Love's Labour's Lost [by William Shakespeare] [Read by a full cast]

Love's Labour's Lost is an early comedy by William Shakespeare. Ferdinand, the King of Navarre, and his three friends take a vow of study and seclusion for three years, during which they are forbidden to see or speak to women. Their vows are immediately tested by the arrival of the Pricess of France and her three ladies to the King's court. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)

Cast:
Biron: mb
Boyet: Mark Penfold
Costard: John D. Nugent
Don Adriano de Armado: David Goldfarb
Dull:David Lawrence
Dumain: om123
Ferdinand: Bruce Pirie
First Lord: Vicente Costa Filho
Forester: Philippa
Holofernes: Denny Sayers
Jaquenetta: Chelsea Baker
Katharine: Nadine Eckert-Boulet
Longaville: Ric F
Maria: Availle
Mercade: Kim Stich
Moth: Karen Savage
Princess of France: Elizabeth Klett
Rosaline: Arielle Lipshaw
Sir Nathaniel: Robert Fletcher
Narrator: Dawn Krosnowski Malicsi
Audio edited by: Elizabeth Klett

link to the free audiobook

Love's Labour's Lost [by William Shakespeare] [Read by a full cast]

Ghosts [by Henrik Ibsen]

Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts was first published in 1881 and staged in 1882, and like his earlier play A Doll's House, profoundly shocked his contemporaries. Dubbed "a dirty deed done in public" by one of its critics, the play focuses on (among other things) venereal disease, euthanasia, and incest. The original title literally means "the ones who return," and the play is about how we can deal with the awful legacy of the past.

Cast:
Mrs. Alving: Elizabeth Klett
Oswald Alving: mb
Pastor Manders: Bruce Pirie
Jacob Engstrand: Algy Pug
Regina Engstrand: Availle
Narrator: J. M. Smallheer

link to the free audiobook
Ghosts [by Henrik Ibsen]

Pandora's Box [by Frank Wedekind] [Cast Recording]

Pandora's Box (1904) (Die Büchse der Pandora) is a play by the German dramatist Frank Wedekind. It forms the second part of his pairing of 'Lulu' plays (the first is Earth Spirit [1895]), both of which depict a society "riven by the demands of lust and greed".

Following the events of Earth Spirit, Pandora's Box charts the downward spiral of Lulu and her companions. Lulu once again plays the role of unwitting temptress, a siren-like libertine who seals the destruction of her friends and lovers. The play begins with Lulu's escape from prison, shows us the formation of a perverse makeshift family unit, and documents the deterioration of her social standing and personal freedom. With an almost fatalistic precision, Wedekind concludes the play in a shocking scene of vice and violence.

Cast
Lulu: Amanda Friday
Alva Schon: Chuck Williamson
Schigolch: Alan Mapstone
Rodrigo Quast/Kungu Poti: Wupperhippo
Alfred Hugenberg: Charlotte Duckett
Countess Geschwitz: Caprisha Page
Bianetta/Kadidia: Sally Mc
Ludmilla Steinherz/Narrator: Elizabeth Klett
Magelone: Margaret Espaillat
Count Casti Piani: Algy Pug
Puntschu: Alan Weyman
Heilmann/Dr. Hilti: bala
Bob: rookieblue
Detective: Grendel B. Lightyear
Jack: Bob Gonzalez
Audio edited by Chuck Williamson
[translated by Samuel Atkins Eliot, Jr]

link to the free audiobook

Pandora's Box [by Frank Wedekind] [Cast Recording]

The Duchess of Padua [by Oscar Wilde] [Read by a full cast]

Guido Ferranti, a young man, travels to Padua with his friend Ascanio after receiving a mysterious letter from a stranger, claiming to know the true secret of Guido's birth. His plan of revenge goes awry, however, when he falls in love with his enemy's beautiful wife, the Duchess of Padua.

Cast:
Simone Gesso, Duke of Padua; Hugo the Headsman: Algy Pug
Beatrice, Duchess of Padua: Arielle Lipshaw
Andreas Pollajuolo, Cardinal of Padua: ToddHW
Maffio Petrucci; Servant; First Soldier; Usher: Charlotte Duckett
Jeppo Vitellozzo; Count Moranzone: Martin Geeson
Taddeo Bardi; Bernardo Cavalcanti, Lord Justice of Padua; Third Soldier: Elizabeth Klett
Guido Ferranti: Max Körlinge
Ascanio Cristofano: Alan Mapstone
Lucy, a Tirewoman: April Gonzales
First Citizen: Kristingj
Second Citizen: CaprishaPage
Third Citizen: Grace
Tipstaff; Second Soldier: Chuck Williamson
Narrator: Ernst Pattynama

link to the free audiobook

The Duchess of Padua [by Oscar Wilde] [Read by a full cast]

Volpone, or, The Fox [by Ben Jonson] [Read by a full cast]

Volpone is a comedy by Ben Jonson first produced in 1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-performed play, and it is among the finest Jacobean Era comedies. Volpone is a Venetian gentleman who pretends to be on his deathbed, after a long illness, in order to dupe Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino, three men who aspire to inherit his fortune. In their turns, each man arrives to Volpone’s house bearing a luxurious gift, intent upon having his name inscribed to the will of Volpone, as his heir. Mosca, Volpone’s parasite servant, encourages each man, Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino, to believe that he has been named heir to Volpone’s fortune; in the course of which, Mosca persuades Corbaccio to disinherit his own son in favour of Volpone. - Summary by Wikipedia

Cast list:
Volpone, a magnifico: Zachary Brewster-Geisz
Mosca, his parasite: Elizabeth Klett
Voltore, an advocate: Peter Tucker
Corbaccio, an old gentleman: alanmapstone
Corvino, a merchant: Beth Thomas
Bonario, son to Corbaccio: ToddHW
Sir Politick Would-Be, a knight: ToddHW
Peregrine, a gentleman traveler: inflected
Nano, a dwarf: mb
Castrone, an eunuch / Fourth Avocatore: bala
Androgyno, an hermaphrodite / Notario, the register: Libby Gohn
Lady Would-Be, Sir Politick's wife: Frances Brown
Celia, Corvino's wife: Sarah Terry
First Waiting-Woman / Servant: Availle
First Avocatore / First Merchant: Mary Kay
Second Avocatore / Second Merchant: Mary J
Third Avocatore / Third Merchant: Elizabeth Klett
Narrator: Elizabeth Klett

link to the free audiobook

Volpone, or, The Fox [by Ben Jonson] [Read by a full cast]

The Village Coquettes [by Charles Dickens]

Before he started writing novels, Charles Dickens tried his hand at theater. The Village Coquettes is a two act musical. Sadly the music was lost long ago so this will be a spoken version. This play completes the recording of the relatively unknown plays of Dickens in celebration of his 200th birthday! (Summary by ToddHW)

Cast
Squire Norton: Todd
The Honorable Sparkins Flam: Elizabeth Klett
Old Benson: Alan Mapstone
Mr. Martin Stokes: Brett W. Downey
George Edmunds: engineerdst
Young Benson: Charlotte Duckett
John Maddox: John Trevithick
Lucy Benson: Amanda Friday
Rose: Eden Rea-Hedrick
Servant: Marmalade Hanna
Narrator: Caprisha Page

link to the free audiobook

The Village Coquettes [by Charles Dickens]

Hamlet [by William Shakespeare] [Version 2]

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet exacts on his uncle Claudius for murdering King Hamlet, Claudius's brother and Prince Hamlet's father, and then succeeding to the throne and taking as his wife Gertrude, the old king's widow and Prince Hamlet's mother. The play vividly portrays both true and feigned madness – from overwhelming grief to seething rage – and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption. 

Read by Sam Stinson.

link to the free audiobook
Hamlet [by William Shakespeare] [Version 2]

Mary Tudor [by Victor Hugo]

If Queen Mary I of England wants something, you'd better not try and stop her, or else you might soon find yourself without a head! When this hot-headed young Royal's new favourite courtier, an Italian gentleman named Fabiano Fabiani who has already made himself very unpopular with the court, is caught sneaking around with another girl - a commoner no less! - the Queen begins to plan her revenge in the only way suitable for a Queen.

Cast
Narrator: bala
Mary I of England: Kristin Gjerløw
Jane Talbot: Beth Thomas
Lord Clinton: alanmapstone
Joshua Farnaby: Peter Tucker
Gilbert: ToddHW
Fabiano Fabiani: Eden Rea-Hedrick
Simon Renard: Bob Neufeld
Lord Chandos: Elizabeth Klett
Lord Montague: Greg Przywara
Man/ The Jew: Rob Board
Lord Gardiner/Lord Chancellor: Joseph Tabler
Master Eneas: Rob Board
A jailer: Elizabeth Klett
The people/voices 1: Michele Fry
The People/Voices 2: Mary Kay
The People/Voices 3: Beth Thomas
Standard-bearer 1: Shakira Searle
Standard-bearer 2: Mary Kay

link to the free audiobook

Mary Tudor [by Victor Hugo]

Women Beware Women [by Thomas Middleton]

Thomas Middleton's masterful 17th century tragedy is packed with adultery, incest, intrigue, revenge, and inventive methods for murder. Leantio elopes with Bianca against her family's wishes and tries to hide her in the house he shares with his widowed mother. Yet the Duke sees Bianca at the window and is powerfully attracted to her, threatening Leantio's security. Livia, a wealthy widow, delights in intrigue, aiding the Duke to satisfy his desires with Bianca, and bringing together her brother Hippolito with her niece Isabella, despite their familial relationship. Yet even Livia is not immune to love. The final play-within-a-play in Act 5, one of the goriest and most sensational conclusions to a Jacobean tragedy, is also (like the play as a whole) laced with dark humor. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)

Cast
Mother: Kristingj
Leantio: David Nicol
Bianca: Arielle Lipshaw
Guardiano: Noel Badrian
Fabritio: Martin Geeson
Livia: Elizabeth Klett
Hippolito: Alan Mapstone
Isabella: Amanda Friday
The Ward: Nathaniel W. C. Higgins
Sordido: mb
First Boy/First Lady/Hebe: April Gonzales
Second Boy/Second Lady/Narrator: Elizabeth Klett
Third Boy/Gentleman/Page/Lord: Robert Hoffman
Citizen/Servant/Hymen: Chuck Williamson
Apprentice/Messenger/Ganymede: Availle
Duke: Algy Pug
Lord Cardinal: Chuck Williamson
Audio edited by Elizabeth Klett

link to the free audiobook

Women Beware Women [by Thomas Middleton]

Vera; or the Nihilists [by Oscar Wilde]

Vera; or, The Nihilists is a play by Oscar Wilde. It is a melodramatic tragedy set in Russia and is loosely based on the story of Vera Zasulich. It was the first play that Wilde wrote. It was produced in the United Kingdom in 1880, and in New York in 1882, but it was not a success and folded in both cities. It is nowadays rarely revived.

Cast:
Peter Sabouroff/Baron Raff: Algy Pug
Vera Sabouroff: Arielle Lipshaw
Michael: Robin King
General Kotemkin: Alan Mapstone
Sergeant/Professor Marfa: Kristingj
Soldier/Aide-de-Camp: Grace
Prisoner/Colonel of the Guard: Amanda Friday
Dmitri/Page/President of the Nihilists: Elizabeth Klett
Alexis Ivanacievitch: Alex Lau
Conspirator/Marquis de Poivrard: Charlotte Duckett
Conspirator: Julia Niedermaier
Ivan the Czar: Martin Geeson
Prince Paul Maraloffski: John Trevithick
Prince Petrovitch: bala
Narrator: Availle
Audio edited by Arielle Lipshaw

link to the free audiobook

Vera; or the Nihilists [by Oscar Wilde]

The Verge [by Susan Glaspell]

This play is Glaspell’s recognition of the way in which Victorian society left some women feeling trapped in roles for which they were unsuited. Because of the play’s non-realistic speech patterns and expressionistic elements, it was dismissed by most critics as being muddled and confusing. It has recently been ‘‘rediscovered’’ by feminist theorists, however, who see the work as an important contribution to theatre history. In 1921 when this play was first produced, women were still expected to stay at home and be dutiful wives and mothers. Many women began to voice dissatisfaction with their lack of opportunities and tried to change the situation. Thus, the feminist movement began to take hold. Other women rebelled by retreating into despondency, depression and, sometimes, madness. The Verge also reflects the fascination with Freudian theory that was sweeping the United States at the time. Freud had delivered his first U.S. lectures in 1909, and his theories of psychoanalysis and dream interpretation were widely discussed in many popular publications of the day. 

Cast
Anthony: Algy Pug
Harry Archer: tovarisch
Hattie: Victoria P
Claire: Michele Eaton
Richard Demming: bala
Tom Edgeworthy: Chuck Williamson
Elizabeth: Elizabeth Klett
Adelaide: Amanda Friday
Dr. Emmons: Sarah Parshall
Narrator: Tricia G

link to the free audiobook

The Verge [by Susan Glaspell]

Earth Spirit [by Frank Wedekind]

Earth Spirit is a play by the German dramatist Frank Wedekind. It forms the first part of his pairing of 'Lulu' plays (the second is Pandora's Box [1904]), both of which depict a society "riven by the demands of lust and greed". Together with Pandora's Box, Wedekind's play formed the basis for the silent film Pandora's Box (1929) starring Louise Brooks and the opera Lulu by Alban Berg in 1935 (premiered posthumously in 1937). The eponymous "earth spirit" of this play is Lulu, who Wedekind described as a woman "created to stir up great disaster." Indeed, she is a purely sexual creature who scandalizes the community and drives men to ruin. The play has attracted a wide range of interpretations, from those who see it as misogynistic to those who claim Wedekind as a harbinger of women’s liberation.

Cast
Lulu: Amanda Friday
Dr. Schon: Algy Pug
Alva Schon: Chuck Williamson
Dr. Goll/Schigolch: Alan Mapstone
Schwartz: Aidan Brack
Prince Escerny/Ferdinand: bala
Escherich/Narrator/Prologue: Elizabeth Klett
Rodrigo: Wupperhippo
Hugenberg: Charlotte Duckett
Countess Geschwitz: Caprisha Page
Henriette: Naomi Park
Audio edited by Chuck Williamson and Elizabeth Klett

link to the free audiobook

Earth Spirit [by Frank Wedekind]

Widowers Houses [by George Bernard Shaw]

This is one of three plays Shaw published as Plays Unpleasant in 1898; they were termed "unpleasant" because they were intended, not to entertain their audiences—as traditional Victorian theatre was expected to—but to raise awareness of social problems and to censure exploitation of the laboring class by the unproductive rich. In this play, Dr. Harry Trench becomes disillusioned when he discovers how his fiancee's father, Mr. Sartorius, makes his money. However, it is soon revealed that Trench's own income is far from untainted.

Cast:
Dr. Harry Trench: engineerdst
Mr. William de Burgh Cokane: David Goldfarb
Mr. Sartorius: Drakaunus
Blanche Sartorius: Arielle Lipshaw
Mr. Lickcheese: Algy Pug
Waiter: bala
Porter: David Olson
Parlour Maid/Narrator: Elizabeth Klett
Audio edited by Arielle Lipshaw

link to the free audiobook
Widowers Houses [by George Bernard Shaw]

Beyond the Horizon [by Eugene O'Neill]

Beyond the Horizon is a 1920 play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. It was O'Neill's first full-length work, and the winner of the 1920 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play focuses on the portrait of a family, and particularly two brothers Andrew and Robert. In the first act of the play, Robert is about to go off to sea with their uncle Dick, a sea captain while Andrew looks forward to marrying his sweetheart Ruth and working on the family farm as he starts a family. 

link to the free audiobook
Beyond the Horizon [by Eugene O'Neill]

Pride and Prejudice: A Play [by Mary Keith Medbery Mackaye]

Pride and Prejudice, a comedy of manners and marriage, is the most famous of Jane Austen's novels. In this dramatic adaption by Mary Keith Medbery Macakaye some liberties are taken with the storyline and characters, but it is still a fun listen or read. Perhaps a good introduction for someone not ready to tackle the complete novel ~ and for the reader familiar with the work, a laugh can be had at the changes that were made in order to adapt it to the stage

Cast:
Mr. Darcy: Algy Pug
Mr. Bingley: Chris Marcellus
Colonel Fitzwilliam/Harris/Martin: ToddHW
Mr. Bennet: Robert Hoffman and Kevin W. Davidson
Mr. Collins: Noel Badrian
Sir William Lucas: Nolan Fout
Colonel Forster: Anthony
Mr. Wickham: Chuck Williamson
Mr. Denny: VikingJames
Mrs. Bennet: Kristingj
Jane Bennet: Tiffany Halla Colonna
Elizabeth Bennet: Elizabeth Klett
Lydia Bennet/Lady Lucas: Duan
Charlotte Lucas: Amanda Friday
Miss Bingley: April Gonzales
Lady Catherine De Bourg: Nathanial W.C. Higgins
Hill (The Housekeeper at Longbourn): KerrieRae Clarke
Martha (The Maid at Mr. Collins's Parsonage): Availle
Narrator: Lauren Burwell
Audio edited by Maria Therese

link to the free audiobook

Pride and Prejudice: A Play [by Mary Keith Medbery Mackaye]

A Dream Play [by August Strindberg]

A Dream Play was written in 1901 by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. It was first performed in Stockholm on 17 April 1907. It remains one of Strindberg's most admired and influential dramas, seen as an important precursor to both dramatic Expressionism and Surrealism. The primary character in the play is Agnes, a daughter of the Vedic god Indra. She descends to Earth to bear witness to problems of human beings. She meets about 40 characters, some of them having a clearly symbolical value (such as four deans representing theology, philosophy, medicine, and law). After experiencing all sorts of human suffering (for example poverty, cruelty, and the routine of family life), the daughter of gods realizes that human beings are to be pitied.

(Translated by Edwin Bjorkman.)

Cast:
The Daughter of Indra (Agnes); Voice of the Women (+ All); The Crew: Amanda Friday
The Officer (+All in III): Ron Altman
The Lawyer; All Right-Minded: Chuck Williamson
The Poet: Lucy Perry
The Voice of Indra: om123
The Glazier; Voice of the Men, Tenor and Bass (+All); The Crew: alanmapstone
The Father; He (+All); The Second Coalheaver; Dean of Philosophy: ToddHW
The Mother: Margaret Espaillat
Lena: Rebecca Braunert-Plunkett
The Portress; The Wife; The Gentleman: CaprishaPage
The Billposter: EccentricOwl
Victoria (also "A Woman's Voice from Above"); She (+All): Elizabeth Klett
The Ballet Girl; Voice of the Children (+All); The Crew: Frances Brown
The Male Chorus Singer; The Boy (+All the Boys): Libby Gohn
The Prompter; The Blind Man (+All): Mary J
The Policeman; The Husband; Dean of Jurisprudence: Arnaldo Machado
Christine; The First Coalheaver: KHand
The Master of Quarantine (+All in Act II): Zachary Brewster-Geisz
The Pensioner (+ All); The Naval Officer; Dean of Theology: Prachi Pendse
The Maids; The Lady; Don Juan: WoollyBee
Edith; Dean of Medicine: Anna Simon
The Teacher: Savannah
Lord Chancellor: Josh Kirsh
Narrator: Sarah Terry

Edited by Chuck Williamson

link to the free audiobook

A Dream Play [by August Strindberg]

Trifles [by Susan Glaspell]

On the surface, this short play is a slice-of-life story about a murder investigation in the rural United States. However, it is also a story about the relationships between men and women, husbands and wives, and the often-overlooked "trifles" which can say so much about a person's life.

Cast
George Henderson (County Attorney): mb
Henry Peters (Sheriff): Guero
Lewis Hale (a neighboring farmer): Anthony
Mrs. Peters: Arielle Lipshaw
Mrs. Hale: Elizabeth Klett
Narrator: David Lawrence
Audio edited by: Arielle Lipshaw

link to the free audiobook

Trifles [by Susan Glaspell]

She Stoops to Conquer [by Oliver Goldsmith]

In She Stoops to Conquer, or The Mistakes of a Night, a young lady pretends to be a servant in order to win the notice of a young man who is painfully shy around women of his own class. Hilarious misadventures and mayhem ensue before matters are neatly wrapped up at the end. This play, one of the great English comedies, was first performed in 1773 and continues to be very popular with audiences today. (Summary by LA Walden)

Cast:
Mr. Hardcastle - Bob Neufeld
Sir Charles Marlow - David Lawrence
Young Marlow - bala
Hastings - Brett W. Downey
Tony Lumpkin - ToddHW
Mrs. Hardcastle - Availle
Miss Hardcastle -Arielle Lipshaw
Miss Neville - Charlotte Duckett
First Fellow and First Servant - Drakaunus
Second Fellow, Second Servant, and Jeremy - rookieblue
Third Fellow, Third Servant, and Roger - Joseph Abell
Fourth Fellow and Diggory - Algy Pug
Landlord and Mr. Woodward - zaanta
Maid - Amanda Friday
Servant - Elizabeth Klett
Stage directions - Laurie Anne Walden
Audio edited by Laurie Anne Walden

link to the free audiobook

She Stoops to Conquer [by Oliver Goldsmith]

One Day More [by Joseph Conrad]

A one-act play. Eccentric (crazy?) Captain Hagberd has been waiting for years for his son to come home from the sea. He has scrimped and saved, outfitting a house for Harry to inherit upon his return, which will be in only "one day more." He has also planned that Harry will marry Bessie, the repressed maiden next door. 

link to the free audiobook
One Day More [by Joseph Conrad]

Sweethearts [by W. S. Gilbert]

Sweethearts is a comic play billed as a "dramatic contrast" in two acts by W. S. Gilbert. The play tells a sentimental and ironic story of the differing recollections of a man and a woman about their last meeting together before being separated and reunited after 30 years. (Summary by Wikipedia)

Read by a full cast.

Cast
Harry Spreadbrow: Algy Pug
Jenny Northcott: Amanda Friday
Wilcox: Bellona Times
Ruth: Elizabeth Klett
Narrator: Chris Cartwright

link to the free audiobook

Sweethearts [by W. S. Gilbert]

Electra [by Benito Pérez Galdós] [Cast Recording]

Originally staged in the Teatro Español in 1901, Electra is a controversial Spanish drama that documents the trials and tribulations of its innocent heroine. Electra is a young woman of unknown parentage who is raised in a convent in France and, after the death of her mother Eleuteria, adopted by her aunt and uncle. Electra soon falls in love with the scientist Maximo, but an intricate web of rumors and lies threatens to ruin their relationship. In this play, Benito Pérez Galdós tackles a number of hot-button themes: fanaticism, superstition, social justice, rationalism, and the powers of science.

Cast list:
Electra: Amanda Friday
Evarista, wife of Don Urbano: Sarah Terry
Maximo: KHand
Don Salvador Pantoja: Negatron
The Marquis of Ronda: ToddHW
Don Leonardo Cuesta, a broker: Anthony
Don Urbano Garcia Yuste: Phil Schempf
Mariano, assistant in the laboratory: Eden Rea-Hedrick
Gil, a mathematician: Availle
Balbina, an old servant: Etel Buss
Patros, a young servant: CJ Plog
Jose, an old manservant: om123
Sister Dorotea: Beth Thomas
A Workman: David Olson
The Shade of Eleuteria: Mary Kay

link to the free audiobook

Electra [by Benito Pérez Galdós]

The Importance of Being Earnest [by Oscar Wilde] [Cast Recording]

The Importance of Being Earnest is a classic comedy of manners, in which two flippant young men, in order to impress their respected beloveds, pretend that their names are "Ernest," which both young ladies believe confers magical qualities on the possessor. It was first performed for the public on February 14, 1895 at the St. James' Theatre in London, and is regarded by many critics and scholars as being the wittiest play in the English language. [Summary from Wikipedia.org]

Characters:
John Worthing, J.P. - Read by John Gonzalez
Algernon Moncrieff - Read by Gord Mackenzie
Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D. - Read by Chris Goringe
Merriman, Butler - Read by Peter Yearsley
Lane, Manservant - Read by Hugh McGuire
Lady Bracknell - Read by Kristen McQuillin
Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax - Read by Deana
Cecily Cardew - Read by Kara Shallenberg
Miss Prism, Governess - Read by Sureka
Narrator - Read by Betsie Bush

link to the free audiobook

The Importance of Being Earnest [by Oscar Wilde]