The Importance of Being Earnest is beloved for its wit, satire, and gleeful skewering of Victorian respectability. But beneath the dazzling dialogue lies something more radical: a world built on the performance of identity, class, and desire.
Artistic Director Petra Kalive makes her directorial debut for State Theatre Company South Australia with Oscar Wilde’s famous play, bringing vim and vigour to a production ready to delight audiences more than 130 years after its premiere.
“I want to crack Earnest open, to revel in the satire, in the barely veiled politics and work with a wildly talented, all-South Australian cast. I am so excited by this team and what we’re going to create together,” Kalive says.
“Wilde really was a genius ahead of his time, and this classic comedy of manners is going to be fast, furious and pure joy. I can’t wait.”
With an entirely South Australian cast consisting of cabaret star Carla Lippis, Prisoner’s Glenda Linscott, Nathan O’Keefe, Teddy Dunn, Anna Lindner, Connor Pullinger and Pia Gillings, and a lush design by Kathryn Sproul, State Theatre Company South Australia is serving up the very best talent with teeth, sparkle, and a whole lot of nerve.
The play follows two young men, Jack and Algernon, who create elaborate alter egos named “Ernest” to escape social obligations and pursue love. But when their deceptions unravel, chaos ensues in a world where truth is slippery, and appearances are everything.
The Importance of Being Earnest is a classic comedy that for more than 130 years has entertained and poked fun at the Victorian social conventions through wit, farce and over-the-top theatricality.
In 2026, Wilde’s theme of a performative life remains strikingly relevant. The idea of creating fake identities to escape reality resonates with modern anxiety about how we present ourselves, and it’s all playing out on social media. Curated online personalities and carefully constructed lives have replaced the drawing room; the absurdities of social conventions have simply morphed into new forms for the 21st century.
The Importance of Being Earnest is State Theatre Company South Australia’s first show to be presented in the newly refurbished Dunstan Playhouse. Redevelopment works across Adelaide Festival Centre began in June 2025, with upgrades including new auditorium seats, lighting and stage flooring across Festival Theatre, Dunstan Playhouse and Space Theatre. A new lift and staircase improve pedestrian access from the Western Plaza, making it easier to move between the city and the theatre, while new carpet, updated foyer furniture and a refreshed Banquet Room complete the picture.
State Theatre Company’s The Importance of Being Earnest will delight both theatre purists and those looking for a classic with a twist, as it remains faithful to Wilde’s language and comic intent, while presenting the work in a contemporary theatrical context. This production is fast, furious and wickedly funny. Prepare yourself for a bold and joyful night at the theatre.
Content advisory: References to alcohol, period attitudes towards class, gender and marriage.
Run time: 100 minutes, no interval.
8–30 May 2026 Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
For more information and tickets, visit: statetheatrecompany.com.au
