[NEohioPAL]2 for 1 Deal for THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

emadden emadden at kent.edu
Wed Jul 2 15:24:02 PDT 2003


Porthouse Theatre presents...

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
By Oscar Wilde
Directed by John Woodson, Artistic Director of the Warehouse Theatre
July 4 - 19, 2003

2 Tickets for the Price of 1
Opening Night: July 5th at 8 PM
Mention this email and receive two tickets for the price of one on July 5th.  
The performance is followed by a free champagne reception.  Tickets can be 
reserved by calling 330-672-2497.  The box office is open Monday - Saturday 
from 11 AM - 5 PM in the Music & Speech Center on the main Kent State 
University campus.

Filled with brilliant wit and wisdom, EARNEST tells the tale of Jack Worthing 
and Algernon Moncrieff, two young gents living in 1890=92s England.  Both have 
taken to bending the truth to add a bit of excitement to their otherwise 
mundane lives.  Jack has invented a brother, Earnest, whom he uses as an 
excuse to escape his obligations at his country home and frolic in town.  
Algernon=92s invention involves an imaginary invalid friend, Bunbury, who 
provides a convenient and frequent reason to head to the country.  In true 
farcical fashion, their deceptions converge, resulting in hilarious 
repercussions which threaten to spoil their romantic pursuits with their love 
interests, Gwendolyn Fairfax and Cecily Cardew.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, which originally opened on Valentine=92s Day in 
1895 at London=92s St. James Theatre, has been referred to as Wilde=92s trivial 
comedy for serious people and contains what many consider as some of the best 
loved lines in English literature.

=09=93This play is filled with sarcasm and some of the greatest one-liners,=94 said 
director, John Woodson.  =93But this play is such a lasting one, not because of 
the comedy, but because the text is so much more substantial than just some 
great one-liners.  The comedy actually comes out of the true needs that these 
characters have, and there is great humor when there are great needs.=94

=09Woodson, who is the artistic and executive director of The Warehouse Theatre 
in Greenville, South Carolina, is no stranger to Cleveland.  He has played the 
likes of  Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol,  Kent in King Lear with Hal 
Holbrook and Herbie in Gypsy, all at The Great Lakes Theater Festival.  His 
directing credits are vast and include productions for Warehouse Theatre, 
Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Charlotte Repertory and North Carolina School of 
the Arts, just to name a few.  He is joined by his wife, Monica Bell, who is 
playing Lady Bracknell.  Bell is a master teacher of the Suzuki Method of 
Actor Training and performs throughout the U.S.
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST cast includes:
 
Simon Kendall* (John Worthing) 
Nicholas Koesters* (Algernon Moncrieff)
Rohn Thomas* (Reverend Canon Chasuble) 
Rick Montgomery (Merriman/Lane) 
Monica Bell* (Lady Bracknell) 
Mekron, OHghan Hanlon* (Gwendolyn Fairfax)
Lisa Marie Schueller (Cecily Cardew) 
Pandora Robertson (Miss Prism) 
Kari Warchock (French Tart)
 
*Member of the Actors=92 Equity Association.

Porthouse is proud to announce that we will be partnering with the American 
Heart Association next season.  Our involvement with the American Heart 
Association includes selling the AHA hearts at the theatre throughout the 
season and dedicating opening weekend of The Importance of Being Earnest to 
the American Heart Association.  $4 of every full-priced ticket purchased 
opening weekend will go directly to the AHA.  Jacqueline Loomis will be 
working with us on this project.  She is a Freshman Theatre major at Kent 
State University as well as a survivor of seven open-heart surgeries.  We our 
delighted to have her join us as our Community Outreach Assistant.

Porthouse Theatre, founded in 1971, is the premier summer theatre in Northeast 
Ohio.  Set on the grounds of Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Porthouse 
offers audiences the finest in professional summer theatre.  The comfortable 
500-seat, outdoor, covered pavilion theater is located next to the Cuyahoga 
Valley National Park.  Audience members are encouraged to arrive early to 
picnic on the grounds, or guests can reserve space in the Thornbury picnic 
pavilion for a minimal charge.  Boxed dinners are also available for $9.  A 
full menu can be found at 
http//www.theatre.kent.edu/porthouse/Tickets/menu.htm .  Porthouse Theatre is 
a cultural service of Kent State University and is a member of the Akron Area 
Arts Alliance.  Porthouse Theatre=92s programs and activities are made possible 
in part by funding from the Ohio Arts Council.

Elisabeth Madden
Managing Director
School of Theatre & Dance
Porthouse Theatre
330-672-0103
emadden at kent.edu





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