Glenda Linscott Will Lead THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST With All-Adelaide Cast
State Theatre Company South Australia will present Wilde's classic comedy at its Collinswood home
In her directorial debut with the company, Artistic Director Petra Kalive brings a fierce, modern vitality to Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. More than 130 years after its premiere, Kalive’s production will be presented 8-30 May.
“We are working with a wildly talented, all-South Australian cast to explore the barely veiled politics of the piece,” says Kalive. “I am excited by this team and what we’re going to create together. I’m thinking fast, furious and wickedly funny.”
The play follows two young men, Jack and Algernon, who fabricate elaborate alter egos named “Ernest” to evade social obligations and chase romance. But as their deceptions unravel, chaos erupts in a world where truth is slippery, and appearances are everything. Kalive’s approach moves beyond nostalgia, treating the text not as a museum piece but as a living, breathing critique of social performance.
With an entirely South Australian cast (cabaret star Carla Lippis, Caroline Mignone, Prisoner’s Glenda Linscott, Nathan O’Keefe, Teddy Dunn, Anna Lindner, Connor Pullinger and Pia Gillings), with a lush design by Kathryn Sproul.
