Interview with the Director of “’The Importance of Being Earnest,” Sam Martinez

After the opening of “The Importance of Being Earnest,” we checked in with Director Sam Martinez, to ask about the show.

Question 1: Why did you want to direct this show?

I am a huge fan of the classics, and Ernest is right up there. The dialogue between the characters is great and some of the most iconic scenes in all of theatre. On first read, a few actors noted they haven’t read some of the scenes since their high school theatre class. And of course, it’s always fun to go back and do those scenes over again because of how much we have grown since then.

Question 2: How would you describe your vision for this production?

I am a bit of a purist with some plays. You can’t do the same thing you can with Shakespeare. I wanted to remain true to the story and text. Once you try to update it, audiences are pulled out of the story and say things like, “Why don’t the ladies just take out their cellphones and call someone?” Then BOOM, story over. Not to mention the costumes of this time period are just fun. Gwendolen’s hat alone should get its own finale bow with the actors. If that doesn’t seem to make any sense, it will once you see the show.

Question 3: How has the rehearsal process been for this show? What has been exciting? What has been challenging?

This has been one of the most fun shows I’ve directed. The cast instantly clicked together at the read through of the script and were so eager to get started. Once the scenes were blocked, we started to beat up the scenes. We would run it once or twice but then run it again because it was just fun to do. The cast was eager to get off-book and start actually running the scenes because they were such juicy scenes. Watching it all come together was exhilarating. When you have a cast that throws their whole heart into their work, it comes together much faster. The acting was all there, almost a full 2 weeks before we rolled into tech week. It made me nervous. I kept waiting for something to go wrong. Thankfully, something did go wrong. One of the actors got food poisoning during tech week! After they recovered, I knew we would be ok. The most challenging part is getting the costumes just right. Making sure they all look just so to help reflect their personalities. The wrong costume can throw you off completely and ruin a scene.

Question 4: What has been your favorite moment so far?

I would be lying if I said that all the scenes are my favorite.  My cast knows I enjoy the entire play and all their scenes, but in all honesty, I LOOOOOOVE the Gwendolen/Cecily tea scene. The timing and delivery of the lines and the chemistry they both have is amazing. I am very happy with that scene and think audiences will love it too.

Question 5: What should the audience be excited about seeing or experiencing at your show?

The audience should be excited to see this show, period! This show has every reason you come out to see live theatre to begin with. It’s entertaining from curtain up to the final bow. People will walk out talking about it. One comment I heard from an audience member walking out was, ‘This was much more fun than when I read it in high school.’ To me, that’s one of the best compliments you can get.

Visit here to learn more about “The Importance of Being Earnest” and to get your tickets today.