PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 19, 2012
CONTACT: Rashida Black, 773.702.3427
EMAIL: rashida@uchicago.edu
The GILBERT and SULLIVAN OPERA COMPANY FINDS A TREASURE IN “THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE”
University Chamber Orchestra Joins The Company for an Annual University of Chicago Department of Music Fundraiser
CHICAGO, Hyde Park – The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company will perform The Pirates of Penzance, or the Slave of Duty – a satiric tale of mixed identity, class distinction, and thwarted love — in the University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall on March 15 – 17.
The Company’s 2013 production showcases one of the most popular of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operettas. Pirates was an immediate hit when it opened simultaneously in 1880 in both New York and London, where it ran for 363 performances. The plot centers around a band of inept but tenderhearted pirates to which our hero, Frederic, was mistakenly apprenticed, his nursemaid having misheard her master’s instructions to apprentice the boy to a pilot. In true Gilbert & Sullivan fashion, mayhem reigns, including a Major General who knows nothing of military strategy, a group of beautiful but unwed young women, and a timid constabulary.
Stage director Thrisa Hodits returns to the Company for her seventh engagement, joined by conductor Robert Whalen, Director of the University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra. The talented cast includes some of the Company’s favorites from past productions as well as several outstanding newcomers. Nancy Levner is producer, along with associate producers Trip Driscoll and Cal Audrain.
Performances take place at Mandel Hall, 1131 East 57th Street, from March 15th through the 17th. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets can be ordered online at ticketsweb.uchicago.edu beginning in January 2013. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the ticket hotline, 773-702-ARTS (2787) beginning in January 2013.
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Patron tickets are $50; general admission tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students and children under age 12. Mandel Hall is located at the southwest corner of University Avenue and 57th Street in Hyde Park on the University of Chicago campus.
The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Inc., is a non-profit community arts organization dedicated to performing the works of Gilbert & Sullivan to the highest artistic standards. It has been a mainstay of Chicago’s Hyde Park cultural scene since it was founded in 1964 by three local G&S fans: Nancy Lorie, Bob Ashenhurst, and Roland Bailey. Mark Johnson is president of the Company, which is supported by member donations, ticket sales and local grants.
2013 marks the 29th consecutive year the proceeds from the annual production will benefit the Department of Music’s performance program, whose 15 ensembles and programs present over 100 concerts each year.
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QUICK FACTS
WHAT:
Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, or The Slave of Duty
WHO:
The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company
The University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra
Director: Thrisa Hodits
Conductor: Robert Whalen
Producer: Nancy Levner
WHEN:
Friday, March 15, at 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 16, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 17, at 2 p.m.
ADMISSION:
Tickets: $50 patron/$20 general/$5 students
Ticket Hotline: 773.702.ARTS (2787)
Buy Online: ticketsweb.uchicago.edu