2027-28 Proposal: The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Adapted for stage by Merlin Holland and John O'Conner from the novel by Oscar Wilde

Directed by Luca Riley

Show Synopsis

Set in the decadent world of Victorian London, a beautiful young man called Dorian Gray becomes infatuated by the exquisite portrait that Basil Hallward has painted of him. He makes a Faustian pact that he will remain forever young while the picture grows old.

Oscar Wilde’s only novel caused an immediate scandal when it was first published in 1890 and its themes of youth and decay, innocence and corruption, art and reality are even more relevant to us in the 21st century than in the 19th.

Adapted by Wilde’s grandson Merlin Holland and John O’Connor, this delightfully witty version of Wilde’s story incorporates material suppressed from the original manuscript.

Vision Statement

“What does it profit a man if he gain the world, and lose…his own soul?” 

(Lord Henry in The Picture of Dorian Gray, 2.20.84)

In a rapidly changing world where we are judged primarily on appearances, rather than personality or actions, this question is one that we all must face. Not only is physical perfection required, but it equates directly to worthiness. This cultural narrative is especially rampant among young people. Physical perfection is also expected to fit into a cis gendered, heteronormative, colonialist worldview. We are taught that aging is to be avoided at all costs, and that beauty and financial success are the only pathways to happiness. 

These things describe our modern world, yet also perfectly display the setting of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the best known moment of this story, Dorian Gray exclaims that he would give his soul to switch places with his portrait, so that it would age and change instead of him.  For someone to give up their very soul, the core of their being, to conform to an ideal of beauty requires a supreme lack of mentoring and self confidence.

Oscar Wilde wrote this play during a time of intense scrutiny of homosexuality in upper class males. It was published to a storm of cutting reviews and threats of legal action. This mirrors our current times, with LGBTQ rights being challenged every day and new legislation pushing to change things that should be undeniable for every human. It is vital to create awareness and support for queer people. As a transgendered and queer identifying teenager, I can speak directly to the feeling of fear and apprehension that the last few years of legal movement has created. We must continue to talk, think, read and create art centering queer identities and themes. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s love letter to queer youth. The darkness of the story mirrors the truth of the queer experience. It does not shy away from the harsh and brutalizing reality of hiding one's entire self in order to stay safe. It instead looks boldly at the effects of such concealment, and inspires us to fight for a better future. A future that includes all people, where we respect and cherish our elders, and support and guide our youth, but most of all where we encourage them to find their own bright, bold paths forward.

I would like to cast actors who are around the ages of the characters themselves, early 20s for Basil and Lord Henry, and 16-19 for Dorian Gray. Due to the content of the show, I am willing to cast older actors. It would be necessary to cast people in these three roles who are comfortable presenting as male. I am open to casting actors of any gender in all roles, so long as they are open to being costumed as the gender presentation of the role. I am also flexible with the cast size. The 22 written roles can easily be doubled down to a show of 16-18 actors. 

The most difficult part of staging this play by far is the painting of Dorian Gray, which must age and decay as the show goes on. I see this as an opportunity to deepen the meaning of the play by having an actor standing in an empty picture frame, playing the painting itself. This makes it possible to perform makeup, hair and costuming changes to portray the aging and decay. It also serves to literally bring the metaphor of the picture to life. Instead of the ideal of young societal perfection being a stagnant canvas, it is a living, breathing character, showing us directly the influence of this ideal on people's lives. 

The set will be fairly simple, using painted flats and inexpensive decorations to convey the decadence of Victorian gentile life. Most pieces would be found at the Berg, with the picture frame the only one required to fly in and out. Costumes will remain mostly true to period, while still using pieces that are already in the theatre's possession. The technical aspects would all be formed to support and enhance the connection and relationships created by actors on the stage. Their passion and vision is what would drive the artistic soul of this show.  

Wilde’s devotion to the soul is evident throughout the text of the show, especially in the quote referenced at the beginning. It stands out from many of his other works through its vibrance and dark drama, and its openly queer content. Although the play deals with many themes and issues, some of them morally ambiguous, the true message of the show is the value of soul. The soul that creates art, that creates beauty and emotion. The soul that is dampened by societal paradigms created not for people, but for profit. The soul that persists through centuries of domination and repression. The soul that fills us with love and hope. The soul that makes us as complicated, confusing and wonderful as we are. 

The soul that makes us human.