HOUSTON, TX – Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre and Artistic Director Rob Melrose announce the cast of The Importance of Being Earnest. Directed by Melrose, this sparkling satire is one of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated works.
Melrose shared, “In selecting The Importance of Being Earnest for the season, I recognized that Wilde wasn’t writing about the typical people of his time, but rather the most privileged class, and that was the rich source of the play’s humor, in the same way that today we watch a TV show like White Lotus. I’ve seen so many frothy, pastel-colored productions of Wilde’s play. I started to wonder about doing a production that felt like it lived in the same world as Wilde’s decadent novel The Picture of Dorian Gray – set in its period but full of rich color and with a sharp edge to it.”
The cast includes Alley’s Resident Acting Company members Elizabeth Bunch as Miss Prism, Dylan Godwin as Algernon Moncrieff, Chris Hutchison as Merriman, Melissa Molano as Cecily Cardew, and Christopher Salazar as John Worthing.
Rounding out the cast are Candy Buckley as Lady Bracknell, Amelia Pedlow as Gwendolen Fairfax, and Spencer Plachy as Lane/ Canon Chasuble.
The creative team includes Scenic Designer Michael Locher, Costume Designer Alejo Vietti, Lighting Designer Jiyoun Chang, Sound Designer Melanie Chen Cole, Fight Director & Intimacy Specialist Adam Noble, Dialect Coach Molly Wetzel, Assistant Director Amber D. Gray, Stage Manager Jocelyn A. Thompson, and Assistant Stage Manager Brandon Clark.
SPONSORS: The Importance of Being Earnest is generously sponsored by Steve and Donna Greenlee (Producers) Ken and Mady Kades (Honorary Producers), Margaret Alkek Williams, Baker Botts, CKP, Victoria and Alex Lazar, and Anastasia Lim (Associate Producers). Alley Theatre is supported by the 2025-26 Season sponsor United Airlines, the official airline of Alley Theatre, and Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites Downtown Houston, the official hotels of Alley Theatre.
ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES: Captioned Performance on Sunday, March 15 at 2:00 PM, Audio Described Performance on Sunday, March 15 at 7:00 PM, and ASL Interpreted Performance is Wednesday, March 25 at 7:30 PM.
TICKETS: Performances begin Friday, March 6 to Sunday, March 26 in the Hubbard Theatre. Tickets are now on sale, starting at $36. Discounted tickets are available for military, seniors, educators and any student, regardless of age, with a valid ID for designated performances in designated sections. Tickets can be ordered online (alleytheatre.org) or by phone (713.220.5700).
CONNECT WITH US: @alleytheatre, #AlleyEarnest
ABOUT ALLEY THEATRE:
Alley Theatre, one of America’s leading nonprofit theatres, is a nationally recognized performing arts company led by Artistic Director Rob Melrose and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein. The Alley is committed to developing and producing theatre that is as diverse as the Houston community. The Alley produces up to 11 plays and nearly 400 performances each season, ranging from the best current work and classic plays to new plays by contemporary writers. Home to a full-time resident company of actors and expert artisans in all theatre crafts, the Alley engages theatre artists of every discipline – actors, directors, designers, composers, playwrights – who work on individual productions throughout each season as visiting artists.
Alley Theatre performs at the Meredith J. Long Theatre Center, which is comprised of two state-of-the-art theatres: the 774-seat Hubbard Theatre and the 296-seat Neuhaus Theatre. The Alley reaches over 200,000 people each year through its performance, education, and community engagement programs.
