Auditions: The Importance of Being Earnest

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑬𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕
𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒
Margot and Robert Ogden Main Stage
January 29 – February 14, 2027
Thur – Sat: 7:30PM | Sun: 2:00PM
*February 13 performance at 2:00PM
𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖
Being sensible can be excessively boring. At least the characters in Oscar Wilde’s 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐼𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐵𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐸𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡 think so. Two rakish young men, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, opt to navigate late Victorian-era expectations of courtship simply by evading them. But when their personas and egos begin to collide, the pair get caught up in a wit-fueled whirlwind of mistaken identities and romantic snafus. This “trivial comedy for serious people” reveals the absurd lengths that humans will go to in pursuit of acceptance, love, and truth. As deceptions unravel, chaos and hilarity ensue in one of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated works.
- Winner! 2011 Tony Awards
- Nominee: Three 2011 Tony Awards
- Winner! 2011 Drama Desk Award
- Nominee: Three 2011 Drama Desk Awards
By Oscar Wilde
Directed by Chelsea DuVall
Intimacy Staged by Dawn Taylor-Reinhardt
Stage Managed by Matt Pope
Rated PG
𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒
Saturday, November 14: 6:30PM - 9:00PM
Sunday, November 15: 6:00PM - 7:15PM
𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒
Sunday, November 15: 7:30PM - 9:30PM
𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
Spokane Civic Theatre, Main Stage Lobby
1020N. Howard St.
Spokane, WA 99201
𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒
- All ages and genders are to appear onstage as.
- Please come prepared to fill out a conflict calendar at auditions.
- We strongly encourage performers of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientations, body types, and abilities to audition.
- All experience levels are welcome. We are seeking performers who demonstrate commitment, curiosity, and a willingness to engage fully in a focused, quick-paced rehearsal process.
𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓
Auditioners will sign up for a time slot (5 min.), select a monologue from the list below, prepare and then perform the selected monologue at the audition for the director, stage manager and community casting associate.
Callbacks will consist of cold reading scenes from the production. IMPORTANT: Please understand that if you do NOT receive a callback, that does not mean that you are not being considered for casting. In the past, this director has cast individuals directly from their initial auditions.
𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓
For this production of 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐼𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐵𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐸𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡, the director is committed to casting from those that show up in the room – she believes it is possible to sculpt the cast in an inclusive and equitable way which serves not only the play, but celebrates the community. As a result, the director encourages you to select ANY of the below monologues, regardless of gender or assumed age.
The director is looking to discover an ensemble cast of nine actors, who are willing to play with style, energy and lots of crisp laughter.
𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒
Please select, prepare and memorize one of the below monologues for your initial audition. If you are able to do a British accent (R.P.), it is highly encouraged but not a requirement as the cast will receive resources/guidance for the accent work. More than anything, HAVE FUN!
Click here for monologues: https://bit.ly/4dAwD2Z
𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐒
JOHN WORTHING (mid-20s to early 40s, male identifying): 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 (20s – 30s, male identifying): 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 (20s – 40s, female identifying): 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 (20s – 30s, female identifying): 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 (50s – 70s, female identifying): 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.
CHASUBLE (40s – 60s): 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 (40s – 60s, female identifying): 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/ENSEMBLE: Algernon’s footman and later, works under Merriman.
MERRIMAN/ENSEMBLE: Member of Algernon’s staff and later, the butler at the Manor House.
𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍, 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐀 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑: https://form.jotform.com/262798448210161
𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒, 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐋: [email protected]