Kultura stages Oscar Wilde’s

The Importance of Being Earnest
&
Ang Kahalagahan ng Pagiging Seryo

On the heels of its successful staging of Yazmina Reza’s Tony Award-winning play Art, Kultura presents another ground-breaking theatrical experience: a double production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. The original play in English will be presented alongside a new Filipino “transplantation” of the same play, entitled Ang Kahalagahan ng Pagiging Seryo. “Earnest” will have a 10-show run from Feb. 10 to 17, while “Seryo” will have a 10-show run from Feb. 21 to 28. Both plays are co-presented by JVC Everio Hard Disk Camcorder G Series.

Subtitled “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” The Importance of Being Earnest is Wilde’s most popular and successful work. It became an instant hit when it opened in London in 1895, and went to be generally acknowledged as one of the greatest comedies of all time. The play tells the story of two wealthy young gentlemen who escape responsibility whenever possible. Both masquerading under the name of “Ernest” (or “Sergio” in the Filipino version), they manage to win the love of their respective sweethearts, who both claim they could only love a man with that particular name. As expected, chaos breaks out when the truth is revealed, and the characters become entangled in a series of uproarious mistaken identities.

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Tags: Kultura, Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, Ang Kahalagahan ng Pagiging Seryo

Catch Kultura’s next major theatrical production: Eugene Ionesco’s “THE LESSON”, directed by Tinette Villanueva, which opens on November 9 (Wednesday) for an 8-show run until November 14 (Monday).A young Pupil (GABRIELLE REYES) arrives, excited for her first lesson with her new tutor - a tightly-wound and timid Professor (EDGAR ALAN ZETA-YAP). At first, the student seems promising and bright. However, as her limitations become evident, the professor’s frustration and aggression grow. Though an obsequious Maid (MARIE PUYAT) warns the professor not to get carried away, the professor’s exasperation leads to his increasingly ridiculous teachings, and the day’s lesson takes a perilous turn.

Ionesco’s 1951 classic one-act comedy helped usher in the Theater of the Absurd, a movement in dramatic literature based on existentialist philosophy. The playwrights loosely grouped under the label of the absurd endeavor to convey their sense of anxiety and wonder in the face of a bewildering universe. The surreal situations portrayed in their works aimed to shake viewers out of their conventional lives of everyday concerns. The movement’s development was strongly influenced by horrors of World War II, which showed the impermanence of values, shook the validity of conventions and highlighted the precariousness of human life.

“THE LESSON” is the 11th major theatrical production of Kultura, an arts center lodged in UA&P’s Office of Student Affairs. In addition to the shows, discussions on the Theater of the Absurd will be conducted on the play’s opening date (November 9, Wednesday), for those who are interested in learning more about the movement.

Playdates:
Nov. 9, 2005 (Wed)
1:00 p.m. (Show #1)
2:00 p.m. (Discussion on the Theater of the Absurd)
4:00 p.m. (Show #2)
5:00 p.m. (Discussion on the Theater of the Absurd)
7:45 p.m. (Show #3)

Nov. 10, 2005 (Thu)
7:45 p.m. (Show #4)

Nov. 11, 2005 (Fri)
7:45 p.m. (Show #5)

Nov. 12, 2005 (Sat)
6:00 p.m. (Show #6)
8:00 p.m. (Show #7)

Nov. 14, 2005 (Mon)
7:45 p.m. (Show #8 - last show)

Venue:
PLDT Lecture Hall
4th floor, APEC Communications Bldg.
University of Asia and the Pacific
Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City

Free admission for UA&P students, faculty and staff (please present your valid UA&P I.D. at the entrance).

Tickets at P150.

For inquiries, contact the Kultura Audience Development Officer at 637-0912 loc. 380 or mpuyat@uap.edu.ph.