Opening Night Ovations for “The Importance of Being Earnest”
Just under a week ago parents, students and staff spent a long weekend sawing, hammering and painting sets in the final push to opening night. Such is the life of a theatre production – from high school to Broadway. Along the way, parents saw their children come together as a team despite the time pressure, and learn critical leadership skills. But that’s off stage.
On stage, the opening night audience of the Dublin High Drama Club’s latest production – Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” – was entertained from start to finish with perfectly timed and expertly articulated wit. Successfully mounting Wilde’s much admired social comedy requires close attention to detail. The play is a construct of clever dialogue rather than physical comedy. A sophisticated precursor to the sitcom Three’s Company. Accent plays a role too – the students not only had to learn the words but also the proper British accent to deliver the words. The result was an audience paying close attention to what was spoken to fully appreciate the humor – and rewarding the performers with laughter.
Also impressive was the set design – Dublin High’s Little Theatre stage was cleverly transformed into three venues through the use of rotating backdrops. All of the sets were built specifically for the production (and will serve Dublin High well in the years to come).
In the play Wilde wrote, ”Relations are simply a tedious pack of people, who haven’t got the remotest knowledge of how to live, nor the smallest instinct about when to die.” Fortunately, the close relations among the cast, supporting backstage crew, parents and director Bryant Hoex was evident last night given the standing ovation for the opening night cast.
“The Importance of Being Earnest” continues Friday and Saturday at 7pm and closes with a matinée on Sunday at 2pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students. The play is suitable for the entire family and highly recommended for those in search of laughter.
The Importance of Being Earnest - Dublin High Opening Night Cast
The Importance of Being Earnest - Dublin High - Closing Night Cast
The Importance of Being Earnest - Dublin High Drama - Act 1
The Importance of Being Earnest - Dublin High Drama - Act 2
The Importance of Being Earnest - Dublin High Drama - Act 3
Dublin High Drama Club - Graduating Seniors
I am incredibly proud of the students of DHS Drama. I always expect great things from them, and then they always exceed. I am looking forward to 3 more nights of pure entertainment. Even though I have seen them rehearse the show many times, I still laughed last night through the whole show. The students timing, facial expression’s and perfect “pauses” were as always PERFECT. Thank you Mr. Hoex for the direction and lesson’s you have taught them. It’s no wonder that quite a few of our students are continuing on to their college education in the study of Theater Arts. Congrat’s on a great Opening Night.
[...] immediately following. The complex staging benefited from prior productions (most notably The Importance of Being Earnest and The Man Who Came to Dinner). Like any theatre company, veteran audience members can spot the [...]
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