REHEARSALS for The Importance of Being Earnest written by Oscar Wilde, are in full swing for the members of the Tilbourne Players, kicking off the second year of amalgamation of two dramatic groups in the area.

The play is centred on two bachelors, John ‘Jack’ Worthing and Algernon ‘Algy’ Moncrieff, they create alter egos named Earnest and Bunbury to escape their tiresome lives in London.

The pair struggle to keep up with their own stories and become comically tangled in a tale of deception, disguise and misadventure and they attempt to win the hearts of two girls, Gwendolen and Cecily.

Gwendolen declares that she could never love a man who wasn’t called Earnest and this decidedly adds to Jack’s problems. Set in late Victorian England, it is Wilde at his wittiest and most successful.

Directed by Brezetta Thonger, it brings together a talented cast including Helen Phillips as Gwendolen Fairfax, Nigel Dams as Jack Worthing, Michael Thonger as Algernon Moncrieff, Sara Wilson-Soppitt as Miss Prism and Ian Wilson-Soppitt as Dr Chasuble.

Marion Homer plays the redoubtable Lady Bracknell and Stephanie Harrison, in her debut role for the players, is the ingénue Cecily Cardew.

Performances will take place on Thursday, March 10, Friday, March 11, and Saturday, March 12 at 8pm, with a matinée at 2.30pm on the Saturday at the Tilford Institute.

It promises to be great fun for all concerned and especially for the audience, so make sure to pick up those tickets early by calling 01252 715457, or by visiting the website www.tilbourneplayers.org.uk.