Yale Bulletin and Calendar

March 21, 2008|Volume 36, Number 22

Pictured is the image from the poster for
"A Woman of No Importance," opening
March 21 at the Yale Rep.

Yale Rep to stage Oscar Wilde’s play about serial seducers and secrets in British society

In the late 19th century, controversial playwright and author Oscar Wilde said of British society, “To be in it is merely a bore. To be out of it is simply a tragedy.”

That dilemma is among the themes explored in Wilde’s comedy “A Woman of No Importance,” which will run at the Yale Repertory Theatre March 21-April 12. The show is directed by James Bundy, the Yale Rep’s artistic director and dean of the Yale School of Drama.

The play is set at an idyllic English country estate, where lords and ladies have gathered for afternoon tea. For young Gerald Arbuthnot and his mother, the assembled not-so-polite company holds the keys to happiness in love and life. Wilde’s tale of serial seducers, moralizing monogamists, secret pasts and simmering heartbreak both examines the social fabric of the time and posits the question as to who — and what — actually has “importance.”

In 1895, the year that saw the debut of his “The Importance of Being Earnest,” Wilde lost everything when he was convicted of “gross indecency” and sentenced to two years in prison. “A Woman of No Importance” had premiered two years earlier and anticipated the forces that would strike him down.

The cast of “A Woman of No Importance” includes René Augesen, Judith-Marie Bergan, Will Connolly, John Patrick Doherty, Kate Forbes, Geordie Johnson, Felicity Jones, Patricia Kilgarriff, John Little, Anthony Newfield, Bryce Pinkham, Terence Rigby, Michael Rudko, Erica Sullivan and Liz Wisan.

The production’s creative team includes Lauren Rockman (scenic design), Anya Klepikov (costume design), Ola Bråten (lighting design), Jana Hoglund (sound design), Amy Boratko and Jennifer Shaw (dramaturgy), Stephen Gabis (dialect coach), and Sarah Hodges (stage management).

Performances of “A Woman of No Importance” are at 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday (and Monday, March 24), with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays, March 29 and April 5 and 12, and on Wednesday, April 2. The Yale Repertory Theatre is located at 1120 Chapel St. (corner of York).

Several special events have been planned during the play’s run. They include an opening night gala on Thursday, March 27; “Talk Back” conversations with the production team following the 2 p.m. performances on Saturdays, March 29 and April 5, and the 8 p.m. performances on April 1 and 3; an open-captioned performance for those with hearing impairments at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 5; a Graduate Night reception at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 29; a senior reception at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2; and an audio-described performance for those with visual impairments at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12.

Tickets for “A Woman of No Importance” are $35-$58; student, senior and group discounts are also available. Four- and six-ticket Flex Passes are available and may be used for the remaining plays in the season. A Flex 4 packet is $180 and Flex 6 is $250; both let patrons select the plays and dates of their choice. Flex Passes may be redeemed on a per-show basis allowing patrons to decide how many passes to redeem for one or more productions. Tickets and Flex Passes can be purchased online at www.yalerep.org, by phone at (203) 432-1234 or in person at the Yale Repertory Theatre box office.

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Memorial service for R. Lansing Hicks

Campus Notes