Shakespeare's The Two Noble Kinsmen and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest – A Drama by Lingnan students

Date: 10 April 2012 (Tue)
Time: 5:30 pm - 6:45 pm
Venue: TV Studio, 2/F, B. Y. Lam Building, Lingnan University
Language: English
Co-organizer: Department of English, Lingnan University
ILP unit(s): 1.5 (Aesthetic Development)
CRN: 2293

Student Performers
Alan Chang (External student), Rashida Leung (English), Yoyo Leung (English), Champion Lo (English), Gabriel Lui (English), Ivy Wong (English), Kellie Wong (English), Chris Tsui (Translation) and Lorna Xin (Exchange student)

Description
These two extracts from classic English drama emphasise the comic, rather than the tragic viewpoint in drama. In Shakespeare's and Fletcher's The Two Noble Kinsmen (co-written and published in 1613) two noble young Greeks, both prisoners of war, swear eternal comradeship and fidelity to each other, before they see a beautiful young woman from their narrow prison window, and immediately start arguing and quarreling over which of them deserves to love her more (despite the obvious fact that they are incarcerated and she doesn't even know that they exist!). This is Lingnan's entry for the 8th Shakespeare Festival for China/HK universities organised by CUHK, with the final performances scheduled for late May.

The second extract from Oscar Wilde's 1895 masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest is based on mistaken identity (a common device in comedy) and involves two highly competitive young women, Gwendolen and Cecily, being superficially polite to each other over tea and cake, but, like the two Noble Kinsmen, becoming love rivals. The mistake is resolved when the problem of Ernest's identity is clarified, but then a fresh problem arises when Gwendolen's bossy and snobbish mother arrives on the scene, and attempts to impose her will on the two young couples....You will laugh and smile (both quite different audience reactions to different dramatic situations!).