The Importance of Being Earnest in a park near you!

Repercussion Theatre and Persephone Productions present the beloved Oscar Wilde comedy

By Irwin Rapoport

July 24, 2025

Repercussion Theatre and Persephone Productions premiered their co-production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, held last Thursday at NDG’s Trenholme Park. Between now and August 16, it will be performed at parks near you. For the complete schedule, visit repercussiontheatre.com

Adam Capriolo and Rebecca Gibian, Artistic Director of Persephone Productions, direct the play.

“Earnest is Wilde’s way of satirizing himself and the world he lived in: a dandy and his ‘roommate’ looking for fabulous women to marry to be able to maintain their position in high society London,” noted the co-directors. “This is not your mother’s Earnest. This is your drag mother’s Earnest.”

“In this sidesplitting satire of manners and mistaken identity, Wilde dazzles with wit and wordplay, while positively skewering the strictures of social stratification,” states Repercussion Theatre’s press release. “With a terrific ensemble of six dazzling performers, and the magical outdoor setting you’ve come to expect from Shakespeare-in-the-Park, this production proposes the perfect summer evening. So hold onto your handbags and pack your cucumber sandwiches, because you won’t want to miss this tantalizing treat!”

The cast features Hasani Freeman, Carter Gulseth, Juliana Monk, Mara Lazaris, Stephanie McKenna, and Theodore Vlachos.

The production, supported by le Conseil des Arts de Montréal en tournée, is approximately 120 minutes. Most performances start at 7 pm, with a few at 2 pm, 5 pm, and one at 6 pm in Côte St-Luc. Shakespeare-in-the-Park performances are perfect opportunities to enjoy outdoor theatre under the stars or the summer sun, and if you fancy, have a picnic and make an outing of it.

Repercussion Theatre is best known for its annual Shakespeare-in-the-Park tour, bringing professional, classically inspired theatre to parks and public spaces.

Persephone Productions is dedicated to supporting Montreal’s local emerging theatre artists. Under new leadership since 2021, Persephone has expanded its mandate to serve an even wider range of artists, providing its teams with the opportunity to emerge into the professional sphere through cutting-edge theatrical productions. As a result, it has been hailed as “one of Montreal’s most exciting indie companies.”

The importance of being Ernest

Catherine Savoie, Reperussion Theatre’s Artistic and Managing Director, and co-directors Rebecca Gibian, Artistic Director of Persephone Productions, and Adam Capriolo spoke about the play and the production.

WM: Is this the first time that Shakespeare-in-the-Park is not presenting a Shakespeare play, and what led to the decision to present an Oscar Wilde play?

Savoie: No, it’s not the first time. In 2007, we did Molière’s Les fourberies de Scapin/Scapin the Schemer, directed by Amanda Kellock. There have been a few other instances of non-Shakespeare productions; you can find the full history here. The decision to do Earnest came from Persephone Productions. They’d been wanting to do a co-production for a few years, and both Adam and Rebecca have a long history with the play. Half of the play is set in a garden, which lends itself very well to Shakespeare-in-the-Park. I’ll let them tell you all about it! On my part, I couldn’t be more delighted to step in as Artistic and Managing Director during this project. I love The Importance of Being Earnest, and it’s such a blast to be working on this. The cast, designers, and crew are exceptional.

WM: What led to the collaboration between Repercussion Theatre and Persephone Productions, and do you anticipate future partnerships?

Savoie: Persephone Productions approached us. Rebecca Gibian (Artistic Director of Persephone) is a long-time collaborator of Repercussion. She was in Harry the King; she directed our 2022 production, All Shall Be Well. We also share similar mandates. Persephone has produced many classics and has a mandate to foster emerging artists, which is also part of our mission. I was in a Persephone Production a decade ago, in Spring Awakening (with Adam Capriolo!) It just seems like it was meant to be. I think that, within our current context, where funding for the arts is so challenging, we’re seeing many companies joining forces and strengthening community bonds. I look forward to exploring future partnership possibilities.

WM: What attracted you to The Importance of Being Earnest, and how are you working together to bring about a successful production?

Gibian and Capriolo: The Importance of Being Earnest is a play that has played an essential role in both our professional paths. This production is, in effect, a “full circle moment” for us both. We have known each other since we were kids, and at the ripe age of 17, we decided to produce our production of Earnest, along with a fittingly dramatic group of friends. We rented a theatre, and somehow crafted a production that was, or should have been, far beyond the reach of teenage creators. In many ways, that is what set us both on our paths, confirming for us our ambitions to make theatre a professional vocation. We both studied acting, Rebecca at the National Theatre School and Adam at Dawson’s DOME program, and have been working professionals throughout Quebec and Ontario since. This is our first time coming back together to co-direct, and it is wonderfully serendipitous to be doing it alongside one another.

We like to think of our production as not only satirizing Wilde’s society, but bridging that historical gap to highlight how much Wilde’s play also reflects — and satirizes — our current-day society.

– Rebecca Gibian, Artistic Director of Persephone Productions, and Adam Capriolo, co-director

WM: How did you choose the cast, and how did you develop your take on the play?

Gibian and Capriolo: Rebecca is artistic director of Persephone Productions, which is co-producing this year’s tour. Persephone Productions was founded in 2001 by Gabrielle Sorkin, a resident of Westmount, as a company dedicated to supporting emerging artists. This mandate remains and has been an essential value in Persephone’s work, which starts with a commitment to hosting as many auditions as possible within our schedule, allowing the largest number of actors to be seen. Our cast is comprised entirely of actors who are either recent theatre school graduates or emerging talents that we are thrilled to introduce to Montreal audiences.

Our take on the play is, above all, one that is true to Wilde, in the sense of subversion and satire. The Importance of Being Earnest was created as a satire of Wilde’s society, and reflected the ridiculousness he saw in the world around him — as well as within his own life. A clear example of this is that Wilde himself had a male partner, but they also both had wives. We like to think of our production as not only satirizing Wilde’s society, but bridging that historical gap to highlight how much Wilde’s play also reflects — and satirizes — our current-day society. The play will be set in the period, but with some contemporary additions and twists, all with Wilde’s politics and tastes in mind. To quote Wilde: if you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh — and this has been the primary goal of our production: laughter.

WM: How would you describe your styles of directing, and how are they contributing to the production you are striving to create?

Gibian and Capriolo: Though we have never directed together, we both see collaboration as an inherent gain — a tool for exponential creativity, tied to the idea that theatre is a team sport. This value has been the foundation for our shared directing process, tied to our belief that the very best work can also be made with the utmost joy. We are thrilled to be working with a team that shares these values and wants to create the very best version of this play. This ambition (in the best sense) and drive is contagious and so exciting to see catching. We truly believe that setting a high bar is one of the greatest gifts we can give our team — especially a team of emerging talent — and the rehearsal process has been so rewarding because of that.

Images: Emelia Hellman