The Importance of Being Earnest

UMD Theatre’s 2024-2025 season opens with Oscar Wilde’s self-described “trivial comedy for serious people.” Performed countless times since its London debut in 1895, the play stylishly satirizes the upper class and romantic comedy tropes of its time while enchanting with colorful and sympathetic characters.

The show follows the romantic escapades of two English gentlemen — Jack and Algernon — who have invented fictitious people to help them avoid certain social obligations. These falsehoods come back to complicate their budding relationships with the lovely Gwendolen and Cecily. Through a series of well-timed coincidences and revelations, the story untangles in delightful fashion.

ASL-interpreted performance on Sunday, October 13.