Gilbert & Sullivan: Talk, musical, dinner, course

The group will serve as the 2021-22 Alan and Wendy Pesky Artists-in-Residence to teach and perform at the College. Prior to the spring semester of training and fun, the company brings several ways to engage in its work.

Oct. 25, noon-1:15 p.m. Gendebien Room, Skillman Library
“Gilbert & Sullivan: Art Form, Innovation, Legacy,” a talk by David Wannen, executive director and bass vocalist of New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, with Anthony Cummings, professor of music
Why have the works of dramatist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan endured for 150 years? Wannen will discuss the history, biographies, unique form and objectives, and timeless qualities of the comic operettas that made them classics of the modern stage. The illustrated talk includes Wannen’s personal and professional experience with Gilbert and Sullivan, the Oct. 30 production of H.M.S. Pinafore at the Williams Center for the Arts, and a Q&A with attendees. Takeaway lunch provided.

Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Williams Center for the Arts
New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players perform H.M.S. Pinafore, or The Lass that Loved a Sailor, a seaworthy satire of overblown nationalism and British social order. The rousing choruses and memorable songs made the comic operetta Gilbert and Sullivan’s first international hit.
Faculty and staff: $10. Students attend free. Order tickets.

Nov. 4, 5:30-7 p.m. Williams Center for the Arts lobby
Dinner for arts students with the artists of New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, organized by Lizzie Gumula ’22 and hosted by Alpha Psi Omega and the Williams Center for the Arts.

Music 272/372 “Experiencing Opera: Gilbert and Sullivan” (spring semester)
New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players and Cummings will teach this introduction to the comic operas of W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan. Enrollees will read the librettos and discuss the themes of a select number of the operas and prepare select scenes for performance: acting, singing, dancing, stage management, etc.