University Theatre’s production of “An Ideal Husband” wooed a sold-out audience on Saturday as NC State’s student actors immersed themselves in Oscar Wilde’s work. The play will be performed Wednesdays-Saturdays from Nov.10–20 at 7:30 p.m. along with a matinee showing Sundays at 2 p.m. The performances are held in Titmus Theatre in Thompson Hall.

Phones were silenced and the modern technological world dissipated into the rich social world of the late 1800s. Elaborate costumes and hand-painted props filled the stage, further setting the scene. A dedicated costume and design team made this possible.

Actress Kate Williams, who plays Wilde’s villain Mrs. Cheveley, noted that the cast prepared intensively both during and outside of rehearsals. The cast attended three hour rehearsals daily for six weeks, along with a “tech week,” which featured longer rehearsals for the crew’s benefit.

“Outside of the rehearsal me and the other main characters spend two to three hours a day going over lines and blocking,” Williams said. “The most rewarding part is performing as a team on stage while still getting across the message that we wished.”

The play is set in London in 1895, at a time when women were viewed as inferior and incapable. The play was performed at a time when Wilde was arrested for “gross indecency,” but that did not stop its success.  

“We wanted to play a relevant piece and show the timelessness of questionable morality, political intrigue and political corruption,” Williams said. “Especially in the political climate right now, this play is very much relevant to politics and gender and discussing a woman’s place in society, as well as what is and is not acceptable morality wise.”

Director of University Theatre John McIlwee has helped make “An Ideal Husband” a success this fall.

“Working with John McIlwee, I see his directing style is very unique and has forced me and my cast to really evaluate how we present ourselves on stage as well as how we interact with each other,” Williams said.

Williams is a junior studying English and has performed in 10 plays during high school alone, as well as performed on 54th Street, New York City. This play is her first main stage production with University Theatre.

“An Ideal Husband” features themes such as morality, a corrupt political system and gender inequality. These themes have proved that the 1895 play’s themes are still present today.

“We chose the play because of its double theme, which gives us a lot to talk about with our students and with our audiences,” McIlwee said. “Our themes for this play have been exactly how women were treated in 1895, and how different it is today. The other theme is political.” 

McIlwee has worked as an actor, costume designer, director, playwright and more. In addition to directing, McIlwee teaches a variety of classes in the theater department.

University Theatre has boomed at NC State, as the program sells over 12,000 tickets each season. “An Ideal Husband” is one of the many performances by University Theatre worth seeing this year as the raw, original acting had the audience smiling, laughing and fully engaged throughout the performance.

“These kids are incredible, the only reason because I’m here is because they’re here,” McIlwee said. “They teach us a lot of new things and we hopefully teach them a lot of ways to display those new ideas.”

Upcoming performances by University Theatre include “The Secret Garden,” a musical running from Feb. 15–19, and a spoof of Shakespeare’s “The Merry Housewives of Windsor,” which runs from March 30–April 9. 

A discussion about “An Ideal Husband”will be held for audience members to ask the director and actors questions about the performance this Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. in Thompson Hall.