HDA Discovers The Importance of Being Earnest

Comedy is a medium that can take many years to master, but HDA is doing it in just a little under a month. Throughout the month of April, the Hopkins Drama Association (HDA) has been hard at work preparing for their production of “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde, taking place at the Woodbridge Pool Club from April 25-27.  Director Mike Calderone’s decision to perform “The Importance of Being Earnest” was made for reasons that can make or break a production, chief among them the smaller audition pool: “We knew we would have relatively fewer actors auditioning than in the past years; so, I looked for a show that was tight with a possibility for a flexible non-speaking ensemble.” With the smaller number of speaking roles also comes new opportunities for both seniors and newer HDA members. Calderone mentions: “This choice allowed for a nice spread of meaty roles for our senior HDA members and an opportunity to gain some experience for our youngest.” Production Stage Manager Grace Zhang ’25 believes that “Earnest” is a good pick for the spring play because “it’s a comedy, so I think it’s a very fun way to sort of close out the year, especially coming out of ‘Oklahoma,’ which was heavier.” This production will be the first time Zhang works as production stage manager, and she is “glad my first show in such an important role isn’t a very intense and serious show.” 

“The Importance of Being Earnest” comes with its challenges, both for the actors and those behind the scenes. Bea Vassilev ’27, who plays Cecily Cardew, shares how the workload for the role is different from what she’s used to: “I haven’t really done this big of a role before. I’ve already had to work a lot on memorizing my lines over break, and [I] continue to work on the scenes with everyone else.” Vassilev mentions that not rehearsing on stage made production more challenging as it was “tricky to navigate [the space] until we actually [got] into the Woodbridge Club.” Zhang echoes similar concerns on the new way of staging, sharing that “we have four places for actors to enter from; making sure that everybody is where they need to be, and getting the actors from one end to another is probably going to be very difficult.” The props also pose an issue, as Zhang mentions that “there are a lot of props, so losing them in between scenes is very likely to happen.” Andrew Benjamin ’24, who plays Dr. Fredrick Chasuble, has his own challenges as a senior, he shares, “Finding the time to memorize my lines on my own as a term two senior is challenging; I feel done with school, but there’s still work I’m supposed to put in.” The comedic element of the show could also lead to some complications with the audience in Calderone’s opinion: “Comedy is hard! A comedy written over 100 years ago is even harder.” 

However, this doesn’t mean that the production process doesn’t have its joyful moments. Zhang finds that getting to work with the cast and crew is always exciting, sharing that “I really love getting to know all the people. We have a couple repeat main actors, but there’s always a new group of people from the underclassman who I really like to get to know, and to meet.” Calderone mentioned a similar idea: “I know we're going to laugh long and hard in rehearsals. The audience will get the best moments that work within the show, but we'll get double that simply in the exploration!” Vassilev is also excited “to work more in-depth with the other actors in the production,” and that “it was definitely exciting to get such a big role, and to show what I can do even though it’s going to be challenging.” Vincent Sze ’27 reveals his excitement for closing night with his fellow HDA members, as “this show will be the last one at Hopkins for many senior HDA members, meaning that closing night will definitely be something to look forward to and remember.” As spring approaches, the actors and tech crew are coming together to create the best production they can. “The Importance of Being Earnest” reflects the warming weather and the pleasant feeling that a production can bring to everyone involved; for, as Zhang puts it, “It’s a comedy, so it’s going to be fun!”