PYGMALION & THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Panel to Take Place in Stratford-Upon-Avon
Rother Street Arts House hosts a live discussion with director Jonas Cemm and scholar Neil Titley.
Rother Street Arts House will present a special live discussion bringing together members of the companies behind Pygmalion and The Importance of Being Earnest, alongside scholars and commentators, for an exploration of two of theatre's most enduring playwrights.
In Conversation: Pygmalion & The Importance of Being Earnest offers audiences the opportunity to go behind the scenes of both productions during their runs at the venue. The event will include rehearsal insights, discussion of text and performance, and an audience Q&A.
Speakers include:
- Jonas Cemm — Director of Pygmalion, theatre-maker and founder of SHAW2020, widely recognised for his specialist focus on the plays of George Bernard Shaw and contemporary Shavian performance practice.
- John Robert Partridge — Artistic Director of Rother Street Arts House and Tread the Boards Theatre Company. Partridge directs The Importance of Being Earnest and also appears on stage as Henry Higgins in Pygmalion, offering a unique dual perspective as both performer and director across the two productions.
- Neil Titley — Author, playwright and journalist, with specialist expertise in the works of George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, bringing a critical and literary perspective to both playwrights and their theatrical legacy.
- Vanessa Heron — Chair of the Oscar Wilde Society, contributing insight into Wilde's life, writing, cultural impact and continuing relevance in contemporary theatre.
- Ivan Wise — Editor of The Shavian and Trustee of The Shaw Society, offering authoritative insight into Shaw's life, work and enduring influence on theatre and political thought.
Together, the panel will explore the shared preoccupations of Shaw and Wilde—class, language, sexuality, society and theatre—and the challenges of staging their work for modern audiences.
Rather than a formal lecture, the event is structured as an open conversation, followed by questions from the audience.
As Pygmalion and The Importance of Being Earnest continue their runs at Rother Street Arts House, the discussion complements the productions by offering audiences additional context from those directly involved in bringing the plays to the stage.
Tickets for both productions and In Conversation: Pygmalion & The Importance of Being Earnest are available via the Rother Street Arts House website.
EVENT DETAILS
In Conversation: Pygmalion & The Importance of Being Earnest 15 August 2026, 5:30pm–6:30pm
FREE EVENT — Booking Required
Running Time: Approximately 60 minutes
Rother Street Arts House
14 Rother Street
Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom
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