'Oscar Wilde month' marked in Reading
This month sees the anniversaries of both his incarceration and release from Reading prison
Reading celebrates Oscar Wilde and his links to the town during May to mark the anniversaries of his incarceration and subsequent release from Reading prison.
A rarely performed one man play, ‘The Importance of Being Oscar,’ is being staged at Reading Rep from 23 May, while a new Augmented Reality exhibition by Reading Guild of Artists opens on the outside walls of Reading Prison started in the week of the anniversary of Wilde’s liberation. Reading Museum are also organising an Oscar Wilde walk on the anniversary of his incarceration, 25 May.
Exhibition
A collaboration between Reading Guild of Artists and VisiAR, a location-based interactive AR visitor experiences business, has created an amazing exhibition of 25 artworks inspired by Reading Gaol. The exhibition, named ‘Outside’, is accessible both online at https://rga-artists.org.uk/outside as well as via an Augmented Reality gallery sited virtually on the outside wall of the Gaol. The AR exhibition can be viewed by visitors on their smartphones by scanning a QR code in the vicinity of the Banksy. As well as walking along the wall to view the virtual gallery, visitors can also use their touchscreen to link to the corresponding artwork in the online exhibition to view more details.
Channing Bi, Ziran Education Foundation (owners of the prison site), said:
"My team and I are still hard at work on evolving Reading Gaol into a world-renowned hub for the arts. In the meantime, we are proud to have the prison serve as host to innovative exhibits like 'Outside.' The 'Outside' AR exhibit ingeniously uses next-gen technology to inspire appreciation for heritage and history. It aligns perfectly with our grand mission to bridge Reading Gaol's future and past."
Play
Reading Rep Theatre and Original Theatre are performing Micheál Mac Liammóir’s renowned play, The Importance of Being Oscar, for the first time in many years from 23 May - 8 June. The one-man play immerses audiences in a compelling journey through the loves and losses, successes and struggles of the iconic man - from the eccentric socialite to the imprisoned outcast. Liberally laced with Wilde's signature wit and wisdom, the show features excerpts of many of his best-loved works including An Ideal Husband, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Ballad of Reading of Gaol.
Reading Rep’s Founding Artistic Director Paul Stacey said:
"Restaging ‘The Importance of Being Oscar’ in Reading, particularly at Reading Rep Theatre, a venue so close to Reading Gaol where the icon was imprisoned, holds great significance in honouring and celebrating Reading's cultural heritage. As the Gaol undergoes significant changes, this production serves as a tribute to our city's past and present. We're excited to invite audiences to experience this immersive one-man production, delving into the wit, charm, and complexity of one of literature's most iconic figures, right here in the heart of Reading."
Tour
Reading Museum’s Oscar Wilde tour on 25 May is a walk and talk from Reading Museum to Reading Prison led by one of the Museum’s expert volunteer tour guides to discover the amazing life and talent of this beloved author and his links with Reading. Find out about Wilde’s origins in Ireland, to his successful career in London, his extravagant life as part of Victorian rich and fashionable society and the devastating experience of imprisonment and exile.
Wilde was imprisoned on 25 May 1895 and later that year would begin his 18 month-stay in Reading Gaol. The poet and playwright had been found guilty of ‘acts of gross indecency with another male person' and sentenced to two years with hard labour. In November 1895 he was moved to Reading Gaol where he became prisoner C.3.3 - the occupant of the third cell on the third floor of C wing. He was released on 18 May 1897. He died a few years later in 1900.
Alex Brannen of REDA said:
“It is very timely that Reading is marking Wilde’s links with the town and remembering both his genius and the terrible period he spent incarcerated in Reading Prison.”