The Importance of

Being EarnestBY: AHMED AFIA, MUHAMMED ABDELHALIM, MOHAMMAD SARWARI

- My image of the set is to

have genuine and realistic image

of the luxury that the play takes

place in.

- Every piece that I choose will

have meaning and purpose

behind to convey my image to

the audience.

- A good set is not something that

people do not care, it can be the

difference between having a

good play and an amazing,

award winning, play.

Rob Howell, A Tony Award winning set designer

- Mayfair London, Nineteenth Century

- A fancy, high class place

- The Apartment is going to be full of

luxurious, nineteenth century furniture.

- The floor will be covered in a marble

like material.

- All the props will be realistic and will

be used by the actors.

- The nineteenth century set will go

hand in hand with the costumes to

resemble the period.

- A big couch, similar to this will be at the back

- These chairs

are nineteenth

century and

would really suit

the Act

- The floor will be a covered by a tape that looks like this.- This is perfect to show the luxury of the house.

- The background will be similar to this with a big curtain and luxury windows.

- The Act takes place

in the Garden on the

back of the house.

- The set will have

patio furniture and

and some plants.

- All the props will

resemble the

nineteenth century

furniture and luxury

- There will be one places on both sides of the stage. - The actors will use them during the performance

There will be a table in the middle to make the whole set look like a patio.

- These small

plants will be

scattered around

to make the set

feel more like a

garden and give

it more colors.

- The background will look something similar to the back of this house. - It is to show the audience where the scene is being held. - Also there will be a back door in the middle to make the stage look more original and more like a patio.

- The scene takes place in the

Manor House’s drawing room

- Again, the house has a room

specifically for drawing which

means that it is very luxurious.

- The set’s floor will be the same as

before, the marble floor

- The background will be a less

fancy curtain as the one in act 1

- The mood will be a bit gloomy

because of the confrontation and

the props will be in line with the

costumes.

The tile design similar to the one in Act 1

- The curtain here will be grey to differentiate between this act and act - There will also be a window in the middle

Act 3

This sofa is perfect

for the drawing

room as a lot of

artists use similar

sofas and I think its

inclusion would

add a genuine

feeling to the set.

Both these would be great for the mood and the feeling of the room as a luxurious and exclusive drawing room

finally, since its a drawing room, there has to be a drawing board similar to this in the cor

• What to consider while making the costumes?

o Time Period

o Class

o Event

o Certain Region

o Imagination

• Late 1800’s

• Wore tailcoat suits.

• Bow ties were the norm

Suits in the late

1800’s

Dresses in the late 1800’s

• Women wore elaborate dresses

• Men wore suits with coat tall

• Butlers

• Teachers

• Preachers

• Men wear suits

• Women wear Dresses

• Performers wear “attention grabbing” clothes.

• London, Uk

• Estate

• Knights

o Armor

• Horse

o sattle

Director - Style

● As a director for this play, I would keep it satirical

and comedic, while also enforcing the deeper

theme.

● This play illustrates the hypocrisy of the Victorian

society of England and the effect it had on the

people.

● The script masks this darker theme with comedic

wordplay and use of interesting language.

● I would emphasize this wordplay to make for

amusing conversation between characters.

Director - Casting

• I would cast the following actors in each role.o Martin Freeman as Jack Worthing

o Benedict Cumberbatch as Algernon Moncrieff

o Rachel McAdams as Gwendolen Fairfax

o Amanda Seyfried as Cecily Cardew

o Helen Mirren as Lady Bracknell

o Anna Massey as Miss Prism

o Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Chasuble

Director - Casting

Jack Worthing Algernon Moncrieff Gwendolen Fairfax Cecily Cardew

Director - Casting

Lady Bracknell Dr. Frederick Chasuble Miss Prism

Director - Spine

• Jack Worthing is a wealthy countryman who just wants to be free

and escape to London to live out his fantasies. His dream is to marry

Gwendolen whom he loves, but needs her mother’s approval.

• Algernon Moncrieff is a man who lives in London and has wealthy

relatives. He was an uninspired man until he met Cecily and fell in

love with her, hoping to marry.

• Gwendolen Fairfax is a woman trapped by her mother who will not

let her marry Jack Worthing, who she loves. She wishes to break free

from her mother’s rule and marry the man she wants.

• Cecily Cardew is a young girl who fantasizes about “Ernest”, a

fictional man who she hopes to marry one day. She is just a young

girl wishing to find love.

Director - Spine

• The main conflict in this play is between the individuals who

are in love and the society which they live in.

• Jack and Gwendolen wish to marry, but they are held back by Lady Bracknell who wants her daughter to marry a

distinguished, wealthy man.

• Algernon finds purpose in his life when he meets Cecily and

wishes to marry her despite Lady Bracknell’s wishes.

• The overall theme for this play would be breaking free from social bindings and the perseverance of true love.

Director - Directorial Concept

• If I were to direct this play, I would keep it in its original setting:

late 1800’s in England.

• I would focus the play more on the connections between the

main characters while also incorporating the trivial language that the playwright, Oscar Wilde, intended for the

production.

• The scenes would stay light and humorous but the audience

should walk away from the play with a deeper understanding

of the Victorian society of England and the characters’

struggles in the period.

Images of the Victorian Era of England (1837-1901)

• Set Designer: Ahmed Afia

• Costumes: Muhammed Abdelhalim

• Director: Mohammad Sarwari