by Oscar Wilde
Synopsis (from USF): John “Jack” Worthing, a carefree young gentleman, is the inventor of a fictitious brother, “Earnest,” whose wicked ways afford Jack an excuse to leave his country home from time to time and journey to London, where he stays with his close friend and confidant, Algernon Moncrief. Algernon has a cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax, with whom Jack is in love. During his London sojourns, Jack, under the name Earnest, has won Gwendolen’s love, for she strongly desires to marry someone with the confidence-inspiring name of Earnest. But when he asks for Gwendolen’s hand from her mother, the formidable Lady Bracknell, Jack finds he must reveal he is a foundling who was left in a handbag at Victoria Station. This is very disturbing to Lady Bracknell, who insists that he produce at least one parent before she consents to the marriage.
Returning to the country home where he lives with his ward Cecily Cardew and her governess Miss Prism, Jack finds that Algernon has also arrived under the identity of the nonexistent brother Earnest. Algernon falls madly in love with the beautiful Cecily, who has long been enamored of the mysterious, fascinating brother Earnest.
With the arrival of Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen, chaos erupts and questions (and answers) emerge about Jack’s birth and family. How this classic comedy sorts itself out is sure to delight!
Rehearsals will begin December 8th. Tech Week & Performances will be Feb 9-14.
Audition forms due by midnight, Monday, December 1st.
- Complete this online audition form.
- Select one 60-second comedic monologue.
- Note your audition time on Tuesday, December 2nd.
Callbacks
By invitation only on Thursday, December 4th 3:30-6:00. Students will be notified if they need to attend the callbacks.
At callbacks, students will be given small sections of the script to read together.
There will be two casts of nine actors.
Rehearsals and Production Week
Link to calendar – Note that this is an evolving document, and, while all of the dates and times are correct, the content of the days will be updated as we get closer to the rehearsals.
There will be a read-through on Monday, December 8th in M345 followed by a parent meeting in the choir room at 6pm and booster meeting at 6:30.
Rehearsals will begin December 8th, generally Monday-Thursdays 3:30-5:30pm. We will switch 3:30-6 and eventually to evenings, later in the schedule.
Tech Week will be February 9-14, times TBD.
The four performances will be February 12-14, 2026. Two performances for each cast.
Absences
We understand that students will occasionally have conflicts. But we have a limited amount of time to rehearse, and we need every minute. No more than 2 rehearsal absences Dec 8 – Feb 5. No absences during Tech Week & Performances. Please do not schedule appointments or other activities during rehearsals. If an absence is unavoidable, please email details. Both casts are called to every rehearsal unless otherwise noted!
If you are absent due to illness, we will communicate with you on a case-by-case basis to determine the best plan for moving forward and trying to keep the student in the cast.
If you miss school (except for an excused, communicated-in-advance doctor’s appointment), you cannot attend rehearsal. Unexcused absences will lead to dismissal from the show.