On the 25th of February, Ms Seker, some other students from 7B and we spent our free time watching the play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, which was being mounted in Don Bosco Haus. The most interesting aspect of the production was that it was performed solely by local students who rehearse regularly and act on an amateur basis, as they are members of the English Drama Club.
About a week before the performance, we decided to meet up in front of the building. After having had some difficulties, we managed to find our teacher and headed straight for the building’s main room. As soon as we took our seats, younger members of the Drama Club appeared and presented some facts about the play itself, as well as other interesting pieces of information about Oscar Wilde.
The Importance of Being Earnest is about the two upper-class men: Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff. Jack actually lives outside the city, but one day he decides to go to town and calls himself Ernest. He ends up falling in love with Algernon’s cousin Gwendolyn, but never tells her his real name. Subsequently, he proposes to her, all the while using the pseudonym ‘Ernest’. At the same time, Algernon visits Jack’s house in the country and introduces himself to Jack’s ward, Cecily, as Ernest. Trouble, it would seem, is on its way. As we do not want to spoil the ending, we will not go into further detail, so you can still enjoy watching it on your own.
To sum up, the plot was at once easy to understand, interesting and funny. Additionally, the performance was much better than any of us had expected. Although the play was mounted by students, it could easily compete with the professional English theatre that we normally attend. It was certainly worth spending our evening there together.
Michael and Jasmina, 7B
