Ithaca College

Ithaca College Theatre presents The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde as the final production of the 2002-3 season. The show will be staged at 8:00 p.m. on April 22 and April 24 through April 26. There will be 2:00 p.m. matinees on Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27. All performances will take place in the Hoerner Theatre in Dillingham Center.

Tickets can be purchased at the Ithaca College Theatre ticket office in Dillingham Center, the Clinton House ticket center in downtown Ithaca, and Cornell University's Willard Straight Hall from $4.50 to $10.00. The Dillingham Center ticket office is open Monday through Friday, noon to 5:00 p.m., beginning April 14. For information call (607) 274-3224. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more by calling (607) 274-3796.

For more than 100 years, Oscar Wilde's play has enchanted audiences with its satiric wit as it peers behind the facade of upper-crust chic to reveal the perils of high-stakes romantic gamesmanship. Filled with wit and wisdom, The Importance of Being Earnest tells the tale of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff. Both young men have taken to bending the truth in order to add a dash of excitement to their lives. Jack has invented an imaginary brother, Ernest, whom he uses as an excuse to escape from his dull home in the country and frolic in town. Algernon uses a similar technique, only in reverse. His imaginary friend, Bunbury, provides a convenient and frequent method of taking adventures in the country. However, their deceptions eventually cross paths, resulting in a series of events that threaten to spoil their romantic pursuits: Jack of his love Gwendolen Fairfax, and Algernon of his belle Cecily Cardew.

Director Arno Selco is a professor of acting at Ithaca College. He has appeared in Broadway and stock productions, on network TV shows, and in feature films and is a member of Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors. He has directed at Pennsylvania State University, Case Western Reserve University, Oberlin College, Muhlenberg College, Indiana University, Hope College, Wright State University, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the University of Bristol in England.

Other members of the artistic team are scenic designer Johanna Morriss '04, costume designer Kim Gill, lighting designer Jen Bickford '03, and sound designer Josh Liebert '03.

Cast members for The Importance of Being Earnest include Will Pinchin '03 as Algernon Moncrieff, Stephanie Roberts '03 as Cecily Cardew, Emily Torres-Lumsden '03 as Gwendolen Fairfax and Nick Farco '03 as John Worthing.

Contributed by Evan Thews-Wassell and Brian Falck