About the Production

“Wow! High energy and perfectly cast! The play’s director (Nate Plummer) also adapted the play by cleverly interjecting playwright Oscar Wilde into his own play, adding even more fun and delight to the original play. “A+” for the entire production!”

— Audience Member Review on Social Media

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In May of 2023 the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild lost one of its founders - Bob Carr. Bob’s support was very influential for me when I first started directing for CVTG. Bob still actively directed for the organization and his council was always sought out when ever I felt stuck in a show. He was a wonderful man who himself became this larger than life figure. Bob was presence and he always made sure that his presence was known. Bob was an openly gay man who spoke often about his experiences of what that was like in our town throughout the various decades - 70’s, 80’s, and into the present day. He was a mentor and a role model for so many as they discovered their personal identities. As we started our 2023 - 2024 season, it was impossible to not notice his absence. I was asked about directing The Importance of Being Earnest as part of the reshuffling of our season as the result of Bob’s passing. Like most theatre artists I knew this story but I can honestly say it wasn’t one of my favorites. But as I started researching the piece, I couldn’t help but see Oscar Wilde’s presence in the show. It is often called Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. His ego is of course, legendary as is his eventual downfall as the result of his 1894 sodomy trial. I knew I needed to take this opportunity to honor Bob and it felt that by bringing Oscar into the show, I could not only play with Wilde’s wit, sarcasm, and ego - but I could also use it to connect to his own struggles with identity which were brought out into public only a few short weeks after the original production of Earnest opened. The idea of “love who you love” regardless of what society thinks is so crucial to this plot, connecting those dots through a character also known for being larger than life and whose presence was always known, seemed like the best way to honor Bob. As a result, the show became a very fresh and accessible version of the show - more in the feel of a sitcom than a famous period farce. Audiences truly connected to it in a way that allowed us to say what we needed to say and still make them laugh.

I am so very proud of what this production became and I couldn’t have done it without Bob.