written by Moisés Kaufman
directed by Amy Rummenie
April 12 – May 4, 2013
Minneapolis Theatre Garage
At the height of his career, the Crown prosecuted Oscar Wilde for “gross indecency with male persons.” Despite two hit shows on the West End, the courtroom denounced Wilde’s art as immoral – forcing him to defend his works and life with characteristic wit and insight. Gross Indecency explores this true story with a text crafted from a wealth of eyewitness accounts.
Cast
Production Team
| Oscar Wilde | Craig Johnson | director | Amy Rummenie |
| Lord Alfred Douglas | Casey Hoekstra | set | Steve Kath |
| Carson, et al | Brian Columbus | costumes | E. Amy Hill |
| Atkins, Wright, et al | Grant Sorenson | sound/music | Thomas Speltz |
| Parker, Harris, et al | Bryan Porter | lights | Wm. P. Healey |
| Mavor, Taylor, et al | David Beukema | props | Emma M. Squire |
| Clarke, et al | Jim Pounds | stage manager | Sarah Holmberg |
| Queensbury, et al | James Tucker | dialect | Lucinda Holshue |
| Shaw, Wood, et al | Alex Brightwell | assistant director | Shalee Coleman |
| asst. stage manager | Nate Stanger | ||
| asl interpreter | Claire Alexander | ||
| asl interpreter | Jenn Welna | ||
| audio describer | Laura Wiebers |
Reviews
Actor Craig Johnson received a 2013 IVEY Award for his performance as Oscar Wilde in Gross Indecency.
City Pages’ Best Play of the Twin Cities 2013 – Gross Indecency
“Over its relatively short history, Walking Shadow Theatre Company has built a reputation of presenting well-crafted, engaging, and, above all, honest work. Buoyed by a terrific and
Ivey Award-winning performance by Craig Johnson as Oscar Wilde, Gross Indecency explored the nature of art and the role of the outsider in culture. Like a modern-day pop star, Wilde was set up to fall in stiff Victorian society, with his own creations eventually used against him to destroy his life and send him to prison. In Gross Indecency, Moises Kaufman (also part of the team who put together The Laramie Project) created a script that took the actual events of 1895 and then probed deep into the intersection of art and law, while also tracing the singular flaws that helped to bring this great man down. The cast, led by Johnson, put in excellent performances, while director Amy Rummenie brought her signature care and depth to make this a truly striking and resonant production.”
“Director Amy Rummenie scrupulously guides this multifaceted script into a juicy edge-of-your-seat experience.”
– John Townsend, Star Tribune
“[Rummenie] builds an energized, entrancing production. She also draws uniformly excellent performances from her cast; too many to mention in this short review.”
– John Olive, How Was The Show
“[Craig] Johnson embodies the different sides of Wilde at every turn, building one of the deepest and richest performances on a local stage in quite some time.”
– Ed Huyck, City Pages
“Walking Shadow’s production is full of terrific performances. Swirling around Johnson is a constellation of star turns, most impressive when the actors are quickly transforming from one distinct, layered character into another.”
– Rob Hubbard, Pioneer Press
“The rotation of accents and affects could not have been done better – it was simply amazing to see the ease with which they juggled cockney, George Bernard Shaw’s swarthy Irish, and all the rest.”
– Yonaton Reinberg, Aisle Say Twin Cities
