinely pretends to be someone he is not, which is very different.
This sort of deception suggests a far more serious and profound degree of hypocrisy.
Through these various enactments of double lives, Wilde suggests the general
hypocrisy of the Victorian mindset.
Comedy of Manners
The style of comedy of manners satirizes the manners and affectations of a social
class, often represented by stock characters. The plot of the comedy, often
concerned with an illicit love affair or some other scandal, is generally less important
than its witty and often bawdy dialogue. The best-known comedies of manners,
however, may well be those of the French playwright Molière, who satirized the
hypocrisy and pretension of ancient régime in such plays as L'École des femmes (The
School for Wives, 1662) and Le Misanthrope (The Misanthrope, 1666).
6
The tradition of elaborate, artificial plotting and epigrammatic dialogue was carried
on by the Irish playwright Oscar Wilde in Lady Windermere's Fan (1892) and The
Importance of Being Earnest (1895).
Today’s Comedy of Manners
Seinfeld
Seinfeld was pitched, like the self-parodying "show within a show" of season four, as a
"show about nothing". Unlike most sitcoms, its episodes didn't revolve around central
dramatic events or contrived comic situations; instead, the plots focused on real life
minutiae—such as waiting in line at the movies, going out for dinner, or buying a suit.
The show stood apart from other sitcoms of the time for not centering around the
characters learning moral lessons. In effect, the characters are often morally
indifferent or callous. Seinfeld never explored dramatic themes in episodes, despite
the often tragic events that occurred, including the deaths of characters.
gtÑÜÉÉà g{xtàxÜËá cÜÉwâvà|ÉÇ
The Importance of Being Earnest was
an early experiment in Victorian
melodrama. Part satire, part comedy
of manners, and part intellectual farce,
this play seems to have nothing at
stake because the world it presents is
so blatantly artificial. Below the
surface of the light, brittle comedy,
however, is a serious subtext that takes
aim at self-righteous moralism and
hypocrisy, the very aspects of Victorian
society that Oscar Wilde thrived in and
then eventually led to his ruin. The
humor of the show is found in
characters dwelling on trivial matters
while dismissing issues of greater
importance. This was a wonderful way
for Wilde to comment on the absurdity
and hypocrisy of the social rules and
understandings of the Victorian Era.
“Light, frothy, and bubbly.” That’s
what director Karen Lund wants her
production of The Importance of Being
Earnest to be. Being one of the most
popular and well written Comedy of
Manners plays, it’s quite easy for actors
to get caught up with the comedy, wit,
and chaos of the script and loose touch
of the sincerity and truthfulness of the
characters and story. However
misguided and over the top the
characters and situations might want to
become, Karen is very set on making
7
sure that the show stays grounded in
earnestness and truthfulness that Oscar
Wilde wanted.
second is Jack’s manor house in the
country. Taproot’s artistic designers
decided to make the costumes and set
at Algernon’s house in darker, cooler
colors which allows them to give the
country house a brighter and more
open feeling. The costume designer
also wanted the clothing worn in the
city to come across as staunch and
tight, which helps in indicating an
upper class and posh feel. This also
allows her to design the clothing worn
at the country home to be looser and
lighter in color and weight
John, Gwendolen and Lady Bracknell
The show has two locations. The first
is Algernon’s flat in London and the
Character Sketches
Lady Bracknell
Cecily
8
Social Basics During the Victorian Era
For the Young Lady
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Upon being introduced to a gentleman, a lady will never offer her hand.
She should bow politely and say "I am happy to make your acquaintance"
or words to that effect.
When bowing on the street, it is appropriate to incline the head gracefully,
but not the body.
When travelling by train, tramcar or omnibus, the well-bred lady had a
delicate sense of self respect that keeps her from contact with her neighbor,
as far as such contact is avoidable.
A lady never looks back after anyone in the street, or turns to stare at them
in the theatre, concert hall, church or opera.
A lady never, ever smokes.
In crossing the street, a lady raises her dress a little above the ankle, holding
together the folds of her gown and drawing them toward the right. Raising
the dress with both hands exposes too much ankle, and is most vulgar.
A lady (or gentleman for that matter) will always rise to their feet in respect
for an older person, or one of a higher social standing.
Above all, the lady strives to be dignified and elegant in everything she
does.
And For the Gentlemen
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A gentleman will always tip his hat to greet a lady.
When walking in the street, the gentleman always walks on the outside to
protect his lady from the dangers of the road.
If a gentleman is smoking and a lady passes by, he should remove the cigar
from his mouth.
A true gentleman should always rise when a lady enters or leaves the room,
and remove his hat upon entering a room where ladies are present. He
should also precede a lady in ascending the stairs, and follow her in
descending them.
A gentleman always stands to shake hands.
During the daytime, a gentleman never offers a lady his arm unless to
protect her in a large crowd. In the evening, it is appropriate for her to take
his arm.
A gentleman should never place his arm on the back of a chair occupied by
a lady.
from http://www.stormpages.com/myparlour/etiquette.htm)
9
Activities
1.
Write a short dialogue in the style of Comedy of Manners.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Famous Oscar Wilde Quote
Unscramble the tiles to reveal a message.
Created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoverySchool.com
10
Glossary
Cucumber sandwich— p.5 The traditional cucumber sandwich is composed of paperthin slices of cucumber placed between two slices of lightly buttered white bread.
Shropshire— p.7 Is a county in the West Midlands of England. It borders Wales to the
west.
Turnbridge Wells— p.10 A city just southeast, of London.
Wagnerian manner—p.16 This phrase implies a loud, demonstrative nature, like the
music of German composer Richard Wagner.
Crumpet—p.17 Similar to an English muffin, though an English Muffin is cooked on
both sides and not as moist.
Expurgation—p.19 To remove erroneous or vulgar material from something (such as a
book) before it is exposed to the public.
Purple of commerce—p.26 This is a phrase coined by Wilde. It implies money that
comes through work or trade rather than from a privileged birth.
Trivet—p.28 Is a small, metal plate with short legs, which one would put under a hot
platter or dish to protect a table.
Gorgon—p.28 Classical Mythology. Any of three sister monsters commonly
represented as having snakes for hair, wings, brazen claws, and eyes that turned
anyone looking into them to stone.
Profligate—p.30 Utterly and shamelessly immoral.
Apoplexy--p.30 A cerebral hemorrhage; as in a stroke
Vacillate—p.36 To vacillate is to swing from one side to the other. When describing a
person, it means he or she cannot decide on a course of action
Rector-p.38 A member of the clergy in charge of a parish
Evensong—p.38 Another word for a daily evening service in the Anglican Church.
Rupee—p.38 The rupee is the basic monetary unit of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri
Lanka, and Mauritius.
Quixotic—p.41 To be quixotic means to be caught up in the pursuit of unreachable,
idealistic goals. It comes from the novel Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes
Buttonhole—p.42 Men in Victorian England often placed a flower through the
buttonhole of their coat.
Marechal Niel—p.42 A variety of rose, fragrant and soft yellow in color.
Misanthrope—p.42 Someone who hates and mistrusts mankind is called a
misanthrope.
Womanthrope—p.42 Although not a real word, Miss Prism’s meaning is clear: a
womanthrope is one who does not trust women.
Neologistic—p.42 This refers to a new word or a new meaning for a word.
Interment—p.44 Burial
Portmanteau—p.49 This is a large trunk that opens into two hinged compartments.
Dog cart—p.50 A dog cart is a light, two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle.
Equanimity—p.52 Equanimity is the quality of being calm and even-tempered.
Dictation-p.52 speech intended for reproduction in writing
11
Philanthropic work—p.57 This refers to the practice of donating money, property or
time to persons or groups in need.
Machinations—p.64 crafty schemes; plots; intrigues
Effrontery—p.72 shameless or impudent boldness; barefaced audacity
Apprised—p.75 to give notice to; inform; advise
Hertfordshire—p.77 Located just north of London
Terminus—p.77 The end point of a transportation line.
Oxonian—p.80 A graduate of Oxford University.
Anabaptists—p.84 A religious group that sprang from the 16th century Reformation.
They did not ascribe to baptism.
Perambulator—p.85 British word for baby carriage.
Bibliography
Poetry
Ravenna (1878)
Poems (1881)
The Sphinx (1894)
The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898)
Plays
Vera; or, The Nihilists (1880)
The Duchess of Padua (1883)
Salomé (French version) (1893, first performed in Paris 1896)
Lady Windermere's Fan (1892)
A Woman of No Importance (1893)
Salomé: A Tragedy in One Act: Translated from the French of Oscar Wilde by Lord
Alfred Douglas with illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley (1894)
An Ideal Husband (1895) (text)
The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) (text)
(Dates are dates of first performance, which approximate better with the probable date of composition
than dates of publication.)
Prose
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891, Wilde's only novel)
12
Famous Quotes from Oscar Wilde
Long engagements give people the opportunity of finding out each other's character before
marriage, which is never advisable.
Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.
One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry.
As a wicked man I am a complete failure. Why, there are lots of people who say I have never
really done anything wrong in the whole course of my life. Of course they only say it behind
my back.
I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works.
It is perfectly monstrous the way people go about nowadays saying things against one, behind
one's back, that are absolutely and entirely true.
There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being
talked about.
The first duty of life is to be as artificial as possible. What the second duty is no one as yet
discovered.
The amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous. It
looks so bad. It is simply washing one's clean linen in public.
Thirty-five is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the highest birth who
have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years.
I'm sure I don't know half the people who come to my house. Indeed, from all I hear, I
shouldn't like to.
Good taste is the excuse I have given for leading such a bad life.
Do you really think, Arthur, that it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you that there
are terrible temptations that it requires strength, strength and courage, to yield to.
I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the
train.
And now, I am dying beyond my means. [Sipping champagne on his deathbed]
My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go.
13
Additional Resources
Books
Oscar Wilde: Art and Morality by Stuart Mason (1907)
The Life and Confessions of Oscar Wilde by Frank Harris (1914)
My Friendship with Oscar Wilde by Lord Alfred Douglas (1932)
Oscar Wilde: The Critical Heritage
Heritage, ed. by Karl Beckson (1970)
Trials of Oscar Wilde by H. Montgomery Hyde (1975)
Oscar Wilde: A Biography by H. Montgomery Hyde (1975)
Oscar Wilde: Art and Egotism by Rodney Shewan (1977)
Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellman (1987)
Oscar Wilde: The
he Works of a Conformist Rebel by Norbert Kohl (1989)
Rediscovering Oscar Wilde,, ed by C. George Sandulescu (1993)
Oscar and Bossie by Trevor Fisher (2002)
(1997)
Films:
Oscar Wilde (1960), dir. by Gregory Ratoff, starring Robert Morley, Phyllis Calvert, John
Neville, Ralp Richardson.
The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), dir. by Ken Hughes, starring Peter Finch, Yvonne Mitchell,
Lionel Jeffries, Nigel Patrick, James Mason.
Wilde (1998), dir. by Brian Gilbert, starring Stephen Fry, Jude Law, Tom Wilkinson, Vanessa
V
Redgrave, Jennifer Ehle.
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), dir. by Oliver Parker, starring Rupert Everette, Colin
Firth, Frances O’Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench
An Ideal Husband (1999), Dir. by Oliver Parker, starring Minnie Driver, Cate Blanchett, Rupert
Everette, Julianne Moore.
14
Production Team
Director
Karen Lund
Sound &Scenic Designer Mark Lund
Stage Manager
Rebecca Olson
Costume Designer
Sarah Gordon
Lighting Designer
Jody Briggs
Props Master
Dialect Coach
Nikki Visel
Dramaturg
Morgan Aldrich
Assistant Director
Laura Bannister
Assist. Stage Manager
Jenn Fjsone
Dresser
Katie Tibbits
Sound Board Operator
Dustin Morache
Gwendolen, Lady Bracknell and Jack
We are so glad you are joining Taproot Theatre for a student matinee performance.
Audience Etiquette is important for everyone to experience an enriching and
educational experience. See you at the performance!
Audience Etiquette
• It is appropriate to talk quietly until the performance begins.
• If you need to use the restroom, please do so before the performance begins.
Restrooms are located in the upper and lower lobbies.
• Be sure to be seated before the performance begins
• No food, gum, candy or beverages are to be brought into the theatre.
• Please don’t wear headphones during the performance.
• Please turn off watch alarms, cellular phones, and other electronic devices.
• Students who disturb other members of the audience may be asked to leave the
theatre and wait in the lobby.
• Remember: you will get an opportunity to talk with the actors and director at the end
of the performance. Be prepared with questions about the production!
• Please stay out of the aisles (also called “voms”) during the performance.
• Enjoy the Show!
15
16