The theatrical play of The Importance of Being Earnest put on by students took place March 12-13, 2026. From late-night rehearsals to opening night, students grew more and more dedicated to their characters with each run through of their scripts, each motion they acted out, and every interaction they encountered with each other.
Cast members were able to grow out of their own comfort zones and into the realm of their characters’ realities. At each rehearsal, cast members worked to incorporate many different attributes.
Mrs. Ortega, the director of the play, said, “I wanted my students to explore these characters as people from the Victorian period who still share the same feelings and motivations that we experience today. In other words, I wanted them to put themselves and their experiences into the pulse of Oscar Wilde’s world.”
In the performance, the fictional character Algernon was played by Sam Scheiner ‘26, who has taken part in many productions throughout his years at Pine Crest.
“Every day, something new would happen,” Scheiner said. “Another discovery would be made when we all thought we couldn’t go any further.”
Comfort and connection between characters were key to discovering those very ideas. Rowan Sundevall ‘26, who played the role of Cecily Cardew, was able to experiment with techniques to enhance her acting while working alongside her peers.
Sundevall said, “As I worked with Mrs. Ortega and the other people of the cast, we became more comfortable with each other.”
A memorable play is a play that is able to evoke raw emotion from the audience. However, this effect depends on cast members who are willing to go the extra mile in not only putting on a show but also truly immersing themselves in their given characters in ways that resonate with the audience beyond the performance itself.
Unlike last year’s tragedy, Macbeth, this year’s play was a comedy, and when it comes to theater, captivating an audience is no easy task. Parker Hancock ‘26, playing the role of Jack Worthing, was able to convey his character’s disposition through comedic tactics he had learned along the way.
“That’s the hardest part about it…keeping these jokes and funny moments from getting stale, and instead trying to make it seem like this is something that I’m coming up with on the spot and would actually say to Algernon or Gwendolen,” said Hancock.
Despite the initial feeling of nervousness that tends to wash over cast members, the effect of cast members putting themselves in their characters’ shoes is long-lasting. Claudia Ajay, who played the role of Gwendalyn, was able to use this method during the performance to escape the nerves and enter the excitement.
Ajay said, “I definitely get a little bit nervous, and then I guess once I’m on stage and I ease into it more, that kind of goes away, and I fall into the character as much as I can…Rather than thinking about what’s going on in the audience or what’s going on in my life, I try to think about the character, like what would she be thinking about right now.”
Performances allow cast members to grow in their character development on and off the stage, whether through tragedies, musical productions, comedies, or all the showcases in between. The Pine Crest Theater Department has dedicated its time to bringing the student body a wide variety of performances all year long.
