The Theatre Company and the Ozark Arts Council present the well-known play of manners, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, in Dinner Theatre at Twelve Oaks on October 9, 10, and 11, 2009.
Twelve Oaks is the home of Vive Allen, Interim Operations Director of the Ozark Arts Council. This lovely historic home was built in the 1920s by J. W. Bass, who also built the historic Lyric Theater in 1929. Twelve Oaks is located five miles south of Harrison on Hwy 7 South.
"We are offering our patrons a new experience," said Jamie Taylor, Theatre Company President, "A delicious meal, served in the elegant setting of Twelve Oaks, combined with the hilarious comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, will make a truly delightful evening or afternoon for our patrons. Vive has graciously offered her home as our venue, so that our patrons can feel the ambiance that the play demands."
"Don’t be surprised," Taylor added, "if you become so immersed in the production that you feel yourself actually a part of the play!"
Director Ann Graffy says the play has been cast with Theatre Company veterans, who will be recognized by many from previous productions. Background music will be played by Katie Martin on the grand piano.
The cast includes the following:
Jamie Taylor as John (Jack) Worthing
Cameron Carlton as Algernon Moncrieff
Clark Middleton as Rev. Canon Chasuble
Rob Thomason as Merriman the Butler
Jerome Tauer as Lane the Manservant
Mary Bishop as Lady Bracknell
Shellie McAlpin as Gwendolen Fairfax
Julianna Stefanski as Cecily Cardew
Denise Fleming as Miss Prism
Dinner on Friday and Saturday, October 9 and 10 will be served at 6pm, with the play beginning at approximately 7pm. Luncheon on Sunday, October 11 will be served at 1pm, with the play beginning at 2pm. Dessert will be served at intermission. There will be valet parking for guests. Simply drive your car into the circle drive in front of the house and your car will be parked for you, while you are escorted up the wide sidewalk to the entrance of Twelve Oaks. The dinners and the luncheon will be served by members of the Ozark Arts Council and the Theatre Company.
Seating is limited to 42 for each performance. In the beautiful setting of Twelve Oaks, this small audience will experience an intimacy with the production that is normally not possible.
Tickets are $25 per person, and must be purchased in advance. As seating is very limited, securing your tickets early is encouraged. Tickets and more detailed directions to Twelve Oaks Estate are available by calling the Ozark Arts Council office 870.391.3504.
About the Play
The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde’s most brilliant tour de force, a witty and buoyant comedy of manners that has delighted millions in countless productions since its first performance in London’s St. James’ Theatre on February 14, 1895. The play is celebrated not only for the lighthearted ingenuity of its plot, but for its inspired dialogue, rich with dazzlingly clever expressions still savored by all who enjoy artful conversation.
From the play’s effervescent beginnings in Algernon Moncrieff’s London flat to its hilarious denouement in the garden of Jack Worthing’s country manor in Hertfordshire, this comic masterpiece keeps audiences breathlessly anticipating a new bon mot or a fresh twist of plot moment to moment.
Oscar Wilde was a writer, editor, lecturer and wit. The Importance of Being Earnest is universally considered to be Wilde’s most perfect work. It is also the last written. It was first performed in London in February of 1895, just three months before Wilde was convicted at his notorious third trial. A two-year prison term brought his brilliant social career to an end, but his literary achievements were never tarnished. The Importance of Being Earnest, above all, has given joy to thousands who savor its brilliant lines like familiar music.
