Vancouver, WA – Vancouver’s newest theatre, Pacific Stageworks, opens its doors with the well-known script of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Directed by Vancouver’s own Tony Bump, the production features a cast of seasoned performers acting “in the round” at the Heathman Lodge (7801 Northeast Greenwood, Vancouver, WA 98662), July 6-8. Performance times are: Friday July 6, 7:30pm; Saturday July 7, 2:00pm and 7:30pm; Sunday July 8, 2:00pm and 7:30pm.
Adopting the mottos, “A great city deserves great theatre,” and “We take the drama out of drama,” the new theatre wants to lure in a younger generation of audience member and make their theatre a cultural center-point for Vancouver. Currently looking for a permanent home, the decision to perform The Importance of Being Earnest in a non-traditional venue shows that Pacific Stageworks is not afraid to think outside the box.
Tony Bump, the Board President, hopes Pacific Stageworks will revitalize the community artistic atmosphere. “Our society is losing the hang of face-to-face communication,” he says. “We look for ways to bring people together to express ideas and experiences in a positive and fun environment. Theatre is the best median to achieve this. We don’t want to just put on plays, though that is a large part of what we will be doing. We want to create an artists’ hang-out – a fun place to go on a date, to meet new people, to try new things and develop talents.”
Says producer, Jennifer Johnson, “Among the performers and staff members, we have decades of theatrical experience and an enormous amount of talent. Earnest is full of word-play and social satire and is incredibly funny. The actors do a fabulous job of bringing it to life.”
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| From left to right, Brett Johnson, Jillian Sternke, Ashley Hall, and Will Johnson. |
Set in England in the 1890s, The Importance of Being Earnest follows two eligible bachelors attempting to balance pleasure and responsibility. Adopting the name of “Ernest” while adventuring, they are unsure of which name to use when proposing to two headstrong, yet romantic heiresses. In comes Lady Bracknell with her own ideas of what constitutes an eligible match, which has everything to do with money, family, and deception.
The cast includes: Kevin Gordon, Brett Johnson (of Camas), Will Johnson, Julie Dole, Ashley Hall, Kathleen Jung (of Ridgefield), Mike Heywood and Jillian Sternke (of Portland).
Though Earnest is officially a fund raiser, the theatre is keeping ticket costs low to make art more accessible to the community in this financially difficult time. Tickets are $12 (adults) and $10 (students/seniors). General seating tickets can be purchased at the website, www.pacificstageworks.com, or at the door with cash/check. Donations will be cheerfully and enthusiastically accepted at the performance.
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