H.M.S. Pinafore, or The Lass Who Loved A Sailor
Directed and choreographed by: Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski
Music direction by: Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis
Produced by: Alison Trott
Performance Dates
Presented at The Carolina Theatre, 309 W Morgan St, Durham, NC 27701.
Friday, April 11, 8:00 PM — All seats general admission
Saturday, April 12, 7:00 PM
Sunday, April 13, 3:00 PM
(times subject to change)
About The Show
“HMS Pinafore”, or “The Lass That Loved a Sailor”, is a gentle satire about the complexities of love between members of different social classes. It is among the most popular of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Operas—so much so, that Gilbert and Sullivan referred to it as “that infernal nonsense” in a later opera, The Pirates of Penzance.
The operetta, the fourth collaboration between Gilbert & Sullivan, was their first blockbuster hit. It opened May 28, 1878 at the Opera Comique, where it ran for 571 performances. It became a huge fad in England, as well as in America, where it was copied illegally by dozens of performing companies in the US. Now, of course, the opera is in the public domain.
Dig deeper into the history of the opera: https://gsarchive.net/pinafore/html/plot_summary.html
Cast of Characters
Principals
Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B, First Lord of the Admiralty — John Paul Middlesworth
Captain Corcoran, Commanding “H.M.S. Pinafore” — Nick Malinowski
Ralph Rackstraw, Able Seaman — Reid Bowman
Dick Deadeye, Able Seaman — Brady Bowman
Bill Bobstay, Boatswain — Ben Gibson (u/s Sir Joseph)
Josephine, the Captain’s Daughter — Krista Katzenmeyer
Hebe, Sir Joseph’s First Cousin — Constance Paolantonio
Little Buttercup, a Portsmouth Bumboat Woman — Kate Lamb
Bob Becket, Boatswain’s Mate/Carpenter — Kent Parks
Stage Chorus
Sarah Jones (u/s Josephine), Pam Guidry-Vollers, Mary Anne Kolb, Mary Elizabeth Guy, Kim Kingsley, Brittany Wagner (u/s Hebe), Teddy McKrell (u/s Buttercup), Liz Crisenbery, Andrea Zimmerman, Sonja Likness, Angela Zoss, Matt McKrell, Lizanne Estes, Don Katahdin, Houston Horn (u/s Carpenter), Erin Conn (u/s Ralph), Vaughn Green (u/s Dick Deadeye), Kevin Flanigan, David McKenas
Royal Chorus
Robin Trew, Pamela Alberda, Karen Gray, Anne Campbell, Pip Merrick, Carolyn Coolidge, Timothy Riggs, Milo Fryling, Shiangtai Tuan, David Sulzen, David Smith, Mary Little, Cathy Lambe, Olive McKrell, Ray Britt
The Durham Savoyards Orchestra
Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis, Conductor
Ian Livingston, Concertmaster
Charles Gragg, Orchestra Manager
Violin I: Ian Livingston, Frederic Ayala
Violin II: Margueritte Cox, Rebecca Lee
Viola: Nicolle Tulve, Ken Rogerson
Cello: Julius Prescott
Double Bass: Jim Baird
Clarinet: Shirley Violand-Jones, Mérida Negrete
Oboe: Anne J. Menkens
Bassoon: Amy Braun
Flute /Piccolo: Emma Morris
Trumpet: Christopher Kelly
Trombone: Randy Guptill
French Horn: Sandy Svoboda, Richard Lehner
Percussion: Phillip Brown
Production Staff
Producer: Alison Trott
Artistic director and choreographer: Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski
Music director: Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis
Stage manager: Donna Cavallo; Assistant: Nikki Carrington
Technical director: Ben Morgan
Costume designer: Kishara McKnight
Lighting designer: Sophia Diaz
Set designer: James Vollers
Master Carpenter: Mark Welker
Accompanist: Milo Fryling, Betty Romani
Accompanist, auditions: Betty Romani
Costume team:
Dance captain: Pam Guidry-Vollers
Detail painters: Teddy McKrell, Susan “Ria” Pyle
Front of House:
Graphic designers:
Hair & make-up designer: Pam Guidry-Vollers
New member coordinator: Kent Parks
Painting coordinator: Ria Renquest
Photographer: Jasmin Ochoa-Benitez
Program producer: Katherine Zeph
Program assistants: Janell Lovelace
Projectionist:
Properties designer & manager: HD Welker
Properties runner: Geo Nelson
Publicity manager: Sonja Likness
Run crew: Bruce Stewart (spotlight)
Videographer: Rob Underhill
Volunteer coordinator: Kate Lamb
It is a Savoyard Tradition to sing “God Save the Queen” and “Hail Poetry” with every main stage performance. Want to sing along from the audience? Here is a video you can use to practice.