2008 Woodie Awards
Pirates of Penzance
Comedic light opera opens, sets auditorium attendance record
Dani King, Staff Writer
Issue date: 10/17/06
Last Updated: 12/26/07
Students and parents were entertained this weekend by Whitworth's performance of "The Pirates of Penzance," a Gilbert and Sullivan piece directed by professor of theatre Rick Hornor. For the first time in Whitworth theatre history, all pre-sale tickets for last Friday, Saturday and Sunday's performances were sold out to fill each of the 1,000 seats in Cowles Memorial Auditorium.
"Pirates" tells the tale of Frederic, a boy who was supposed to be sent off to be the apprentice of a pilot, but due to a comical miscommunication was sent off to be a pirate instead. Frederic falls in love with one of the many daughters of a dignified major-general while a band of policemen are chasing down the Pirate King and his comrades.
Horner described "Pirates" as being pure entertainment for the sake of entertainment.
"This is the first time we've done a Gilbert and Sullivan show and that's criminal," Hornor said.
The show consisted of a cast of 22 actors and 20-plus crew members who managed the stage, props, costumes and makeup. The cast and crew had been rehearsing since the beginning of the school year for three to five hours a day, six days a week. Their hard work paid off and the show was performed without any noticeable flukes.
Preparation for the show consisted of voice rehearsals with musical director Marc Hafso, choreography with Suzanne Ostersmith and staging, Hornor said. Students' artistic input into the show was highly encouraged.
"We spent lots of time laughing," Hornor said.
Hornor also commented that his cast was fun, professional and there were no complaints despite the tremendously demanding time commitment.
"We run a tight ship," Hornor said. "We pay attention to detail early on."
Before the show is performed the cast "walks the stage" checking to get a feel for the stage and to make sure all props are in place. The cast then goes through a vocal warm-up, a "locker room talk" by Hornor and usually a prayer before show time. The cast also performed a dress rehearsal at a local nursing home which was attended by about 120 residents.
"Pirates" tells the tale of Frederic, a boy who was supposed to be sent off to be the apprentice of a pilot, but due to a comical miscommunication was sent off to be a pirate instead. Frederic falls in love with one of the many daughters of a dignified major-general while a band of policemen are chasing down the Pirate King and his comrades.
Horner described "Pirates" as being pure entertainment for the sake of entertainment.
"This is the first time we've done a Gilbert and Sullivan show and that's criminal," Hornor said.
The show consisted of a cast of 22 actors and 20-plus crew members who managed the stage, props, costumes and makeup. The cast and crew had been rehearsing since the beginning of the school year for three to five hours a day, six days a week. Their hard work paid off and the show was performed without any noticeable flukes.
Preparation for the show consisted of voice rehearsals with musical director Marc Hafso, choreography with Suzanne Ostersmith and staging, Hornor said. Students' artistic input into the show was highly encouraged.
"We spent lots of time laughing," Hornor said.
Hornor also commented that his cast was fun, professional and there were no complaints despite the tremendously demanding time commitment.
"We run a tight ship," Hornor said. "We pay attention to detail early on."
Before the show is performed the cast "walks the stage" checking to get a feel for the stage and to make sure all props are in place. The cast then goes through a vocal warm-up, a "locker room talk" by Hornor and usually a prayer before show time. The cast also performed a dress rehearsal at a local nursing home which was attended by about 120 residents.
For this reason, The Whitworthian asks readers to be responsible and respectful in any comments posted. The responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not the whitworthian.com. Readers are also encouraged to report questionable comments by e-mailing editor@whitworthian.com.
Be the first to comment on this story