As the 2019-20 school year begins, DVHS Drama prepares for the upcoming fall production: “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Set to be performed Oct. 24-26, the show is an adaption of Oscar Wilde’s satirical play. 

Featuring 10 cast members, the play follows the journey of Jack Worthing, whose role leads the audience to understand the complexity of leading a double life. 

The drama department finalized the casting decisions on Aug. 24 and began rehearsals three days later. Junior Jose Sarmiento describes his experience with the new cast of the play, stating that the story is “really intriguing.”

“The only struggles worth mentioning thus far would be the type of language used in the play, with it being a Victorian-style play and all. This includes accents and certain complicated words, but besides that everything is going smoothly,” Sarmiento said. 

Junior AJ Sohrabi adds that the play is a “change of pace” to the Dougherty Valley stage. It contrasts the performances of the past few years, but Sohrabi believes this will not deter students from experiencing the humor. 

“Thankfully [the cast] is throwing in a little bit of situational comedy so hopefully if the “intellectual“ jokes don’t land, maybe those will,” Sohrabi said.

Sarmiento notes that there has been some difficulty in adapting the writing of the play to the varied style of comedy. 

“Wilde deliberately added many minuscule elements to the play which definitely make me doubt some of the decisions I’m making. I hope to be comfortable enough to sound natural, in an Oscar Wilde-type of a way,” Sarmiento said.

As the cast furthers the production, they urge DV students and families to attend the show. 

“At the very least, I believe that students will have a fun time watching our cast perform their hearts out on stage,” Sohrabi said.