Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband

I just received a mailer today announcing that the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's next production will be Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband. Though not American literature, I know many of you enjoyed reading and performing Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest last year. An Ideal Husband is slightly similar.

Here is the brief synopsis provided on their website:

To aristocrat Sir Robert Chiltern, the past is better kept in the past. But when an old acquaintance threatens to reveal the nefarious nature of his rise to wealth, Sir Robert’s well-kept life is at risk. Will he do whatever it takes to remain the “ideal husband” in the eyes of his adoring wife and fawning friends, or will he accept the truth and confront his undoing? With a lively cast of supporting characters, Oscar Wilde’s popular play An Ideal Husband takes the stage for a truly theatrical experience that’s not to be missed.

If there's enough interest, I'll certainly consider another high school night out. So, if you are interested in attending a performance I can arrange for student tickets at a group rate. Do let me know. The play runs from April 16 to May 16.

Encapsulation Scripts -- Format

As I noted in the earlier post, I am extending the due date for the encapsulation scripts to Monday, the 14th. And now, for the format: I would like you to take a look at the guidelines from the BBC for U.S. Stage Format. This should be used as your guide. Please make sure you define the characters and setting as indicated -- and, most importantly, include all spoken dialogue. I will leave it up to each group to determine how much more direction to include in the script. Remember, you are doing this as a helpful step in order to make it easier for you to produce the final product.

Click here for the US Stage Format from the BBC in PDF

Sleuth at Playhouse in the Park

Sleuth by Anthony Shaffer is being performed at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park from now through October 3.

One of the greatest stage thrillers and a masterpiece of suspense, Sleuth won the Tony Award for Best Play and inspired two film versions. When an aging mystery writer lures his wife's lover to his mansion, the younger man becomes unwittingly drawn into a tangled web of intrigue and gamesmanship, where nothing is quite as it seems. This edge-of-your-seat mystery full of cunning plot twists is not only an exciting "whodunit" but a fascinating "whodunwhat."

The play is set at the manor house of Andrew Wyke, an immensely successful mystery writer. His home reflects Wyke's obsession with the inventions and deceptions of fiction and his fascination with games and game-playing. He lures Milo Tindle to the house and convinces him to stage a robbery of his wife's jewelry, a proposal that sets off a chain of events that leaves the audience trying to decipher where Wyke's imagination ends and reality begins.

Info at the Playhouse...