Ohio Northern University’s Freed Center for the Performing Arts will present “The Importance of Being Earnest” from Sept. 25-27 at 7:30 p.m. There also will be two matinee performances on Sept. 27 and 28 at 2 p.m.
Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece “The Importance of Being Earnest” focuses on two bachelor friends, upper-crust dandy Algernon Moncrieff and the most reliable John Worthing J.P., who lead double lives to court the attentions of the desirable Gwendolyn Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. The gallants must then grapple with the uproarious consequences of their ruse and with the formidable Lady Bracknell.
Happy Anderson, actor and director, will direct “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Anderson received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from Ithaca College and a Master of Fine Arts in acting from Indiana University. He has won numerous awards and scholarships for excellence in acting.
As an educator, Anderson is an acting instructor at the New York Film Academy. He was a visiting professor at Ohio Northern University during the fall 2011 semester, teaching voice and speech, scene study, and acting; he also led a workshop on audition technique for film and television. Anderson has also taught at the Texas Shakespeare Festival, where he led a monologue workshop and scene study.
The cast includes Anne Cape (Miss Prism), a junior musical theatre major from Naples, Fla.; Regan Frese (Lane/Merriman), a junior musical theatre major from Hilliard, Ohio; David Grant (understudy), a junior musical theatre major from Medina, Ohio; Sarah Keune (Lady Bracknell), a junior musical theatre major from Perrysburg, Ohio.
Evan LaChance (Rev. Canon Chasuble), a senior musical theatre major from Dayton, Ohio; Molly Moreau (Cecily Cardew), a sophomore musical theatre student from San Diego, Calif; Patrick Plucinsky (Algernon Montcrieff), a junior musical theatre major from Solon, Ohio; Sydney Walton (Gwendolen Fairfax), a junior musical theatre major from Sunbury, Ohio; and Chase Zimmerman (John Worthing), a senior computer science major from Marysville, Ohio.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $5 for children. Tickets are $10 for ONU faculty and staff and $5 for ONU students. The Freed Center box office is open Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Phone orders are accepted with American Express, MasterCard, VISA or Discover by calling 419-772-1900. Tickets also are available online at www.freedcenter.com
