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Home Academics Theatre and Dance Productions Audition Announcements
The Importance of Being Earnest

Audition Information

Show: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Director: Scott Gilbert

Audition Dates and Times

  • Monday, May 6, 2024, 5:30 to 8:30 pm
  • Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 5:30 to 8:30 pm

You only need to attend one day of auditions, plus callbacks if requested.

  • Callback Date: Thursday, May 9, 2024, 5:00 to 8:00 pm

Show Description

The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy of Serious People, is Oscar Wilde’s most famous and successful play, a classic of English literature, and one of the most produced shows ever written. A farcical comedy where the protagonists adopt fictional identities to get out of the responsibilities of Victorian society, the play is full of wit and Wilde’s skewed wisdom.

The CRC production will combine the traditional delights of this hilariously trivial play with contemporary touches and devised theatrical elements created by the cast.

Audition Location

  • Cosumnes River College Black Box Theatre, 8401 Center Pkwy., Sacramento, CA 95823
  • Parking permit required (Daily $2)

Audition Information

Viewing Auditions:
Scott Gilbert, Director and Adjunct Professor of Theatre Arts.
Contact for questions: gilbers@crc.losrios.edu

Seeking: Committed, enthusiastic and willing actors of all types. All racial, cultural, and gender identities are welcome. No previous performance experience required. Creative performers with performance skills beyond acting are encouraged.

What to Prepare: Auditioners should prepare a monologue, 60-90 seconds, preferably a comedic piece from some interesting period of theatrical history. Monologues from Earnest or Wilde are fine but not required.

Although the preparation and performance of an audition monologue is highly encouraged, actors without a monologue will be allowed to try out, and the audition process will include cold reading of scenes and improv exercises.

Production Information

Rehearsal Dates

  • May 12 to July 5, 2024

The official class starts June 10, so any rehearsals before then will be outside of those parameters.
Generally, rehearsals will be Monday through Thursday from 4:00 to 8:00 pm at Cosumnes River College. (Or, possibly, later in the evening or on slightly different days, depending on who is cast.) We can work with conflicts, and while not every actor will be called to every rehearsal, too many conflicts can affect casting decisions.

Tech Rehearsal Dates

  • July 6, 2024 to July 11, 2024, generally 5:00 to 10:00 pm (except Saturday, July 6, 2024 which will likely be scheduled 10:00 am to 6:00 pm)

Attendance is required at tech rehearsals.

Performance Dates

July 12 to 21, 2024

Attendance is required at all performances.

Academic Information

Students who are cast in this production must be available for all performances and will be required to enroll in TAP 320, 321, 322, or 323 for the First Six-Week Fall Session (June 10, 2024 to July 19, 2024). Students can register for 1.0 to 3.0 units. Scripts will be provided; TAP 320-323 are Zero Textbook Cost courses. There is no final exam for TAP 320-323.

Character Breakdown

In CRC’s production, the following may be cast somewhat traditionally, or more innovatively as to gender, race and identity, depending on who auditions. All actors should audition and feel equally considered, regardless of their resemblance to the English stereotypes in the play.

  • John Worthing: His friends in the city know him only as Ernest, but in the country John Worthing goes by Jack, which he believes is his real name. He does not know his personal history, only that he was discovered as a baby in a handbag in Victoria Station. He is in love with Gwendolen Fairfax and is the legal guardian of Cecily Cardew.
  • Algernon Moncrieff: Living in the city, Algernon Moncrieff is a good friend of Jack. At the beginning of the play he thinks that Jack’s name is Ernest. Algernon lives in a flat in a prestigious part of London. He is the nephew of Lady Bracknell and in love with Cecily Cardew.
  • Gwendolen Fairfax: The daughter of Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen Fairfax is in love with Jack but believes that she could not love him if he were named anything other than Ernest.
  • Cecily Cardew: Jack’s niece and ward, Cecily Cardew falls in love with Algernon when he visits her under the assumed name of Ernest, and she tells him that she could never love a man named anything but Ernest.
  • Lady Bracknell: The aunt of Algernon and the mother of Gwendolen, Lady Bracknell is a respected member of the English aristocracy. She refuses to allow her daughter to marry Jack because he does not have a suitable family history.
  • Dr. Chasuble: The rector of the Manor House, Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism flirt with one another throughout Act 2 and 3, and he is asked by both Jack and Algernon to re-christen them as Ernest.
  • Miss Prism: Cecily’s governess, Miss Prism is a woman with a mysterious past involving former employment at Lady Bracknell’s house, a missing novel, and a lost baby. She spends much of her time flirting with Dr. Chasuble.
  • Lane: Algernon’s manservant.
  • Merriman: The butler at the Manor House.

Past Auditions