The Salisbury High School Theatre production of “The Importance of Being Earnest,” will be presented 7 p.m. Nov. 12, 13 and 14 and 3 p.m. Nov. 15.

The drama/comedy, written by Oscar Wilde in 1895, has a number of twists and turns.

Jack Worthing, played by senior Dane Galbraith, is a pillar of the community and guardian to Cecily Cardew, played by junior Jessette Long.

Worthing is said to have an irresponsible brother named Ernest. Or does he?

Worthing is in love with Gwendolen Fairfax, played by senior Abby Garrigan. Fairfax is the cousin of Worthings’s best friend, Algernon Moncrieff, played by junior David Eckhart.

Fairfax’s mother, Lady Bracknell, is played by sophomore Sophie Ravenelle. Lady Bracknell adds a twist to the plot when she begins asking questions about Worthing’s background.

Junior Eric Pennella plays the part of servant Lane and is also an understudy for the part of Worthing.

Dr. Chasuble, played by junior Reilly Yankovich, introduces another twist to the plot for the characters and the audience to consider. Just who is Miss Prism?

Senior Sam Perkins plays the part of Cardew’s governess Miss Prism as she sheds light on the family history of Worthing.

Senior Carolyn Boulay plays the part of servant Merriman and is an understudy for the part of Cardew.

Rounding out the cast is junior Ziahnnah McKenzie, who plays a servant and is also an understudy for the part of Lady Bracknell.

Because this is such a small cast, Director Will Erwin was able to work with the students on this play which is currently being studied by seniors as part of the English curriculum.

“I do like to incorporate the curriculum with the productions whenever possible,” Erwin said.

Erwin also likes to introduce the importance of the understudy which is found in most productions in professional theater.

For this play, Erwin tried to bring together the world of Oscar Wilde and the world we live in today.

“Instagram, Facebook, email, text messages,” Erwin said. “We live in a world of words. But this world is so far removed from Wilde’s and, because of this, the cast and I had a tough time bridging the gap between his world and ours.”

Wilde died Nov. 30, 1900.

“Then we had a very important discovery,” Erwin said. “These characters, and what they have to say, are essentially the Facebook posts of Wilde’s time. But rather than hiding behind a screen, the characters hide behind their false personas.

“Once we unraveled this discovery, the play and its message began to blossom. Think of each zinger as a Tweet. Each lover’s spat or comment on politics as a Facebook post. And each picturesque moment as an Instagram post. These characters have a lot to say and a lot to hide behind. And it’s been very fun figuring out what that is.”

“Because this is a drama/comedy, it is harder and all about acting,” Garrigan said. “This play has really pushed me and allowed me to grow as an actress. It is very different from anything I’ve done at Salisbury.”

Boulay is in her sixth production with the Salisbury Theatre.

“We hope to make the audience laugh,” Boulay said. “We want to give the audience a glimpse into the world of these silly, quirky characters and their shenanigans.”

Eckart said with this production, “You can put more into your character because you don’t have to focus on dancing and singing.”

“We had to learn how to speak a more formal English. It’s a challenge to execute it,” Galbraith said.

“We had to figure out how our characters would walk and sit,” Perkins said.

The students researched the time period and how the characters lived.

“We explored different genres and went completely overboard,” Long said.

Students said the characters are representations of Wilde’s view on society.

“This play is challenging,” Long said. “We had a smaller cast and got to bond a lot more. It’s been really great.”

“We are like a family,” Perkins added. “We had the opportunity to develop our characters and discover ourselves as actors.”

As with previous Salisbury productions, the students are encouraged to take ownership of certain areas of the show such as costumes, production, set and graphic design.

“I’m so glad I got involved with the theater,” Garrigan said. Over time I’ve met and become friends with such amazing people. We all share something in common – the love of theater. We are all willing to put ourselves out there.”

Garrigan summed up her experience of being involved with the theater program.

“Whenever I come to rehearsal, I feel like I am coming home to a second family.”

Tickets are still available and may be purchased from cast members, by emailing salisburytheatre@salisburysd.org or by calling Cherie Pennella at 610-797-4107, ext. 2508.