Campus News

UGA Opera to present Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘The Pirates of Penzance’

Pirates of Penzance
UGA students rehearse for the upcoming performance of The Pirates of Penzance

The UGA Opera Theater will present Gilbert and Sullivan’s iconic operetta The Pirates of Penzance at the Fine Arts Theater on Feb. 17 and 18 at 8 p.m., with a special matinee performance Feb. 19 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $18, or $5 for UGA students.

First performed in New York City on New Year’s Eve in 1879, The Pirates of Penzance is a comedic, family-friendly tale of British pirates and policemen, and love and leap years. It features some of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most famous songs, including I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for families and music lovers of all ages to discover the joy of Gilbert and Sullivan,” said Frederick Burchinal, the Wyatt and Margaret Anderson Professor of the Arts in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music and director of the opera program. “The Pirates of Penzance is light and fun, written and presented in English, and these performances feature many of the university’s most talented singers.”

The UGA production will be directed by John Stephens, a guest Gilbert and Sullivan specialist  as well as a stage director and performer. Head of the voice program at the University of Kansas, Stephens is a veteran of opera stages across the U.S.

Tickets are available from the Performing Arts Center box office at www.uga.edu/pac or 706-542-4400.