The Importance of Being Earnest… in Spaaace!, performed by the Roving Park Players, delivers probably the freshest look at queer playwright Oscar Wilde’s classic play yet — mostly because it’s set in the year 2365, so it’s already ahead of its time. The play is director Yeehaw Being’s take on The Importance of Being Earnest, one of the most performed comedies of all time, cut down and thrown into space, to make it “both more absurd and more relatable,” Being says. “It may seem counterintuitive, but I believe that by taking a play written 200 years ago and setting it 300 years in the future, I give people permission and inspiration to scrutinize our own culture in a way that is more accessible than a story set within our own reality.” The production is a pointed political reflection of our culture that, Being says, is characterized by people who “fly space ships but speak like they live in 19th century London.” That is where Wilde’s original comedy takes place, which parodies dramatic norms and Victorian manners. “I think Oscar Wilde would love our production,” Being says. “When I edited his original script, I continuously asked myself what his intentions were and how I can make them more relatable to today.” Being adds, “We live in a world at odds with itself, where so many of our fellow citizens are working to tear down the freedom of expression LGBTQ+ people are still fighting to grow and protect.”

The Importance of Being Earnest … in Spaaace! starts at 6 pm for four weekends in June, each in a different location. June 5 and 6 at Maurie Jacobs Park, 169 Fir Lane; June 7 and 8 at Island Park, 200 West B Street, Springfield; June 12 and 13 at Petersen Barn Community Center, 870 Berntzen Road; and June 14 and 15 at the Owen Rose Garden, 300 North Jefferson Street. All shows are free.