Hamden actor performs in "The Importance of Being Earnest"

STORRS. Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) opens its 2017-18 season with Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Jean Randich will direct. From Hamden, Connecticut, Tabatha Gayle will be performing as Gwendolen Fairfax. Performances will be held in the Harriet S. Jorgenson Theatre from October 5th through October 15 th, 2017. For tickets and information please visit crt.uconn.edu or call (860) 486-2113.

Tabatha Gayle is a Senior BFA Acting candidate at the University of Connecticut. Her previous notable credits include Shrek: the Musical (Humpty Dumpty/Three Blind Mice), Seascape with Skarks and Dancer (Tracy), and The Shadow Box (Agnes).

Gayle says, “Oscar Wilde has written such a smart script with incredibly witty characters, whose intelligence and will to manipulate land them in hot water. Seeing it, you’ll laugh at the downright impulsive and questionable things these characters do and the way they get trapped in their lies. But then, it’s real life, it’s modern. Being accepted in your entirety is something that we're still working towards even today. Playing with covering up the truth in the high energy and zany environment that the cast has created has been such a ride. As Gwendolen, between manipulating a marriage proposal out of Earnest and clashing with Cecily, I've never had more fun playing with a cast.”

In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde blends the absurdities of farce with the sharp critique of social satire, creating one of the most highly regarded comedies of all time. The play follows the double lives of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, men who invent circumstances that give them excuses to escape the strictures of family, duty, and social responsibility. But once you begin lying, how do you know when to stop? As each man’s romantic interest becomes entangled in the web of fantasies and deceits, Wilde’s characters find themselves in a dizzying world in which “the truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM

The creative team includes: Jean Randich (Director), Pedro L. Guevara (Scenic Design), Danielle Verkennes (Lighting Design), Taowen Pan (Costume Design), Teddy Carraro (Sound Design), Gabriella Medvick (Dramaturg), and Tom Kosis (Production Stage Manager).

The cast includes BFA actors: Nick Nudler as Jack Worthing, Tabatha Gayle as Gwendolen Fairfax, Gillian Pardi as Cecily Cardew, Jacob Harris Wright as Rev. C Chausuble, Vivienne James as Miss Prismole, Coleman Churchill as Lane, and Anthony Giovino as Merriman.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Evening performances start at 7:30pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and at 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Select matinee performances start at 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Single tickets are available now. Single tickets range from $10 to $33. All student tickets are $10.

On Wednesday October 11, patrons can purchase tickets to Dine with Design, a pre-show dinner with members of the creative team for a behind-the-scenes experience. Dinner includes entrees and dessert.

Post-show discussions with members of the cast and crew will follow the performance on Thursday October 12 at 7:30pm and the matinee Saturday October 14 at 2pm

Children must be at least 4 years old to attend CRT productions. CRT recommends ages 10 and up for this production. For additional ticket information or to charge tickets by phone, call 860.486.2113. All sales are final; no refunds. Play selections and performance dates are subject to change.

Please call the box office at 860.486.2113 for tickets and additional information or visit www.crt.uconn.edu for specific show dates and times because performance schedules vary and are subject to change.

The Harriet S. Jorgenson Theatre is located on the campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT.