TheatreUNCA Stages First Play of the Fall Season in October: “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde”

TheatreUNCA will stage its first play of the fall season: “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde.”

Showings are on October 19 through 21 at 7:30 p.m. and on October 22 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for faculty and staff, and $15 general admission. 

Written by Moisés Kaufman, the play presents a dramatic reconstruction of the real-life trials of renowned Irish writer and playwright Oscar Wilde. Three trials took place in 1895, during which Wilde was prosecuted for his homosexual relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas. Wilde’s trials were highly publicized and marked a significant turning point in the public perception of homosexuality.

Stephanie Hickling Beckman will be directing, making this her fifth UNC Asheville production. Beckman, founder and managing artistic director for Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective, has been active in Asheville’s theater scene since 1999. 

Beckman said she is committed to directing theater that expresses and honors the diversity encountered everyday in a safe, positive environment.

“This production is intended to engage audiences in challenging existing biases, and promoting empathy and support for marginalized communities,” Beckman said. 

Many of the students on the cast and crew found the story to be one relevant to the current discourse surrounding LGBTQ+ rights, and personal to their own lives. 

“The hatred that doomed Oscar is alive today and unless thoroughly defeated today may still strengthen,” said Aidan Nigrelli, a political science major playing multiple roles in the play. “The brutal puritanism of England at the close of the nineteenth century has had a legacy that has carried forward through countless atrocities to the bigotry we fight today.”

Audiences can expect to be engaged in an immersive experience where they form the jury in the play’s trial. Beckman said she chose to stage the play in the round to remove the “fourth wall” between audience and actor.

“I think having it done in the round and having the audience be a part of the jury is such a magnificent idea,” said UNC Asheville student Bryce Long, who plays Lord Alfred Douglas. “It engulfs you into the performances and gives you a whole new perspective, literally and figuratively.” 

Ewan Marshall, a creative writing major who plays Oscar Wilde, said the play is a summation of the work of every performer’s collaboration.

“You’ll be seeing the creative vision of not just our stupendous director Stephanie, but every single actor on stage as well,” Marshall said. “Everything from blocking to characterization to delivery is a result of labor and adoration from each performer for their characters.”

Tickets may be purchased here.