Auditions and Rehearsals

The Moorpark College Theatre Arts Department is pleased to announce auditions for its upcoming Summer 2026 production of the classic Oscar Wilde comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest.   

Preliminary auditions will be held:

• Tuesday May 12th from 3:30pm to 6:00pm and
• Wednesday May 13^th from 6:00pm to 10:00pm
• Callbacks on Thursday, May 14^th from 6:00-10:00pm 

Auditions will be in the Studio Theatre, room PA-100, of the Performing Arts Center on the Moorpark College campus.  Anyone interested in auditioning should be prepared to read from the script from audition sides below.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde was written in 1895 and has delighted audiences across the globe for generations.  This witty comedy of manners follows Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who interchangeably adopt the persona "Earnest" to escape social obligations and woo women. Through farcical misunderstandings, invented identities, and satire of Victorian hypocrisy that echo through 2026 America, the play highlights the absurdity of class, marriage, and earnestness.  This Wilde farce promises to be hilarious summer fun for the entire family!

•    John "Jack" Worthing (a.k.a. Ernest): The protagonist. A responsible, wealthy landowner in the country, he creates a fake, rebellious brother named "Ernest" to justify visiting London and indulging in a pleasure-seeking lifestyle. He is in love with Gwendolen but must navigate his mysterious origins (found in a handbag) to win her hand.
•    Algernon Moncrieff: Jack’s best friend and Lady Bracknell's nephew. He is a charming, witty, and cynical dandy who creates a fake invalid friend, "Bunbury," to avoid tedious social obligations. He serves as the play’s, and arguably Wilde’s, voice of irreverence, indulging in witty, paradoxical banter and sensory pleasures.
•    Gwendolen Fairfax: Lady Bracknell's daughter and Jack’s love interest. She is sophisticated and fashionable, representing modern London society, but is obsessed with the idea of marrying someone named "Ernest".
•    Cecily Cardew: Jack’s teenage ward who lives in the country. She is imaginative, rebellious, and obsessed with the idea of a wicked man named "Ernest," eventually becoming engaged to Algernon (who pretends to be Jack's brother)
•    Lady Augusta Bracknell: Algernon’s aunt and Gwendolen’s mother. A fierce, arrogant matron who enforces rigid Victorian social standards regarding wealth and breeding, she holds the power to approve or break engagements. 
•    Miss Prism: Cecily’s pedantic, sentimental governess who holds strict views on morality but harbors a secret from her past involving the loss of a baby.
•    Reverend Canon Chasuble: The country vicar who displays intellectual and romantic affection for Miss Prism.
•    Lane and Merriman: Servants (Lane for Algernon in town, Merriman for Jack in the country) who are often more composed and polite than their masters.