The Importance of Being Earnest has been loved by generations. Full of witty, flamboyant and outrageously immoral characters, the farce describes itself (ironically) as ‘A Trivial Comedy for Serious People’. For those who know the play, this description alongside the apparent solemnity of the title creates an image of Oscar Wilde chuckling behind his pen and paper. They are purposely so completely misleading.
Jamal Simon is currently directing SUTCo’s radio production of this melodramatic and characterful play. With theatres around the globe closed for the pandemic, Sheffield students are forging a new path in the shape of auditory theatre. Speaking on the new medium, Simon mused that “one thing that radio provides that other theatres don’t is the ability for anybody to be engaged and involved without fear of judgement based on look, shape or size” and as a result the production team have “had a lot of people apply for this who’ve never done a SUTCo and SUPAS show