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The Importance of Being Earnest at Austin Gardens
Dates: 6/30/2026 - 8/14/2026
📍 Theatre: Austin Gardens
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Directed by Kathryn Walsh in her Oak Park Festival Theatre debut, The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde's comedy in which Jack Worthing leads a double life while his friend Algernon Moncrieff has troubles of his own. When both men assume the name Ernest to win the affections of two very particular women, a web of mistaken identities, secret engagements, and delightful deceptions begins to unravel. The cast features August Foreman as Algernon, Chad Bay as Jack, Sonia Goldberg as Gwendolyn, Aurora Pennepacker as Cecily, and Barbara Zahora as Lady Bracknell, among others. The production runs in repertory alongside Hamlet for the first time in Oak Park Festival Theatre's history.
Cast and Creative Team for The Importance of Being Earnest at Austin Gardens
Cast
Sonia Goldberg
Gwendolyn
August Foreman
Algernon
Aurora Pennepacker
Cecily
Drew Bos
Merriman/Lane
Barbara Zahora
Lady Bracknell
Gabriel Armstrong
Chausible
Jodi Gage
Miss Prism
Brew Bos
Hamlet
Charls Sedgwick Hall
Ghost/Player/Gravedigger
Lucas Prizant
Horatio
Brenna Distassio
Laertes
Olive Gallagher
Ophelia
Pedro Jimenez
Rosencrantz
Gabriel Armstrong
Guildenstern
Patrice Egleston
Polonius
Jodi Gage
Gertrude
Chad Bay
Jack
Josh Carpenter
Claudius
Creative Team
Peter Andersen
Director
Kathryn Walsh
Director
Patrick Starner
Production Manager
Andy Cahoon
Technical Director
Phoebe Boynton
Costume Designer
Taylor Pfenning
Costume Designer
Chrissy Roy
Assistant Stage Manager
Tessa Huber
Stage Manager
Jack Short
Box Office Manager
Sophia De La Torre
Board Mixer
Devin Cameron
Lighting Director
Evan Frank
Scenic Designer
Duncan Hon
Master Electrician
News About The Importance of Being Earnest at Austin Gardens
Review: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at Oak Park Festival Theatre, Oak Park IL
July 09, 2026 Oak Park Festival Theatre continues its 51st Anniversary season with Oscar Wilde’s smashing comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest. First produced in 1895, the play is memorable from Wilde’s fast wit and the farcical parody of the English upper class. Oak Park’s production of Earnest, directed by newcomer Kathryn Walsh, is a comical performance with high energy.
HAMLET and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST To Be Presented At Oak Park Festival Theatre
May 12, 2026 Oak Park Festival Theatre announced casts for its 51st season, staging HAMLET and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST in repertory for the first time in company history at Austin Gardens in downtown Oak Park.About the Theatre
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