UWG News Item
Contact: UWG Public Relations Office
Phone (678) 839-6464, FAX (678) 839-6645
ucm@westga.edu
West Georgia Opera Workshop presents The Mikado
March 2, 2006
CARROLLTON, GA - The University of West Georgia Opera Workshop presents Gilbert & Sullivan’s most popular comic operetta, “The Mikado,” on Thursday, March 9, and on Saturday, March 11, at 8:15 p.m. in the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts.
The
English comedy about a Japanese tailor who becomes an executioner will
be performed by an all-student cast in full costume on a colorful stage
set. Dr. Larry Frazier, UWG professor of music, will direct the production.
“The Mikado,” also known as “The Town of Titipu,” features music by Sir Arthur Sullivan and text by W. S. Gilbert. The production was first presented in 1885 at the Savoy Theatre in London and ran for 672 performances. It has been a popular comedy ever since.
The opera’s cultural and political perspectives of Japan are based on the notions of Victorian England and are further transformed by a constant satirical tone. Victorian England is actually the target of the satire, thinly disguised as a strange and distant land.
Student performers are Cory Speakman, Rebekah Hogsed and Kerri Harshaw of Lawrenceville; Jeff Orme of Douglasville; Michael Burnaman of Woodstock; Matt Jones of Mableton; Andrew Scott of Stone Mountain; Rose Blanchard of Austell; Jenna Hughes of Rocky Face; Melissa Stamps of Carrollton; Bridget Bohman of Alpharetta and Valerie Beck of Cordele.
Charles H. Stewart Co., a leading scenic design company in Massachusetts, designed the sets. Melanie Evans Parry of Creative Costumes in Griffin created the costumes.
Tickets are available at the Townsend Center box office and are $10 for adults, $7 for senior citizens and $3 for children. Admission is free for UWG students with student identification. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 678-839-4722.
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