The Christendom Players are nearly ready for showtime, returning to the stage the weekend of November 14-16 with five performances of Oscar Wilde’s renowned play The Importance of Being Earnest. These shows, which mark the third time the Christendom Players have taken on Oscar Wilde’s acclaimed plays, will be performed in Christendom’s Old Chapel Hall at 8:00 pm every night, with additional matinee performances at 3:00 pm on Saturday and 3:00 pm on Sunday.
This production will once again be directed by alumna Elizabeth Foeckler, the Christendom Players’ veteran director with more than ten shows under her belt. The Importance of Being Earnest follows on the heels of a magical performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella this past spring and prior performances including My Fair Lady, An Evening of Shakespeare, 12 Angry Men, Death on the Nile, and last fall’s premiere play, The Actor.
The latest Christendom show will star freshmen Gus Kohlhaas and Edmund Brugger as Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, with freshman Lillian Long playing Gwendolen Fairfax and junior Mary Ann Casey playing Cecily Cardew. Orla Haggerty, Mary McCaughey, and Jimmy Stanford will play the supporting roles of Lady Bracknell, Miss Prism, and Canon Chasuble in the classic play.
Written in 1894, Wilde’s three-act play is known for its memorable dialogue and excellent comedy, and deals with issues of identity, deception, and true love.
Director Elizabeth Foeckler shared that this performance has been years in the making and anticipates a truly exceptional performance, with both the original and the understudy casts giving performances.
“I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been asked by faculty and students alike when we would do this show,” says Foeckler. “It is remarkably clever, and is the most famous play of Wilde’s, and for good reason. I always hesitated to put it on, because it is the smallest cast of any show we have done, but the students were willing to face the competition for parts, so we went for it. That is why, for the first time ever, we will be having an understudy matinee performance on Saturday. These students have all worked so hard and deserve a chance to perform for a crowd.”
The cast, the smallest in the history of the Christendom Players and composed entirely of students, was chosen through a highly competitive round of auditions and callbacks. Students have been at work for weeks, dedicating hours of practice to make the show incredible.
Ticket prices will be $9 for adults and $5 for those under 18.
The Christendom Players, a student-run club, perform a play each fall and a musical each spring. Although Christendom College does not offer a performing arts major, many students include acting as part of their extracurricular pursuits during college. The resulting showcase of talent – both musical and theatrical – draws students across all disciplines, resulting in rich theatrical productions each academic year.
Contributed by Bridget Palm ’28.