the importance of earnest
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
LIGHTING
VISIBILITY
Light is used to see the
characters’ faces, the set
design, and the props
In the play, the lighting
helps focus on Jack as he
goes through his
monologue
SHAPES AND FORMS
Lighting is placed strategically
around so all angle of the stages
and the whatever’s on the stage
could be seen and look more
fascinating
When everyone comes together
towards the end of the play, it’s
important that the audience get
to see everyone’s reaction when
Jack found out who he really is
FOCUS AND VISUAL COMPOSITION
This allows the
audience to zone in on
one thing that’s
happening during the
play
In this play, the lack of
lighting can give a
chance to them to
change set design
MOOD AND STYLE
The mood is set by the
characters and to help assist, the
lighting can change from bright to
dull to coincide with the mood
For an example, the lighting can
get darker and dimmer to get the
audience to understand what’s
being unfold during the play
TIME AND PLACE
Lighting can help the
audience tell what time of
day it is
Since this is set during
the Spring, the lighting
would be more chirpy and
merrier, so more yellow
and bright orange
RHYTHM OF VISUAL MOVEMENT
In order to keep the
audience’s interest,
there’s a constant change
in lighting
It’s usually used during
action scenes, such as war
or fighting
CENTRAL VISUAL IMAGE
The works of lighting plays an important part of a play
production
If used wrong, it can set off the audience’s interest and
possibly cause confusion and not having understanding of the
play
Lighting makes a play more interesting and leers in the
audience just be appearance
It can be used to manipulate a situation, from mood to time to
set change
SET DESIGN
BACKGROUND
The era is set in the late
19th century; 1890s to be
specific
This is the period known
as the Victorian Era
Industrial Revolution is in
its prime
LOCATION
The First Act is set in
London, England
The rest of the play is set in
Jack’s estate which is located
in Hertfordshire; an extremely
rural area of the country
SIGNIFICANCE OF ERA
The Victorian Era
called for a
traditional styling
that involved
extravagant
furniture
complimented by
pictures and plants.
SETTING (ACT 1)The inside of the house in the first act should be filled with extravagant
wooden furniture along with luscious plants and a complimentary
wallpaper that emits a “fancy” look. This was the style of the Victorian Era
and a house in London during that time should be styled no differently.
SETTING (ACT 2,3)The rest of the play is set in
Hertfordshire, a rural part of
England where Jack and his
estate reside. The setting
should be filled with plants and
the background should be set to
symbolize the outside. The
furniture should still be wood
but should be similar to that of
a more traditional estate during
the late 1900s.
COSTUME DESIGN
STYLE
Victorian style
dominated the era,
where the upper class
men wore suits and
women wore ball gowns
and flared skirts
HISTORICAL PERIOD
The Importance of
Being Earnest first
played in theatres
February 14, 1895, in
London, UK.
This play focuses on
the upper-class, proper
behavior in the Victorian
era.
GWENDOLEN FAIRFAX AND LADY BRACKNELL
Both Gwendolen and her mother Lady
Bracknell belong to the upper class.
They epitomize the Victorian high
society, shown by the emphasis of
family name and wealth Lady
Bracknell has when talking to Jack
Worthing. Lady Bracknell’s goal is to
marry her daughter off to a suitable
husband.
Raised and living in London, both
characters follow the latest fashion
and lifestyle set by those around them.
JACK WORTHINGJack Worthing has a middle, upper
class wealth, owning an estate in the
country with wards and tenants. He
makes 7000 – 8000 a year in
investments, which is satisfactory to
the upper-class Lady Bracknell.
Worthing possesses two identities,
Jack and Earnest. He uses Jack as his
country persona as a respectable
individual that tends to his work and
duties. In contrast, he goes by Earnest
when he’s in London to do the exact
opposite such as drink and have fun.
ALGERNON MONCRIEFF
Jack Worthing’s close friend in the
city, Algernon also belongs to the
upper-middle class but doesn’t
have as strong of an emphasis on
the Victorian high society as his
aunt, Lady Bracknell. He even goes
as far as to create an imaginary
friend, “Bunbury”, to escape
London and its high class culture.
CECILY CARDEW
Contrasting the other characters,
Cecily Cardew is a ward of Jack
Worthing and has been shown to have a
wealth of familial money, but was raised
in the country. She doesn’t have the
same Victorian principles and fashion as
the others who were raised in London.
This makes her more relatable and down
to earth when compared to the prim and
proper Lady Bracknell.
DIRECTOR OBJECTIVES
CHOOSING A SCRIPTAs the director, I was able to
choose the script and I chose
“The Importance of Being
Earnest” by Oscar Wilde
CASTING
Leonardo DiCaprio as John Worthing
Orlando Bloom as Algernon Moncriett
Olivia Wilde as Gwendolen Fairfax
Kiera Knightley as Cecily Cardew
Meryl Streep as Lady Bracknell
Cloris Leachman as Miss Prism
Hector Elizondo as Rev. Canon Chasuble
Jospeh Marcell as Lane
Kevin Chamberlin as Merriman
CASTING
For each character in the play, each actor was
casted due to their past roles and how well they
portrayed those characters in movies, tv shoes, etc…
THE SPINE
As the director, I believe the spine of the play
would be the idea of marriage since a lot of the story
revolves around different engagements, for example,
Jack/Earnest and Gwendolen s well as Algernon and
Cecily, which all lead into the main theme of love of
their real selves.
STYLE
A style that helps emphasize the spine of the play-
the idea of marriage, in which I believe would be
expressionism because it could reflect the different
emotions and the change in thoughts and feelings
throughout the play, in order for the audience to
have a clearer understanding of the play and the
main theme.
DIRECTORIAL CONCEPT
My directorial concept for the play would be to
take the traditional approach because the play
deserves to be shown as it is written, which is set in
1895, in order to give spectators a feel for that
certain time period.