Wilde Production Comes to Martinsville

Piedmont Arts On Stage! brings a delightful production of Oscar Wilde's, The Importance of Being Earnest to the stage, featuring an all-British cast of actors from New York-based Aquila Theatre.

Since its first performance in 1895, Wilde's masterpiece has become a respected piece of literature and has delighted audiences with its with humor, elegance and romantic comedy. Written as a "trivial comedy for serious people," The Importance of Being Earnest is witty tour de force on the observations of life, true identity and the importance of one's name in society.

The play follows Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, both young men who have taken to bending the truth to add a dash of excitement to their lives. However, their deceptions eventually cross paths, resulting in a series of hilarious discoveries that threaten to spoil their romantic pursuits. The clever high jinks and last-minute revelations of the characters add up to an evening of fun and laughter.

Piedmont Arts On Stage! will present The Importance of Being Earnest on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 pm at Martinsville High School Auditorium, located at 351 Commonwealth Boulevard. Tickets are $28 for reserved, $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students. Tickets are available at Piedmont Arts, located at 215 Starling Avenue and online at www.piedmontarts.org.

This tour engagement of Aquila Theatre Company is funded through the Mid Atlantic Tours program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Aquila Theatre's mission is to bring the greatest theatrical works to the greatest number. By presenting a regular season of plays in New York, at international festivals, and touring to approximately seventy American towns and cities a year, Aquila provides access to excellent theatre for people in under-served rural and inner city communities.

Piedmont Arts is a nonprofit art museum and educational outreach center in Martinsville, Virginia that facilitates ongoing enrichment of the lives of the people of Martinsville, Henry County and the surrounding area, through positive exposure, education and experiences in the visual and performing arts. Piedmont Arts is a statewide partner of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is accredited by the American Association of Museums. Learn more at www.piedmontarts.org.