alia 2014 - New Zealand Playhousenewzealandplayhouse.co.nz/.../01/NZP_Earnest...22.pdf · alia 2014.nz.nz 2 Dear Teacher This resource is designed by Dan Allan (actor, director, teacher

*a musically mad mini-version of the classic!

Lesson IdeasPrintable Templates

compiled by Daniel Allan

New Zealand and Australia 2014

www.newzealandplayhouse.co.nz

http://www.newzealandplayhouse.co.nz


2

Dear Teacher

This resource is designed by Dan Allan (actor, director, teacher and playwright of this show, the adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest) to be used by you as you plan lessons for your class, leading up to or following our performance at your school.

Please adopt and adapt the suggestions given however you see fit to meet the needs of your students.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like to know anything more about the play - we are here to help you get as much out of the play as you can! We also value your feedback on our plays and these resources so please do get in touch with your comments.

Rather than giving year levels, we have opted to label exercises “Junior” and “Senior” given that Australia and New Zealand have a different numbering system.

You will surely adapt these resources to suit your class regardless of the year level we put on the exercises, but as a guide, Junior means years 7-10 in New Zealand and years 7-9 in Australia. Senior means years 11-13 in New Zealand (NCEA levels 1-3) and years 10-12 in Australia.

0800 894 500 (NZ) +64 3 974 3499 (Aus)[email protected]



3

Contents

English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Exercises to help explore Extended Text

Plot: Plotline Puzzler (Junior/Senior) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Themes: Match the Quotes (Senior) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Character Analysis (Senior) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Important Moment: The Marriage Interview (Senior) . . . . . . . . 13

Drama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Interview with the Playwright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Juniors:Puppet Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Multiple Character Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Seniors:Earnest Acting Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Defining a Comedy of Manners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27How Does Earnest Fit? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28England, 1894: The Historical Context of Earnest . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Staging the Play: The Proscenium Arch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Technology: Costume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33


4

EnglishPlot: Plotline Puzzler

The plot of The Importance of Being Earnest may seem trivial and unnecessarily complicated… and it is! This is quite deliberate. It pays to remember that Comedy of Manners plays are poking fun at a societal group, so the events in the play don’t venture outside upper class English settings, where marriage was the hot topic. The plot is not important in a major event sort of way. There are no political issues or world events or deaths like we’d find in other genres. Rather, the plot allows socially awkward situations and sparkling dialogue to take up central importance.

If you are to write convincingly about the play however, you will still need to be familiar with the story. Here is the plot condensed into 14 points.

Task: Number the plot points below so that they tell the full story.

You may like to work in pencil until you are sure you’ve got the correct order! We’ve made it easier by grouping the plot points into their correct acts.

Extension: Once you’ve ordered the plot points, write the plot in the correct order, in your own words, so you can get ownership of it.



5

Act

IU

se n

umbe

rs

1-4

Gw

endo

len

and

her m

othe

r, La

dy B

rack

nell,

arriv

e at

Alg

erno

n’s h

ouse

, whi

ch g

ives

Jack

an

oppo

rtun

ity to

pro

pose

to G

wen

dole

n. Ja

ck is

del

ight

ed to

disc

over

that

Gw

endo

len

retu

rns

his a

ffect

ions

, but

that

she

is fix

ated

on

the

nam

e Er

nest

.

Lady

Bra

ckne

ll in

terv

iew

s Jac

k to

det

erm

ine

his e

ligib

ility

as a

pos

sible

son-

in-la

w, a

nd d

urin

g

this

inte

rvie

w sh

e as

ks a

bout

his

fam

ily b

ackg

roun

d, w

here

he

reve

als t

hat h

e is

adop

ted.

She

forb

ids t

he m

atch

bet

wee

n Ja

ck a

nd G

wen

dole

n.

Jack

con

fess

es to

Alg

erno

n th

at h

is na

me

isn’t

real

ly E

rnes

t and

that

Cec

ily is

his

war

d,

a re

spon

sibili

ty im

pose

d on

him

by

his a

dopt

ive

fath

er’s

will

. With

out m

eani

ng to

, Jac

k

desc

ribes

Cec

ily in

term

s tha

t cat

ch A

lger

non’

s att

entio

n an

d m

ake

him

eve

n m

ore

inte

rest

ed in

her

than

he

is al

read

y.

At th

e be

ginn

ing

of A

ct I,

Jack

dro

ps in

une

xpec

tedl

y on

Alg

erno

n an

d an

noun

ces t

hat h

e

inte

nds t

o pr

opos

e to

Gw

endo

len.

Act

IIU

se n

umbe

rs

5-9

Gw

endo

len

arriv

es a

t Jac

k’s e

stat

e, h

avin

g de

cide

d to

pay

Jack

an

unex

pect

ed v

isit.

She

is

host

ed in

itial

ly b

y Ce

cily

, and

it is

reve

aled

that

they

are

bot

h en

gage

d to

the

fictio

nal E

rnes

t

Wor

thin

g. T

he te

a pa

rty

dege

nera

tes i

nto

a w

ar o

f man

ners

.

In th

e be

ginn

ing

of A

ct II

, Alg

erno

n sh

ows u

p at

Jack

’s co

untr

y es

tate

pos

ing

as Ja

ck’s

brot

her E

rnes

t.

Jack

and

Alg

erno

n ar

rive

tow

ard

the

clim

ax o

f thi

s con

front

atio

n, e

ach

havi

ng se

para

tely

mad

e ar

rang

emen

ts w

ith D

r. Ch

asub

le to

be

chris

tene

d Er

nest

late

r tha

t day

. Eac

h of

the

youn

g la

dies

poi

nts o

ut th

at th

e ot

her h

as b

een

dece

ived

and

, fur

ious

, the

y re

tire

to th

e

hous

e ar

m in

arm

.

Alge

rnon

, who

has

falle

n ho

pele

ssly

in lo

ve w

ith C

ecily

, ask

s her

to m

arry

him

. She

alre

ady

cons

ider

s the

m to

be

enga

ged,

into

xica

ted

by th

e na

me

of E

rnes

t. Al

gern

on g

oes o

ff in

sear

ch o

f Dr.

Chas

uble

, the

loca

l rec

tor,

to se

e ab

out g

ettin

g hi

mse

lf ch

riste

ned

Erne

st.

Jack

, arr

ives

hom

e in

dee

p m

ourn

ing,

with

a st

ory

abou

t Ern

est d

ying

in P

aris.

He

is en

rage

d

to fi

nd A

lger

non

ther

e, m

asqu

erad

ing

as E

rnes

t, bu

t has

to g

o al

ong

with

the

char

ade

or h

is

own

dece

ptio

n w

ill b

e re

veal

ed.

Act

III

Use

num

bers

10

-14

Jack

info

rms L

ady

Brac

knel

l tha

t, as

soon

as s

he c

onse

nts t

o hi

s mar

riage

to G

wen

dole

n,

Ceci

ly c

an h

ave

his c

onse

nt to

mar

ry A

lger

non.

How

ever

, Lad

y Br

ackn

ell r

efus

es to

ent

erta

in

the

notio

n. T

hey

go to

leav

e an

d al

l see

ms l

ost.

Furt

herm

ore,

from

an

arm

y lis

t it i

s rev

eale

d th

at Ja

ck h

ad b

een

orig

inal

ly c

hrist

ened

“Ern

est

John

.” So,

Ern

est i

s his

nam

e, a

nd h

e do

es h

ave

an u

nprin

cipl

ed y

oung

er b

roth

er—

Alge

rnon

.

Jack

says

he

final

ly re

alise

s “th

e vi

tal i

mpo

rtan

ce o

f bei

ng e

arne

st.” T

hree

eng

agem

ents

ens

ue.

The

End!

Act I

II ta

kes p

lace

in th

e dr

awin

g ro

om o

f the

Man

or H

ouse

, whe

re C

ecily

and

Gw

endo

len

have

retir

ed. J

ack

and

Alge

rnon

ent

er fr

om th

e ga

rden

. Whe

n Ja

ck a

nd A

lger

non

tell

Gw

endo

len

and

Ceci

ly th

at th

ey h

ave

both

mad

e ar

rang

emen

ts to

be

chris

tene

d Er

nest

that

afte

rnoo

n, a

ll is

forg

iven

.

Just

then

, Dr C

hasu

ble

arriv

es to

rem

ind

them

abo

ut th

e ch

riste

ning

s and

hap

pens

to

men

tion

Miss

Pris

m. L

ady

Brac

knel

l kno

ws t

his n

ame

and

asks

that

Pris

m b

e se

nt fo

r. It

is

reve

aled

that

Pris

m w

as th

e go

vern

ess t

hat l

ost b

aby

Jack

all

thos

e ye

ars a

go. J

ack

is th

e so

n

of L

ady

Brac

knel

l’s si

ster

.

At th

is m

omen

t, La

dy B

rack

nell’s

arr

ival

is a

nnou

nced

. She

has

follo

wed

Gw

endo

len

from

Lond

on, a

nd d

eman

ds to

kno

w w

hat i

s goi

ng o

n. O

n fin

ding

out

how

wea

lthy

Ceci

ly is

, she

is in

tere

sted

in A

lger

non

mar

ryin

g Ce

cily

, but

still

refu

ses c

onse

nt fo

r Gw

endo

len

to m

arry

Jack

.

The

Impo

rtan

ce o

f Bei

ng E

arne

st -

Plot

line

Puzz

ler

Ord

er th

e pl

ot p

oint

s cor

rect

ly.

Plotline puzzler


6

Plotline puzzler - AnswersA

ct I

Use

num

bers

1-

4

Gw

endo

len

and

her m

othe

r, La

dy B

rack

nell,

arriv

e at

Alg

erno

n’s h

ouse

, whi

ch g

ives

Jack

an

oppo

rtun

ity to

pro

pose

to G

wen

dole

n. Ja

ck is

del

ight

ed to

disc

over

that

Gw

endo

len

retu

rns

his a

ffect

ions

, but

that

she

is fix

ated

on

the

nam

e Er

nest

.3

Lady

Bra

ckne

ll in

terv

iew

s Jac

k to

det

erm

ine

his e

ligib

ility

as a

pos

sible

son-

in-la

w, a

nd d

urin

g th

is in

terv

iew

she

asks

abo

ut h

is fa

mily

bac

kgro

und,

whe

re h

e re

veal

s tha

t he

is ad

opte

d. S

he

forb

ids t

he m

atch

bet

wee

n Ja

ck a

nd G

wen

dole

n.4

Jack

con

fess

es to

Alg

erno

n th

at h

is na

me

isn’t

real

ly E

rnes

t and

that

Cec

ily is

his

war

d,

a re

spon

sibili

ty im

pose

d on

him

by

his a

dopt

ive

fath

er’s

will

. With

out m

eani

ng to

, Jac

k de

scrib

es C

ecily

in te

rms t

hat c

atch

Alg

erno

n’s a

tten

tion

and

mak

e hi

m e

ven

mor

e in

tere

sted

in h

er th

an h

e is

alre

ady.

2

At th

e be

ginn

ing

of A

ct I,

Jack

dro

ps in

une

xpec

tedl

y on

Alg

erno

n an

d an

noun

ces t

hat h

e in

tend

s to

prop

ose

to G

wen

dole

n.1

Act

IIU

se n

umbe

rs

5-9

Gw

endo

len

arriv

es a

t Jac

k’s e

stat

e, h

avin

g de

cide

d to

pay

Jack

an

unex

pect

ed v

isit.

She

is ho

sted

initi

ally

by

Ceci

ly, a

nd it

is re

veal

ed th

at th

ey a

re b

oth

enga

ged

to th

e fic

tiona

l Ern

est

Wor

thin

g. T

he te

a pa

rty

dege

nera

tes i

nto

a w

ar o

f man

ners

.8

In th

e be

ginn

ing

of A

ct II

, Alg

erno

n sh

ows u

p at

Jack

’s co

untr

y es

tate

pos

ing

as Ja

ck’s

brot

her E

rnes

t.5

Jack

and

Alg

erno

n ar

rive

tow

ard

the

clim

ax o

f thi

s con

front

atio

n, e

ach

havi

ng se

para

tely

m

ade

arra

ngem

ents

with

Dr.

Chas

uble

to b

e ch

riste

ned

Erne

st la

ter t

hat d

ay. E

ach

of th

e yo

ung

ladi

es p

oint

s out

that

the

othe

r has

bee

n de

ceiv

ed a

nd, f

urio

us, a

nd th

ey re

tire

to th

e ho

use

arm

in a

rm.

9Al

gern

on, w

ho h

as fa

llen

hope

less

ly in

love

with

Cec

ily, a

sks h

er to

mar

ry h

im. S

he a

lread

y co

nsid

ers t

hem

to b

e en

gage

d, in

toxi

cate

d by

the

nam

e of

Ern

est.

Alge

rnon

goe

s off

in

sear

ch o

f Dr.

Chas

uble

, the

loca

l rec

tor,

to se

e ab

out g

ettin

g hi

mse

lf ch

riste

ned

Erne

st.

7Ja

ck, a

rriv

es h

ome

in d

eep

mou

rnin

g, w

ith a

stor

y ab

out E

rnes

t dyi

ng in

Par

is. H

e is

enra

ged

to fi

nd A

lger

non

ther

e, m

asqu

erad

ing

as E

rnes

t, bu

t has

to g

o al

ong

with

the

char

ade

or h

is ow

n de

cept

ion

will

be

reve

aled

.6

Act

III

Use

num

bers

10

-14

Jack

info

rms L

ady

Brac

knel

l tha

t, as

soon

as s

he c

onse

nts t

o hi

s mar

riage

to G

wen

dole

n,

Ceci

ly c

an h

ave

his c

onse

nt to

mar

ry A

lger

non.

How

ever

, Lad

y Br

ackn

ell r

efus

es to

ent

erta

in

the

notio

n. T

hey

go to

leav

e an

d al

l see

ms l

ost.

12Fu

rthe

rmor

e, fr

om a

n ar

my

list i

t is r

evea

led

that

Jack

had

bee

n or

igin

ally

chr

isten

ed “E

rnes

t Jo

hn.” S

o, E

rnes

t is h

is na

me,

and

he

does

hav

e an

unp

rinci

pled

you

nger

bro

ther

—Al

gern

on.

Jack

says

he

final

ly re

alise

s “th

e vi

tal i

mpo

rtan

ce o

f bei

ng e

arne

st.” T

hree

eng

agem

ents

ens

ue.

The

End!

14Ac

t III

take

s pla

ce in

the

draw

ing

room

of t

he M

anor

Hou

se, w

here

Cec

ily a

nd G

wen

dole

n ha

ve re

tired

. Jac

k an

d Al

gern

on e

nter

from

the

gard

en. W

hen

Jack

and

Alg

erno

n te

ll G

wen

dole

n an

d Ce

cily

that

they

hav

e bo

th m

ade

arra

ngem

ents

to b

e ch

riste

ned

Erne

st th

at

afte

rnoo

n, a

ll is

forg

iven

.10

Just

then

, Dr C

hasu

ble

arriv

es to

rem

ind

them

abo

ut th

e ch

riste

ning

s and

hap

pens

to

men

tion

Miss

Pris

m. L

ady

Brac

knel

l kno

ws t

his n

ame

and

asks

that

Pris

m b

e se

nt fo

r. It

is re

veal

ed th

at P

rism

was

the

gove

rnes

s tha

t los

t bab

y Ja

ck a

ll th

ose

year

s ago

. Jac

k is

the

son

of L

ady

Brac

knel

l’s si

ster

.13

At th

is m

omen

t, La

dy B

rack

nell’s

arr

ival

is a

nnou

nced

. She

has

follo

wed

Gw

endo

len

from

Lo

ndon

, and

dem

ands

to k

now

wha

t is g

oing

on.

On

findi

ng o

ut h

ow w

ealth

y Ce

cily

is, s

he

is in

tere

sted

in A

lger

non

mar

ryin

g Ce

cily

, but

still

refu

ses c

onse

nt fo

r Gw

endo

len

to m

arry

Ja

ck.

11



7

Themes: Match the Quotes

Oscar Wilde was at the height of his fame and powers when he wrote The Importance of Being Earnest, which was hugely popular. He touched on truths from his own life in the satire of the play. Just a few months after the triumph of the play he was in Court on charges of sodomy. Although he was married, Wilde was having a homosexual affair at a less enlightened time when this was deemed illegal. He was leading a double life in the same manner as his characters. So, you can see why deception, expectation and reputation were important to Wilde and these themes shine through very strongly in the play.

If you are to write about themes in The Importance of Being Earnest, it will make your assertions more convincing to use specific words from the play.

Task: Here are quotes and events from the play and, on the next pages, boxes containing themes in the play. Copy the quotes from this page into the corresponding theme boxes. Some quotes might belong in more than one category, so write the quote in as many theme boxes as you think appropriate.

“I have always pretended to have a younger brother of the name of Ernest, who lives in the Albany, and gets into the most dreadful scrapes.” –Jack, Act 1

“Pray don’t talk to me about the weather, Mr. Worthing. Whenever people talk to me about the weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else. And that makes me so nervous.”- Gwendolen, Act 1“I have always been of opinion that a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing.”- Lady Bracknell, Act 1

“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.” - Algernon, Act 1 “The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her, if she is pretty, and to some one else, if she is plain.” - Algernon, Act 1

Jack feels the need to invent the existence of a brother so that he can get away from his country responsibilities.“I have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury, in order that I may be able to go down into the country whenever I choose.” – Algernon, Act 1

Cecily fantasises about being engaged to a ‘bad’ character to escape her life in the country.Miss Prism lectures about good behaviour and not getting caught up in fantasy but actually has a terrible secret from her early life which involves writing a novel. She mistook the baby in her care for a manuscript and left the baby on a train.

“An engagement should come on a young girl as a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant as the case may be.” - Lady Bracknell, Act 1

“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” - Gwendolen, Act 2

Algernon takes advantage of his friend to gain access to his friend’s ward in order to woo her.“Gwendolen, it is a terrible thing for a man to find out suddenly that all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth. Can you forgive me?” - Jack, Act 3

“Gwendolen - Cecily - it is very painful for me to be forced to speak the truth. It is the first time in my life that I have ever been reduced to such a painful position....” - Jack, Act 2“The chin a little higher, dear. Style largely depends on the way the chin is worn. They are worn very high, just at present.” - Lady Bracknell, Act 3

Gwendolen and Cecily join forces to hold out on the men and gain the power in their respective relationships.


8

THEMESLies and DeceitThe characters in the play spend a good deal of time lying, usually to get out of the societal pressures they are under and into something more fun and romantic. There is no remorse shown for the lies, which satirises what a dishonest place Upper English Victorian society was. In their fantasies the characters even lie to themselves.

Respect and ReputationWomen had to be seen to be well connected to money, sexually virtuous, polite and not too creative in their thinking. Men too had to prove their reputation before being allowed to marry but this was based on wealth and family history more than their actual behaviour. The importance of reputation links in with the lies the characters made to maintain it.



9

THEMESGender and MarriageIn patriarchal Victorian England, men dominated women, made the decisions, controlled the money and held the jobs. Wilde though, in touch with his feminine side, shows the folly of this one-sided society by showing the foolish decisions of the male characters and presenting us with a situation where the females are in control.


10

The Importance of Being Earnest, much like a Shakespearean comedy has a few pairs of characters that could easily be confused for one another. There’s Jack and Algernon who act like brothers and turn out to be exactly that. It may help to think about Jack as the sensible older brother, always bossing people and Algernon as the naughty little brother with less of a moral compass. Then there are Cecily and Gwendolen, who may appear similar on the surface, but Gwendolen is a sophisticated city girl and Cecily is country lass… and mad as a fox! It also may help to remember that the characters who live in the country; Jack and his ward Cecily; have Cs in their name.

Gwendolen pairs up with Jack and Cecily ends up with Algernon. There’s even an unconventional coupling between the minor characters of Miss Prism and Cannon Chasuble. Lady Bracknell is the only one who doesn’t have a match, lording over the play like a widowed lioness.

If you are writing on the characters of The Importance of Being Earnest it will help you to have a good understanding of their motivations and backgrounds.

Task: Here is a brief timeline of the play through the eyes of some of the main characters. Beside each event, write what that event tells us about that character. There are some examples to help you along the way.

Character Analysis

Jack Worthing aka ErnestAfter the cigarette case fiasco, Ernest reveals that Cecily is his ward. He explains why he is Jack in the country and Ernest in the city.

He has a lot of responsibility so he has made a double life to get away from it.

During an afternoon tea visit, Jack proposes to Gwendolen.

After being refused by Lady Bracknell, Jack plans to kill off Ernest.

After killing off Ernest, Jack returns to the Manor House, dressed in mourning. He explains that his brother, Ernest, died of a “severe chill.”

Jack arranges for his ‘brother’ to leave. He is Algy’s friend but he doesn’t think Algy is good enough to marry Cecily.

Left to themselves after the rejection of the girls, Jack and Algernon fight over muffins.

The two men finally enter the house to find their loves. Jack and Algernon reveal that they only lied out of love for the girls. They are immediately forgiven.

Jack eventually reveals Cecily’s inheritance, much to Lady Bracknell’s interest.

He doesn’t care much about money but is clever enough to tempt Lady Bracknell with it.

Jack refuses to give consent for Cecily to marry Algernon unless Lady Bracknell allows him to marry Gwendolen.

He is strong willed enough to risk everything for a happy ending for all.

Jack hears Miss Prism’s story, and begins to suspect that Miss Prism knows where he comes from. He finds the hand bag in his chambers.

Jack looks in the Army Lists to find his true Christian name. He discovers his name is Ernest.

Jack hugs Gwendolen joyfully, knowing they can finally be married.

Jack tells Lady Bracknell he has learned “the vital Importance of Being Earnest.”


Algernon MoncrieffAlgernon plays the piano badly and discusses the merits of wine and marriage with Lane.

He doesn’t take life too seriously and, by talking candidly to his butler, seems aware of the unfairness of English society

Algernon discovers Jack’s secret identity and reveals Bunbury.

Algernon eats all of Lady Bracknell’s cucumber sandwiches, and must make excuses to his aunt.

Algernon distracts Lady Bracknell with his music arrangements to give Jack time to propose to Gwendolen.

He values friends over relations.

Algernon discovers Jack’s country address.

Algernon goes “Bunburying” as Ernest to meet Cecily.

Algernon-as-Ernest flirts with Cecily and gets invited to dinner.

Algernon-as-Ernest sends away the dog-cart to flirt more with Cecily.

Algernon-as-Ernest discovers Cecily’s diary and their engagement.

He leaves to find out about getting baptised.

Algernon and Jack fight over muffins after being stood up by the girls.

Algernon lies to Lady Bracknell that Bunbury has died.

Algernon watches gleefully while Aunt Augusta pronounces Cecily a worthy bride for him.

Algernon is introduced to everyone as Jack’s “unfortunate brother.” (III.154)

Algernon hugs Cecily joyfully, knowing they can finally be married.

Lady BracknellLady Bracknell and Gwendolen visit Algernon.

Lady Bracknell expresses her disapproval over Bunbury’s bad health.

Lady Bracknell and Algernon go into the other room to inspect his music arrangements for her party, leaving Jack-as-Ernest and Gwendolen alone in the morning room.

Lady Bracknell walks in on Jack proposing to Gwendolen.

Lady Bracknell furiously sends Gwendolen down to the carriage. She rules viciously and gives Gwendolen no respect to think for herself.

Lady Bracknell interviews Jack-as-Ernest, and finds his lack of parents very disturbing. She pronounces him unfit to court Gwendolen, unless he can produce his parents by the end of the season. She dismisses him.

Lady Bracknell arrives at Jack’s Manor House in the country to get Gwendolen.

Lady Bracknell, once she has heard about Cecily’s inheritance, suddenly becomes very interested in her and announces her consent to let her marry Algernon.

Jack undercuts Lady Bracknell by refusing to give his consent to Cecily unless Lady Bracknell gives him consent to marry Gwendolen. Lady Bracknell refuses.

Dr. Chasuble enters and Lady Bracknell hears him mention Miss Prism. She commands Miss Prism to be brought to her.

Lady Bracknell forces Miss Prism into her confession.

Lady Bracknell reveals that Jack is really her nephew and Algernon’s older brother.

Lady Bracknell cannot remember what Jack’s father’s name was – only that he was a General.

After Jack discovers his name is really Ernest, Lady Bracknell accuses him of being trivial.


Cecily Cardew (Jack’s ward)Cecily waters the roses. She is a sweet girl.

Cecily discovers that Miss Prism wrote a three-volume novel.

Cecily lies that Miss Prism has a headache to get out of doing her German lesson. As a result, Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble (who are crushing on each other) go on a walk together.

Cecily meets Ernest who is really Algernon in disguise.

Cecily flirts with Ernest and promises to reform him.

Cecily invites Ernest in for dinner.

Cecily reconciles Uncle Jack with ‘Ernest.’ She loves both men and ideally wants them both in her life.

Cecily comes back out to water the roses and ends up spending more quality time with Ernest.

Cecily reveals her and Ernest’s love letters and engagement, which she has recorded in her diary for the past few months.

Cecily reveals how much she loves the name Ernest.

Cecily meets Gwendolen.

Cecily and Gwendolen insult each other over tea once they’ve learned that they’re both engaged to Ernest Worthing.

Cecily and Gwendolen retire into the house to fume at the boys.

Cecily and Gwendolen forgive the boys once they learned why they lied.

Cecily is pronounced a worthy fiancée for Algernon by Lady Bracknell.

Cecily and Algernon hug joyously, knowing they can finally get married.



13

Important Moment: The Marriage InterviewA turning point in the play comes at the end of Act 1. Jack has just successfully proposed to Gwendolen when they are set upon by Lady Bracknell, who interviews Jack in order to approve the marriage. While Jack and Gwendolen wish to marry for love, the Victorian etiquette was to gain approval from the parents before marriage. On finding out that he is adopted, Lady Bracknell forbids the marriage.

Afterwards, Jack resolves to go straight, bring an end to his city alter-ego and continue to communicate with Gwendolen from the country. Algernon, and later Gwendolen follow him there, both pursuing their romantic interests. The conflict between young vs old, traditional vs romantic, is set to play out.

Task: In the box on the right, make notes alongside the script that show how the dialogue relates to the themes of respect, deceit and gender in the play.. Some examples have been done to give you a start. Aim for at least 10 specific notes.

Extension: Write a paragraph that explains how this scene relates to a major theme (your choice) in the play. Use specific quotes from the scene to support your answer.

Lady Bracknell [Sitting down.] You can take a seat, Mr. Worthing.

[Looks in her pocket for note-book and pencil.]

Jack Thank you, Lady Bracknell, I prefer standing.

Lady Bracknell [Pencil and note-book in hand.] I feel bound to tell you that you are not down on my list of eligible young men, although I have the same list as the dear Duchess of Bolton has. We work together, in fact. However, I am quite ready to enter your name, should your answers be what a really affectionate mother requires. Do you smoke?

Jack Well, yes, I must admit I smoke.

Lady Bracknell I am glad to hear it. A man should always have an occupation of some kind. There are far too many idle men in London as it is. How old are you?

Jack Twenty-nine.

Lady Bracknell A very good age to be married at. I have always been of opinion that a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing. Which do you know?

Jack [After some hesitation.] I know nothing, Lady Bracknell.

Lady Bracknell I am pleased to hear it. I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory

Jack attempting to

assert some control, self-

respect in the situation .

Relates to Gender and

Respect themes .

Lady B has asserted control as a matriarch, formed alliances to veto or approve men, relates to the Gender theme, Wilde has reversed traditional roles for effect .


14

of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square. What is your income?

Jack Between seven and eight thousand a year.

Lady Bracknell [Makes a note in her book.] In land, or in investments?

Jack In investments, chiefly.

Lady Bracknell That is satisfactory. What between the duties expected of one during one’s lifetime, and the duties exacted from one after one’s death, land has ceased to be either a profit or a pleasure. It gives one position, and prevents one from keeping it up. That’s all that can be said about land.

Jack I have a country house with some land, of course, attached to it, about fifteen hundred acres, I believe; but I don’t depend on that for my real income. In fact, as far as I can make out, the poachers are the only people who make anything out of it.

Lady Bracknell A country house! How many bedrooms? Well, that point can be cleared up afterwards. You have a town house, I hope? A girl with a simple, unspoiled nature, like Gwendolen, could hardly be expected to reside in the country.

Jack Well, I own a house in Belgrave Square, but it is let by the year to Lady Bloxham. Of course, I can get it back whenever I like, at six months’ notice.

Lady Bracknell Lady Bloxham? I don’t know her.

Jack Oh, she goes about very little. She is a lady considerably advanced in years.

Lady Bracknell Ah, nowadays that is no guarantee of respectability of character. What number in Belgrave Square?

Jack 149.

Lady Bracknell [Shaking her head.] The unfashionable side. I thought there was something. However, that could easily be altered.

Jack Do you mean the fashion, or the side?

Lady Bracknell [Sternly.] Both, if necessary, I presume. What are your politics?

Jack Well, I am afraid I really have none. I am a Liberal Unionist.

Lady Bracknell Oh, they count as Tories. They dine with us. Or come in the evening, at any rate. Now to minor matters. Are your parents living?

Jack I have lost both my parents.

Lady Bracknell To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness. Who was your father? He was evidently a man of some wealth. Was he born in what the Radical papers call the purple of commerce, or did he rise from the ranks of the aristocracy?

Jack I am afraid I really don’t know. The fact is, Lady Bracknell, I said I had lost my parents. It would be nearer the truth to say that my parents seem to have lost me . . . I don’t actually know who I am by birth. I was . . . well, I was found.



15

Lady Bracknell Found!

Jack The late Mr. Thomas Cardew, an old gentleman of a very charitable and kindly disposition, found me, and gave me the name of Worthing, because he happened to have a first-class ticket for Worthing in his pocket at the time. Worthing is a place in Sussex. It is a seaside resort.

Lady Bracknell Where did the charitable gentleman who had a first-class ticket for this seaside resort find you?

Jack [Gravely.] In a hand-bag.

Lady Bracknell A hand-bag?

Jack [Very seriously.] Yes, Lady Bracknell, I was in a hand-bag—a somewhat large, black leather hand-bag, with handles to it—an ordinary hand-bag in fact.

Lady Bracknell In what locality did this Mr. James, or Thomas, Cardew come across this ordinary hand-bag?

Jack In the cloak-room at Victoria Station. It was given to him in mistake for his own.

Lady Bracknell The cloak-room at Victoria Station?

Jack Yes. The Brighton line.

Lady Bracknell The line is immaterial. Mr. Worthing, I confess I feel somewhat bewildered by what you have just told me. To be born, or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French Revolution. And I presume you know what that unfortunate movement led to? As for the particular locality in which the hand-bag

was found, a cloak-room at a railway station might serve to conceal a social indiscretion—has probably, indeed, been used for that purpose before now—but it could hardly be regarded as an assured basis for a recognised position in good society.

Jack May I ask you then what you would advise me to do? I need hardly say I would do anything in the world to ensure Gwendolen’s happiness.

Lady Bracknell I would strongly advise you, Mr. Worthing, to try and acquire some relations as soon as possible, and to make a definite effort to produce at any rate one parent, of either sex, before the season is quite over.

Jack Well, I don’t see how I could possibly manage to do that. I can produce the hand-bag at any moment. It is in my dressing-room at home. I really think that should satisfy you, Lady Bracknell.

Lady Bracknell Me, sir! What has it to do with me? You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter—a girl brought up with the utmost care—to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel? Good morning, Mr. Worthing!

[Lady Bracknell sweeps out in majestic indignation.]


16

DramaInterview with the with actor, director and writer Dan Allan, who adapted The Importance of Being Earnest for NZ Playhouse

How did you come to be adapting The Importance of Being Earnest?

I am the co-director of Body in Space, a theatre company in Nelson, NZ, and every year we do a big outdoor summer theatre show for a donation. We started by doing The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and that proved a very popular formula of small cast whacky comedies with multiple roles, which we have continued. In 2012, the third year of the annual event, we staged a four player version of Earnest.

That same year I did some acting and directing work with NZ Playhouse and when the next year rolled around I submitted a proposal to adapt our adaption even further, for three players as the secondary touring show. It was accepted and I went to work on the script.

Why did you think it was necessary to tamper with a classic? It’s one of the most popular plays of all time . Isn’t it heresy to change it?

Yeah, it is a bit cheeky but I think Oscar Wilde would have supported our decisions, if he was around today. Why change it at all? Well, we had Earnest in mind as a potentially popular choice and it’s also out of copyright, which is, frankly, a huge bonus when you’re doing shows on a tight budget for the community. But my only memory of the play was yawning through an amateur production of it in my twenties. I felt back then that, even though there were some good bits, it was too long and talky for modern tastes. Reading the script through again confirmed that for us, so we knew we wanted to cut it down to under two hours for starters.

Then, we already had these very popular comedy traditions established in our summer shows. We always did a rap song, there was always cross dressing, modern references and so on. We felt the audience would be disappointed if we didn’t do those traditions. So my wife and co-director Lisa and I spent a great deal of our December chopping out bits of the script, adapting it for four, writing a rap and a couple of other songs and hoping like heck that it wasn’t going to be too dry. We were also quite scared that there would be some sort of Oscar Wilde enthusiast writing damning letters to the editor.

We needn’t have worried though. Rehearsals were hilarious and we found all sorts of laughs to add in. The season went down as the crowds favourite Summer show to that date. I think in large part it’s INTERVIEW



17

INTERVIEWbecause of the great source material. Wilde’s lines are still very funny. But I am proud of the adaption. I think it adds comedy and I’m glad we gave it a go. The reviewer for the Nelson season said that she could hear Wilde’s ghost laughing in the pines. And when we did a season in Hamilton, the reviewer was hugely positive and wrote along the lines that our choices served to enhance Wilde’s satire. I’m really proud of that because it’s giving Wilde new life for new audiences.

What were the challenges of adapting The Importance of Being Earnest for a young audience in the 21st century?

Well, a very unromantic factor is the practical considerations of a schools show. It needs to fit inside a timetabled school hour and also be ready to travel, packed in and out and performed up to three times a day. That meant cutting our original adaptation in half, and we had already cut 30% of it for the first adaptation! It’s a very time consuming job to take 50% of the words out of a script but retain the highlights of wittiness and the meaning of the characters and scenes. Hopefully I’ve managed that.

But that time limitation is also a blessing because we’ll go right to the heart of

the piece and every scene will be crucial and memorable. I think teenagers are increasingly visual and process information very quickly, so this version should bring the story across to them really well.

In terms of young people’s tastes, I don’t think there’s a need to talk down to them too much. Teenagers are developing adult tastes. There’s a few modern references thrown in there to make sure people are still listening! It’s funny, actually, what parallels there are with modern times in the script. The way Cecily talks about her diary it may as well be social media posts.

People haven’t really changed since 1895, it’s just our technology has. While young NZ and Australians might not relate much to the Victorian marriage stuff, the theme


18

DAN ALLANof false appearances and dual identities is hugely relevant today. Jack and Algy go about creating false lives which get them into trouble. These days we do that online. There are avatars and fake identities available to us. People can disappear into fantasy and have a dual identity- a Bunbury! Even with something as common as Facebook, you are presenting just one version of your life.

I also believe that the best jokes are the ones that are funny for the whole room, no matter what age they are, which is why I like to use a lot of visual comedy, because that’s universal.

What is your favourite part of the play and why?

I enjoy the ‘interrogation’ of Jack by Lady Bracknell. It’s a very famous piece of dialogue which I first stumbled across in a collection of script extracts long before I had even seen the play. I think it actually gets funnier the more you read and hear it. It’s hard to take all the wit in when you just watch it once. The corruption of power in that scene is very funny to me. It reminds me how ridiculous life is when a woman who holds such flawed and socially unjust opinions can make or break a young man’s intentions.

I also have a soft spot for the meeting of Gwendolen and Cecily. There are some great examples of saying one thing and meaning another in that scene. Classic comedy of manners stuff. Cecily is quite barmy. She’s a wonderfully observed character who says some quite insane things but remains on just the right side of believable.



19

DAN ALLANWhat qualities does an actor need for this kind of show?

Energy! There are huge demands on the actors, so they need to be match fit and enthusiastic to perform at that high level up to three times a day (with travel in between). I think also the actors need to keep in mind that they are sending up the English aristocracy, so strong voice work is key and that sense of play and silliness that being ‘terribly English’ can engender.

Also, because the show is complicated with lots of factors like puppetry and exits and entrances and changes of character, I think it is key for the actors to be in the moment, be open to errors and deviations in each performance and have fun with their crowd, knowing every live performance will be different.

Finally, what are the most important ‘technologies’ in the play? And can you share with us a couple of examples of ‘effective use’ of the technologies .

Well, the costuming in the play really brings across the time and place that students will be studying. Oscar Wilde was a lover of fine things, he lived in that world of luxurious coats and jewels and bow-ties and formality at every chance. I haven’t seen the costumes yet but I hope that Algernon and Jack contrast in what they wear. Jack should be in more conservative formal attire, whereas Algy, who’s very flippant and fancy-free should have more colourful and daring suits to show his attitude toward life. I think Algy is the character who is most ‘the voice’ of the playwright.

And the puppetry will be an important technology. Because of the reduced cast size, the puppets were included to allow

more characters to be embodied. They also create more visual comedy which should compliment the very wordy dialogue and bring attention to the mouth and what is being said. Good puppeteers will use direction and stillness (among the movement) to bring focus to certain important moments. So, effective use of the puppets will involve focussing the audience’s attention to detail. The opposite of that is what we call ‘split focus,’ where the audience doesn’t know where to look because there’s too much happening on stage.

I think it’s important for students to note that puppets are definitely not a technology that was used in the Comedy of Manners genre. They are our own addition (a bit of a genre mash-up) and I hope they are enjoyed as a feature in their own right, separate to what Comedy of Manners plays were like when they first appeared.


20

Having a go at PuppetryThe performance of The Importance of Being Earnest involved puppets which served to heighten the comedy and allowed the small cast to bring across a variety of different characters.

Found Object Puppetry

“A puppet is an inanimate object that is manipulated so as to appear animate .”

The following exercise is adapted from www.childdrama.com

Task: Create a puppet from a found object.

You Will Need

• A collection of everyday items.

• It would be helpful, but not necessary to have some traditional puppets for show.

Discussion

I usually begin the discussion by mentioning some things everyone knows are puppets--the Muppets, “Lamb Chop,”

etc. I bring out some of my own puppets (I am an avid puppet maker and collector) and show them in action. I usually allow the students to handle some of the less fragile puppets themselves. So far we’re all in agreement about what is a puppet.

But then I put the puppets away and bring out a collection of everyday items--for example, a pair of sunglasses, a small square cardboard box, a paper-punch, a shoe, a ruler. I lay these items in front of the students and say, “Are these puppets?”

Of course at first the children all say, “no,” and laugh at the question. But then I pick up one of the items--say, the sunglasses--and begin to manipulate it so it becomes a character.

Note: If you have not been a puppeteer it is a good idea to practice this ahead of time, and to deliberately select objects you know you can manipulte successfully. This is a very individual thing, but I’ll give you some hints. Sunglasses, with their bows spread wide, become a very convincing ant’s head, complete with reflective eyes and two antennae, if the manipulator is skilled enough. A

http://www.childdrama.com



21

shoe has a tongue and can talk, or it can use its laces like tentacles. The paper-punch can obviously become a baracuda. If it has a hinged lid, a cardboard box becomes a big-mouthed character with a ferocious appetite. (Mine is named “Stocky,” because he used to contain a stock pot, and his schtick is box-related humor: “Hey, Stocky--what’s your favorite food?” “Box lunch.” “Who’s your favorite actor?” “Bruce Boxleitner.”) A ruler behind a notebook becomes a shy character who keeps peeking out and darting back out of sight.

Making Our Own Puppets

Once the concept of creating puppet characters from everyday objects has been explored, I challenge each student to find an object and create a puppet from it. I discourage them from altering the objects in any way. (It is not necessary to paint eyes on a chair to make a character of it.) Depending on the age of the students and on the timing, I will either have them use objects they can find in my room, or I’ll assign the project as “homework.”

Manipulating the Puppets

I suggest that they allow the nature of the chosen object to help them determine the personality of the puppet.

(Which is lazier--an old bedroom slipper or a high-heeled shoe? How is the attitude of a pair of pliers different from the attitude of an oven mitt?)

Allow some time for students to develop the character (Prompt them to explore the puppet’s voice, movement of the mouth, movement of the body, attittude to surroundings, relationship with the puppeteer.)

Students can then present a short scene where they will introduce their puppet character to the class, talking as both themselves and their puppet.

Extension: Dialogue extracts.

Students receive a short script extract with two characters, perhaps something from The Importance of Being Earnest, and present the scene with the more flamboyant of the characters played by their puppet. For example, the actor plays Jack and the puppet plays Lady Bracknell in the marriage interview scene.

It may also be possible to have two object puppet characters in the same scene. For example, the actors can play Jack and Algernon and their puppets could play Cecily and Gwendolen discovering their deceit over pretending to be called Ernest.


22

The actors of The Importance of Being Earnest (A Musically Mad Mini-Version), use a mixture of physicality, costume pieces, and puppets to change characters and present a period story with lots of characters, all played out by only three actors. The ability to quickly transform is a key asset for an actor, whether working in children’s theatre, improvisation, sketch comedy or modern plays and films that have been deliberately written to test the actor in this enjoyable way.

Tasks: Try out the improvisation games and exercises that follow over the next few pages. They have been placed in a rough order of difficulty.

Learning Outcome of these Exercises:

• Students learn to switch characterisations quickly.

• Through making choices spontaneously, they experience body, voice, movement and use of space choices they might not normally choose, thereby broadening their range of characterisations.

• Due to the fast cycling of scenes, the students are allowed to experiment with multiple uses of B,V,M,S in a non-judging environment.

Multiple Role Improvisation Exercises



23

Freeze Tag (junior/senior)• Anywhere between two and fifteen students

form a line at the back of the stage.• Two actors, Down Stage, start an improvised scene.

• At any point in time the player at the top end of the line (or the teacher) calls freeze. • The player at the top of the line then tags out

one of the two actors, and takes their place, copying their physicality exactly.• Both players then start a new scene, justifying

their positions as new characters.• The player tagged out goes to the end of the line, which shuffles up one place.• For purposes of concentrating on character, the

teacher should prompt the student to make their character completely different to the previous scene. Students should be prompted

to fully justify the new context, letting the frozen shape inform their character choice.

Funny People (junior/senior)

• Stand in a circle.

• Teacher starts by demonstrating a line

of dialogue and a manner of expression,

with simple gestures to deliver it.

Examples: To be or not to be, that is the

question (stated boldly with one hand

on chin and one hand in the air) or The

secret of great comedy, is timing (said

with a big thumbs up at the end). The

person whose turn it is, starting with the

teacher, will look across the circle and

make eye contact with another person.

They will then enter to the middle of the

circle and deliver their line and gesture to

that person they have connected with.

• The person they have delivered the

line to must observe them closely, from

pitch and quality of voice, to posture,

mannerisms, coughs, laughs; everything.

• Then it is the observer’s turn to make

contact with someone else across the

circle, enter, deliver their line, mimicking

as best they can the last person and

cross the circle to their target’s position.

• And so on, til either everyone has had a

turn, or a couple of turns, or the delivery

has reached a suitably absurd point of

delivery.

• Emphasis should be placed on trying

to be as accurate as possible, without

exaggeration. Nevertheless, a Chinese

Whispers style pattern will probably

emerge, until hysterical renditions of the

original line are being carried out.

• Note: This is a very polarising game. It

can be hugely successful and enjoyable

with some groups, while others might

instantly dislike it. A big factor in this is

the trust and confidence levels of the

group. It must be emphasised with

less confident groups that you are not

‘making fun’ of the person observed,

but trying to develop your powers of

observation and acting accuracy.


24

Switch Left (junior/senior)

• Four actors stand in a square facing the audience. Two people at

the front, square on with the audience and two people directly

behind them. The people at the front are the first combination of

actors, they get an idea from the audience for their scene, such as

an occupation, or a type of relationship.

• Then the teacher or another player says “switch left” and the square

rotates in the direction of stage left, the player who was at front,

stage right is now at stage left. The player who was behind them

now joins them at the front, etc. This new combination of players

gets an idea for their scene.

• Switch left a third time and now each ‘combination’ at the front has

a scene starter.

• Now start playing these scenes out in sessions of 20-30 seconds for

each scene, calling ‘Switch Left’ when the players have advanced the

scene sufficiently. The players should be encouraged to make their

characters broad and different from each other so that it is clear to

the audience what scene we have come back to. When learning

the game, the actors should be encouraged to stay on their side of

the square during the scene, to avoid confusion during the ‘switch.’

When we return for the second turn of a particular combination,

players may choose to show that time has passed in the relationship

between the characters. After 3-4 turns with each combination, the

actors should be prompted to find a conclusion to all three stories.

Tag-Out Scene (junior/senior)• You can play this game in a circle, or with teams of players on either side of the stage with the scene centre stage.

• An action driven scene starts in the centre and is on-going.

• When a player has an idea on how to advance the scene, they can tag one of the actors and take on their character.

• If a scene requires more characters to join, players may step in and add to the number in the scene, but there should be no more than four in the scene at any given time.• The emphasis should be placed on being true,

through voice and physical mimicking to the character the actor has tagged in to be. Broadly played characters will be easier to pick up and carry on, so it should be encouraged from the start to play ‘big’ with the characters.• Scenes can go on for 5-10 minutes as long as

advancing is happening and players are still committing to the established qualities of the characters, it is not as important to concentrate on story-telling. Once the story is established, escalate the frequency with which the players tag in as it goes along, making sure everyone has a turn.



25

Stuck in the Middle (senior)• This is a more advanced extension of Freeze Tag, above, and places more emphasis on one individual who must keep switching characters.

• Two teams of students line up at SR and SL of stage, with one student who is ‘in’ at centre stage.• The student at the front of the line at SL enters with the player who is in and gives them a broad offer to endow them with a character, for example, “Doctor, my leg needs re-bandaging.” The scene is allowed to play out for a while and just as the actor is really committing to the character, ‘freeze’ is called and the first player from the SR line enters and tags out the SL player, always leaving the player who is ‘in’ on stage.• Unlike Freeze Tag, the players from the sides are allowed to generate their own ideas for offers, without having to incorporate the previous physicality. The players should be asked to think of offering a variation to what has come before to challenge the actor ‘stuck in the middle’ to take on a wide variety of characters. The left to right structure should ensure the flow of new scene ideas come thick and fast. The person in the middle should be encouraged to experiment with B,V,M,S. Duration of turns in the middle is up to discretion of teacher but it should last until the actors ‘fall-back’ options have been exhausted and they are experimenting with new voices, statuses, postures etc.

Solo Character Generator (advanced, senior)

• One brave improviser on stage.

• Start a scene by yourself. You could be addressing the audience

directly, or talking to an imaginary scene partner, or simply miming

something. Give your character strong traits; manipulating voice,

posture, gestures, speed, tone etc to paint a bold and memorable

character.

• After 20 seconds or so, the teacher will clap their hands and the

actor will immediately assume a new character, as strongly rendered

as the first. The actor should be prompted, if necessary, to quickly

establish setting, status etc from what they do and say. They should

commit fully to the character. They should advance the scene as if it

could go on indefinitely.

• After another 20 seconds or so, teacher claps again. Actor switches

character. And so on.

• The duration of each character can be manipulated to challenge the

actor. If a teacher knows a student well, they might identify a voice

or trait the student uses as a ‘fall-back’ and quickly move them on

from that choice, perhaps after only three seconds. The duration on

stage for each actor also needs to be judged with student ability in

mind.


26

Earnest Acting Elements

Having just watched the professional performance of The Importance of Being Earnest: A Musically Mad Mini-Version it is important to reflect on what the actors did with the acting elements to bring across the characters and story.

Task: For each of the acting elements below, write three specific examples of how the actors used this for effect in one of the moments in the show.

Cite the name of the Character, how the element was used and its effect on the audience.

Examples have been given for each element to start you off.

Body Voice- Cecily, sat very upright in her chair. This showed that she was brought up in a very disciplined environment way and was young and fit.

-

-

- Lady Bracknell, puppet character. Spoke very loudly to Jack when interviewing him. This made us feel intimidated by Lady Bracknell and sorry for Jack. She has no concern for how others felt, high status.

-

-

Movement Space- Algernon, moved slowly around the space. This showed that he was never too concerned, playing life as a game.

-

-

- Cecily and Gwendolen, sat very close together at the outdoor table in Act two. This made it seem like they were going to be friends but made it very awkward when they got jealous of each other, they started to face away from each other more.

-

-



27

Defining a Comedy of Manners

Below are two very ‘wordy’ definitions for a Comedy of Manners:

‘The comedy of manners is an

entertainment form which satirizes the

manners and affectations of a social

class or of multiple classes, often

represented by stereotypical stock

characters. For example, the miles

gloriosus (“boastful soldier”) in ancient

times, the fop and the rake during

the English Restoration, or an old person

pretending to be young. Restoration

comedy is used as a synonym for “comedy

of manners”.[1] The plot of the comedy,

often concerned with scandal, is generally

less important than its witty dialogue.

A great writer of comedies of manners

was Oscar Wilde, his most famous play

being The Importance of Being Earnest.’

-Wikipedia

‘Comedy of Manners: witty, cerebral form of dramatic comedy that depicts and often satirizes the manners and affectations of a contemporary society. A comedy of manners is concerned with social usage and the question of whether or not characters meet certain social standards. Often the governing social standard is morally trivial but exacting. The plot of such a comedy, usually concerned with an illicit love affair or similarly scandalous matter, is subordinate to the play’s brittle atmosphere, witty dialogue, and pungent commentary on human foibles.…

The tradition of elaborate, artificial plotting and epigrammatic dialogue was carried on by the Anglo-Irish playwright Oscar Wilde in Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).’- Encyclopedia Brittanica

Task: It is important to understand the key words associated with comedy of manners. Using a dictionary or the internet, find definitions for the following words:

Satire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Affectation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stock character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Trivial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cerebral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Exacting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Epigrammatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Illicit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Pungent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Foibles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Extension: In your own words, rewrite the definition of comedy of manners as you now understand it. Keep it to three sentences.


28

How Does Earnest Fit?

From the definitions of Comedy of Manners we can boil the characteristics down to three main factors:

• Artifical/complicated plotlines designed to put the characters under social pressure

• Stock characters, recognisable to the audience and serving a function

• Witty/epigrammatic dialogue

Task: Now that you have viewed a (highly edited) version of the play, make some notes about how your experience of The Importance of Being Earnest matched up to this definition. Use specific examples from your memory of what was said and done by the characters.

An example has been given in each category to get you started.

Aim for 5 specific examples in each category.

Artificial/Compicated Plotline-

-

-

- Miss Prism is Cecily’s governess and ‘just happens’ to be the person responsible for losing Jack as a baby. It seems highly unlikely that she had never worked out this connection with her employer until Lady Bracknell points it out in the climax of the play.

-

Stock Characters-

-

- Cannon Chasuble is a religious figure who is actually a romantic and uses dodgy metaphors.

-

-

Witty Dialogue-

- “To lose one parent, Mr Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.” - Lady Bracknell

-

-

-



29

The Importance of Being Earnest opened in the West End

of London in February 1894 during an era when many of

the religious, social, political, and economic structures were

experiencing change — The Victorian Age (the last 25-30 years

of the 1800s). The British Empire was at its height and occupied

much of the globe, including Ireland, Wilde’s homeland. The

English aristocracy was dominant, snobbish and rich — far

removed from the British middle class and poor.

Many novelists, essayists, poets, philosophers and playwrights

of the Victorian Age wrote about social problems, particularly

concerning the effects of the Industrial Revolution and political

and social reform. Dickens concentrated on the poor, Darwin

wrote his theory of evolution describing the survival of the fittest,

and Thomas Hardy wrote about the Naturalist Theory of man

stuck in the throes of fate. In an age of change, their work, as well

as Wilde’s plays, encouraged people to think about the artificial

barriers that defined society and enabled a privileged life for the

rich at the expense of the working class.

The white, Anglo-Saxon, male society of the time provided many

targets of complacency and aristocratic attitudes that playwrights

such as Wilde could attack.

Although the themes in The Importance of Being Earnest address

Victorian social issues, the structure of the play was largely

influenced by French theatre, melodrama, social drama, and

farce. Wilde was quite familiar with these genres, and borrowed

from them freely. A play by W. Lestocq and E.M. Robson, The

Foundling, is thought to be a source of Earnest, and it was

playing in London at the time Wilde was writing Earnest. The

Foundling has an orphan-hero, like Jack Worthing in Wilde’s play.

A farce is a humorous play using exaggerated physical action,

such as slapstick, absurdity, and improbability. It often contains

surprises where the unexpected is disclosed. The ending

of Earnest, in which Jack misidentifies Prism as his unmarried

mother, is typical of the endings of farces. Farces were usually

done in three acts and often included changes of identity, stock

characters, and lovers misunderstanding each other. Wearing

mourning clothes or gobbling food down at times of stress are

conventions that can be traced to early farces.

Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen also strongly influenced

Wilde. Ibsen’s innovations in A Doll’s House, which had

played in London in 1889, were known to Wilde. Wilde also

attended Hedda Gabler and Ghosts,two other plays by Ibsen.

While in prison, Wilde requested copies of Ibsen plays.

The theatre manager of the St. James where Earnest opened,

George Alexander, asked Wilde to reduce his original four-

act play to three acts, like more conventional farces. Wilde

accomplished this by omitting the Gribsby episode and

merging two acts into one. In doing so, he maneuvered his

play for greater commercial and literary response.

Earnest came at a time in Wilde’s life when he was

feeling the pressure of supporting his family and mother,

and precariously balancing homosexual affairs —

especially with Lord Alfred Douglas. The Importance of Being

Earnest opened at George Alexander’s St. James Theatre on

February 14, 1895. On this particular evening, to honour Wilde’s

aestheticism, the women wore lily corsages, and the young men

wore lilies of the valley in their lapels. Wilde himself, an outside

observer by birth in the world of elegant fashion, was festooned

in a glittering outfit. It was widely reported that he wore a

coat with a black velvet collar, a white waistcoat, a black moiré

ribbon watch chain with seals, white gloves, a green scarab ring,

and lilies of the valley in his lapel. Wilde, the Irish outsider, was

dramatically accepted by upper-class London, who loved his wit

and daring, even when laughing about themselves.

The aristocracy attending Wilde’s play

knew and understood the private lives of

characters like Jack and Algernon. They were aware of the

culture and atmosphere of the West End. It had clubs, hotels,

cafes, restaurants, casinos, and most of the 50 theatres in London.

The West End was also a red-light district filled with brothels that

could provide any pleasure. It was a virtual garden of delights,

and the patrons could understand the need for married men to

invent Ernests and Bunburys so that they could frolic in this world.

England, 1894: The Historical Context of EarnestRead the following background information on the play, extracted and edited down from www.cliffsnotes.com then answer the questions on the following page.

http://www.cliffsnotes.com


30

Task: Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of Wilde’s reasons for writing The Importance of Being Earnest. Most answers can be found in the article, others may require a little more digging!

1. What were writers of Victorian England increasingly drawing people’s attention to?

2. How did the private lives of London aristocracy influence the play?

3. How did Wilde’s own life influence the content of the play?

4. What were his main literary influences?

Extension questions

Oscar Wilde is described as an ‘aesthetic’ in the article…

5. What is this?

6. Did it influence the content of the play?

7. Which character in the play is most like Wilde himself and what makes you think so?

England, 1894: The Historical Context of Earnest



31

Staging the Play: The Proscenium ArchOriginally, productions of The Importance of Being Earnest would have been held in traditional proscenium arch theatres, which allow the play to be viewed in a box, as if the audience is watching through the “Fourth Wall.” This tradition continues today as proscenium theatres are still popular (your school hall may have one) but increasingly theatre stages are moving out of the box and onto thrust or open stages.

In a sense, the proscenium arch theatre predicted televisions, as it focuses the audience’s attention into a rectangle and allows us to see the action as if it were a slice of life. It allows things to be hidden easily from the audiences sight, simply by travelling off to the sides of the stage and onto the wings, actors or objects will disappear and can re-appear from a different place as if they are in a new location. The curtain allows for concealing set changes between acts and beginning and ending the play.

Scenery can either be hung from the fly floor in the form of a back-drop or sit on the stage behind the actors who will perform most of the action near the front of the stage, trying to project their voices past the proscenium arch and into the auditorium.


32

Staging the Play: The Proscenium Arch

Imagine you are watching a traditional version of the play in a proscenium arch theatre.

Task: List 3 ways that this stage type would enhance the performance of the Comedy of Manners style play. You should think about the Comedy of Manners characteristics in your answers. A couple of examples are done for you.

Ways in which Earnest would be suited to a proscenium arch style performance: • The witty dialogue would be brought forward and given maximum importance.

• The opulent surroundings of the country estate could be flown in from the fly towers between acts.

•

•

•

•



33

Technology: Costume

Costume is an important way that a production establishes information about a character. In the comedy of manners, The Importance of Being Earnest, where a lot is said but very little ‘action’ takes place, the costume becomes even more important as a visual stimulus. The playwright Oscar Wilde, himself a flamboyant dresser, would have ensured the cast was attired in the most stunning London fashions of the time. Jack’s character would be dressed in an expensive formal, conservative suit, befitting his wealth and responsibility, whereas Algernon’s costume would probably be more colourful and daring. Cecily’s dress would have a cheery country style, whereas city-girl Gwendolen’s would be more sophisticated to contrast those characters’ ages and living locations.

Task: Using one of the templates on the next pages, draw the costume of one of the characters from the play.

Make specific notes about how the costume is typical of the drama form of Comedy of Manners. eg Algernon’s bowtie is the sort found in Victorian aristocratic society, it’s floppiness and bright crimson colour shows that this is a character who values style over substance and likes to break the rules. Comedy of manners usually features a character that challenges the social norms of a particular society and Algernon is the instigator in this case.


34

imag

e fro

m h

owto

draw

fasio

n.co

m

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..



35

imag

e fro

m h

owto

draw

fasio

n.co

m

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

..

www.newzealandplayhouse.co.nzPO Box 19907, Christchurch 8241, NZGPO Box 2358, Melbourne, VIC 3001, AUS

This resource was compiled by Daniel Allan; actor, director, artistic director at Body in Space, New Zealand high school drama and English teacher, actor/director for New Zealand Playhouse’s 2013 Shakespeare: As You Write It tour and writer for New Zealand Playhouse’s 2015 tour of the adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest.

The units in the resource are designed to help you prepare for and follow up from our show, but of course you might find parts of this useful at other times of the year. That’s great. Use it how you like.

If you have any questions or suggestions relating to this resource or our plays, give us a buzz on 0800 894 500 (within NZ) or +64 3 974 3499 (outside NZ) and we’d be so, so happy to chat.

We also value your feedback on our plays and these resources, so don’t be afraid to hit us up with any suggestions!


http://www.newzealandplayhouse.co.nz

Documents

alia 2014 - New Zealand Playhousenewzealandplayhouse.co.nz/.../01/NZP_Earnest...22.pdf · alia 2014.nz.nz 2 Dear Teacher This resource is designed by Dan Allan (actor, director, teacher