La Sierra drama presents popular Oscar Wilde play

La Sierra’s drama department will present the Victorian play titled “The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” a production written in 1895 by Oscar Wilde. The play follows Jack Worthing, a man who lives a double life. He claims to have a brother named Ernest, who also happens to serve as his alias when he goes to London to avoid his responsibilities. When Jack decides to finally ‘kill’ off his fake brother in order to advance in a relationship with Gwendolen, his best friend Algernon takes on the persona of Ernest to woo Jack’s ward, Cecily.

The La Sierra production will star Ryan Lopez, a sophomore majoring in religious studies and history as Jack Worthing. Lopez also participated in La Sierra’s 25-Hour Play Festival last November. Daniel Thomas, a junior finance major, will star as Algernon. Thomas has starred in several other productions presented at La Sierra including “Macbeth” and the operetta “Pirates of Penzance.” Thomas has recently been accepted into the famed Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Los Angeles. Cassandra Hicks, a graduate student in English, will star as Gwendolen. This will be Hicks’ first full-length stage production in more than 10 years. Julia Thomas, a freshman psychology major, will take the stage for the first time as Cecily.

Performances will be held at 8 p.m. in Matheson Hall on April 23, 24, 28, 30, and May 1. La Sierra’s award-winning Artistic Director of Drama Marilynn Loveless will direct the play.

General admission is $10. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at (951) 785-2241, or by email at drama@lasierra.edu. La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside. A campus map is available at https://lasierra.edu/campus-map/.