“Muffins should always be eaten quite calmly, as it is the only way to eat them!” says Algernon (Played by Cast B’s Dillon Mabey), and the crowd’s laughter establishes the tone and talent of Herriman High’s theater troupe of their annual play. This year, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a British comedy where two men try to get their way as they pretend to be a fictional character, Mr. Earnest.

Since it’s opening night the cast has acted faithfully to make the show entertaining despite its once adult-oriented story. The quality of stage production and costumes sets a beautiful tone of high society and the pettiness of it, the whole play surrounds trivialities and comedic banter that brought joy to everyone.

Though not all of it came as easy as the two lead actresses of Cast B put it, “Sometimes the mics cut out and there are dead spots on the stage so we have to be careful when we hit those, or there are costumes or prop problems, or we’ll forget our line and we’ll have to improve.” There is a lot of consideration going into production and much of it goes unseen.

Another challenge was the splitting of the theater group into two separate ones, all were performing the same play but at different times. In the Playbill, the director, KayCee DeYoung wrote, “…The trickiness of having to get two casts ready for the performances in the same span of time that is usually filled with a rehearsal for just one cast has been well worth the effort.” She goes on to write spotlights to her wonderful cast, her own thoughts from the experience, and how that the theme of the play can be extended into modern-day life.

And truly, the dedication of the entire Cast and Crew cannot be ignored, let us never forget the importance of the stage crew who were quick on their feet and those who spend time doing the makeup and hair; that of which was done amazingly making a highschooler be able to look the part of an old Aunt Augusta. The leads and secondary characters reverberated good satire and sarcasm that reached the children in the row behind me. Even in the background, the Ensembles seems to have their own moments that shine out during transitions. For that, dear reader was what kept me engaged. Through it all, it wasn’t a nice stage or pretty costumes that kept me interested in the story of Jack and Algernon. It was seeing the care and passion that went into this play, the pride, the joy, and standing ovations that really made the night.

Congratulations and many kudos to the HHS Theatre group and the Crew who put in the dedication to making another year extraordinary with their work. I look forward to seeing another play in the coming years and to those who have nothing to do: I highly recommend checking out whatever comes next from our talented friends.