The Importance of Being Earnest at Audrey Stanley Grove in DeLaveaga Park

Santa Cruz Shakespeare, a nationally recognized professional theater company in Santa Cruz County with deep local roots that go back more than 40 years, invites you to experience Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, under the trees and stars of the Audrey Stanley Grove in Santa Cruz’s DeLaveaga Park this summer.

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest has not been done in the 42-year history of Santa Cruz Shakespeare. It is one of the greatest comedies ever written, filled with some of the sharpest wit in the English language. The most iconic figure of this masterpiece is the formidable Lady Bracknell; obsessed with tradition and propriety, she cannot countenance her daughter Gwendolyn’s love of our titular Earnest. It’s not his money she objects to, of which he has plenty, but his bloodline: he has seemingly, and famously, descended from a HANDBAG. At least, that’s where he was discovered as an orphan. The young strain and contrive against their elder’s conservatism; through fantasy, imagination, and so much wit, they will reshape the world; redefining, and reNAMING, love’s conventions.

The Importance of Being Earnest runs July 14-September 7, with Opening Night on July 19. Purchase tickets after May 1 and get more information at santacruzshakespeare.org/season-2024

Seasonal box office hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 12p.m. to 4p.m. beginning June 1. Call 831-460-6399.

About Santa Cruz Shakespeare

Featuring professional actors from around the country and inspired by deep local roots that go back more than 40 years, Santa Cruz Shakespeare stages bold productions of the plays of Shakespeare and other great playwrights that stimulate audiences’ senses and spark their imagination. For more information about SCS, visit santacruzshakespeare.org, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter (X).