NY Classical Theatre Reunites THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Cast For Free Virtual Reading

NY Classical Theatre will bring back the entire original cast of its critically acclaimed production of Oscar Wilde's comic masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, for an encore reading on July 16, 2020 at 8 pm, directed by Burdman.

Regarded as one of the great comedies in the English language, Wilde's 1895 classic is a satire of social manners and obligations in Victorian England. NY Classical's original production toured large, public places throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The cast features Ademide Akintilo (Shakespeare's Globe's A Midsummer Night's Dream) as Algernon, Kristen Calgaro (NY Classical's Much Ado About Nothing) as Gwendolen, Connie Castanzo (NY Classical's Romeo & Juliet) as Cecily, Jed Peterson (CHEERS: Live On Stage) as Jack, Kate Goehring (The Inheritance on Broadway, Angels in America National Tour) as Lady Bracknell, John Michalski (Martin Luther on Trial) as Merriman, Tina Stafford (Once National Tour) as Miss Prism, and Clay Storseth (Moscow) as Dr. Chasuble.

Original casting is by Stephanie Klapper and the Stage Manager is Yetti Steinman.

Free reservations are available at https://nyclassical.org/earnest-encore to join the live premiere or to receive the recording link to enjoy July 16-20.

The production was staged last season in a critically acclaimed limited engagement at A.R.T./New York Theatres. Theatre journalist and critic Jose Solís said the original performances were "absolutely enchanting, hilarious, and illuminate Wilde's text in refreshing ways." TheatreScene.net raved, "All of the enduring pleasures of Oscar Wilde's classic comedy are to be joyously experienced anew or for the first time in director Stephen Burdman's wondrous dual productions of The Importance of Being Earnest. A frothy delight faithfully affirming Wilde's insightful wit and supreme dramatic construction through theatrical magnificence." StageBuddy cheered the production's "outrageous hilarity. The comedy rolls along at a sleek pace, with one clever witticism following hard on the heels of another. Of course, it helps to have a good cast, and the NY Classical cast plays Wilde's masterful comedy with smooth decorum."

For 20 years, NY Classical has provided free and immersive performances to the public in open, non-traditional spaces in iconic New York City settings, ranging from Governors Island and Brookfield Place, to Brooklyn Bridge Park and Central Park. Since 2000, NY Classical has presented over 42 free productions and more than 700 free performances of classic plays by Shakespeare, Moliere, Shaw, Chekhov, Schiller and Sheridan, for 250,000 people. Attendees at NY Classical's performances range from theatre aficionados, to audiences who have never seen a play before, with nearly 30% of the company's audience living at our below NYC's poverty line. NY Classical's commitment to accessibility has helped to develop new and future audiences for the theatre.

Writing about the company's 2018 production of Romeo & Juliet, the Washington Post said, "It was a wonderful way to see how a company can claim Shakespeare for new audiences and rekindle it for the more familiar, one beguiled city dweller at a time." The company has been hailed as "a firmly rooted cultural institution of the city," by TheaterMania.com, as well as "a movable feast" and "a rollicking exercise in participatory theatre" by The New York Times.

For more information, visit nyclassical.org.

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