The Importance of Being Earnest Dramaturgy Post #1: The "Rechristening"

I was approached by Liz to be the dramaturg for the spring show back in the final weeks of fall term. Historically, the duties of a dramaturg aren't strictly defined, but I knew that one of their many duties involved research on the period in which the play takes place. I hadn't realized just how extensive that research could be until I began my duties. After attending auditions during the first week of March, I was excited to be collaborating together with everyone come spring term, but no one could have predicted that we would be collaborating under the current circumstances.

With COVID-19 keeping us under temporary isolation in our homes, the arts have become even more important in helping us to cope during these tentative times. Social distancing due to COVID-19 has presented us at the Oregon State University theatre program a unique challenge for this production. Although the circumstances have made it impossible to perform a live show at this time, we've been working to provide a unique experience for the audience in the form of a radio play. I'm acting as the dramaturg for this play, The Importance of Being Earnest, written by Oscar Wilde. Our production is directed by Craig Willis, the artistic director of the Oregon Contemporary Theatre company. Earnest is (tentatively) set to release on the 29th of May.

Having to adapt to these new circumstances hasn't been easy however. This experience has presented the challenge of adapting a live play into one for radio. Unlike live shows, a radio play is an entirely aural experience, there are no visual cues to help infer the play's setting or the characters of those portrayed on stage. To get around this, we will be using music as a means of communicating the setting of the play (composed by Allison Fewless), supplemented with narrations by Andrew Beck from Bag and Baggage Theatre Group and No Filter Improv. Another challenge that we've been faced with is learning how to operate the video conference tool Zoom to meet for remote rehearsals. As of the time I'm writing this, all rehearsal meetings have been completed, and the actors are currently in the process of recording their lines for the third act. Personal challenges for me during this production have primarily been trying to find a balance between my now all online classes, altered work schedule, and working on research for this show. Finding motivation was hard in the first weeks of April with all the changes going on. It's still a work in progress, but I've eventually come to find a balance that works for me.


Although Earnest is currently unable to be performed as a live show, we are still preparing for the possibility of a live performance in the upcoming fall term. I as this show's dramaturg have been aiding the crew in researching reference material for properties and costumes to help understand the period in preparation for this possibility. In my next posts, I'll be sharing with you some of the research that we've collected to give you a sense of the world this play takes place in. Until then: stay connected and stay healthy!