Covenant College Revives Wilde's Earnest for 25th Theatre Anniversary

Covenant College will stage Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest November 11–14, marking 25 years of academic theatre at the Lookout Mountain institution.

This is the fourth production of Earnest since the theatre program was founded in 2001. That makes it the most-produced play in Covenant theatre history. Apparently you can't celebrate a quarter-century without Wilde.

The production runs in Waite Auditorium (Sanderson Hall 215), with performances November 11–13 at 7:30 p.m. and a November 14 matinee at 2:00 p.m.

Who's on stage?

In Wilde's 1895 comedy, Jack and Algernon lead double lives under invented identities, and complications pile up as their deceptions unravel. The play is widely considered one of the wittiest works in the English language — a verdict that has survived roughly 130 years of constant production.

Covenant's staging adds a modern twist, inviting audiences to weigh whether it's better to look good or be good. That question, arguably, has not aged a day.

The anniversary element carries real weight. Department founder Camille Hallstrom, who built the program in 2001, will make an onstage appearance as Lady Bracknell — the play's grand inquisitor of social respectability. Founder playing enforcer. There's a joke in there somewhere.

What does it cost and how do you get in?

The schedule and pricing split across two tiers:

• Wednesday, November 11: Dress rehearsal performance. Admission is free, but advance reservations are encouraged.
• November 12–14: General admission tickets are $15, available online or at the door, subject to availability.

Seats are limited, and the college strongly encourages advance online reservations for all performances — including the free ones. Reservations open at portal.covenant.edu/theatre.

Why this play, again?

Four productions in 25 years is a deliberate pattern, not an accident. Earnest functions as the department's house signature, the theatrical equivalent of a restaurant that keeps one dish on the menu because the regulars would riot otherwise.

For a program marking its silver anniversary, the choice is canny. Wilde's satire of status, marriage and manufactured identity gives Hallstrom's Lady Bracknell a fitting victory lap, and gives audiences a comedy that has never wanted for relevance.

The run closes November 14. Anyone hoping to see the founder back onstage should reserve early.