奧斯卡‧王爾德（1854－1900），是愛爾蘭作家及詩人，其機智巧妙的警句、詼諧的劇作與天馬行空的短篇故事廣為世人所喜愛。王爾德出生於愛爾蘭都柏林，自牛津大學畢業後發表了第一部詩集。定居倫敦及成家後，他擔任婦女雜誌編輯，並接連出版了短篇故事集些許散文集。此時的王爾德已開始嶄露光芒，然而真正令他大鳴大放的是他的劇作，如本次公演的《不可兒戲》。有一段時期，他竟有三部劇作同時在倫敦舞台上演，受歡迎的程度可見一斑。儘管如此，王爾德大膽特異的言行仍招致了許多批評，後來更因同性戀行為而被判刑，出獄後的他從此流落異鄉，最後病逝於巴黎。About the Playwright
Oscar Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900)
Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1854 Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde has been famous for his witty epigrams, plays and fantastic short stories. He published his first poem collection after his graduation from University of Oxford. After his settling in London and marriage, he became an editor for a female magazine and continually published his own works, varying from short stories to essays. While Wilde had received many accolades for his literary productions, what truly made him a household name was his plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest. That three of his plays were simultaneously presented on the London stages demonstrates his popularity among Londoners at that time. Despite his works’ popularity, as a controversial literary figure, Wilde incurred much criticism, and in 1895, he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment under charges of “gross indecency,” a euphemism of homosexuality at that time. After being released from jail, Wilde exiled himself and never went back to England. He died in Paris at the age of 46.
