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NKU’s School of the Arts theater, dance programs collaborate on comic operetta HMS PINAFORE


Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts kicks off 2020 with Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operetta of HMS PINAFORE. This is a first-time mainstage collaboration between the Theatre + Dance and Music Programs since SOTA’s inception. The production runs Feb. 21-March 1 at NKU’s Corbett Theatre. For more information and tickets, click here.

The gentlemanly Captain Corcoran has a daughter, Josephine, who is in love with a lowly but gallant sailor named Ralph Rackstraw. Meanwhile, the Captain’s former nanny, Little Buttercup, falls in love with him, but he hesitates to reciprocate due to his higher social rank. The whole situation is turned on its head when Little Buttercup reveals a game-changing secret she has kept for decades. HMS PINAFORE is filled with robust sailors, star-crossed lovers, and crazy comical antics sure to tickle your funny bone and lift your heart.

This is the first time that NKU is performing HMS PINAFORE. The only other Gilbert & Sullivan shows that have been performed at NKU over the past two decades have been The Mikado and The Pirates of Penzance.

Gilbert & Sullivan works are considered to be the precursors to modern musical theatre. HMS PINAFORE was an immediate smash hit in the US and continues to be one of the three most often performed of the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas, boasting big choruses with catchy music and dynamic dance numbers.

The NKU cast features Joshua Van Nort (Sir Joseph Porter), Jacob Threadgill (Captain Corcoran), Jackson Hurt (Ralph Rackstraw), Joel Morgan Parece (Dick Deadeye), Jake Hunter (Boatswain Bill Bobstay), Austin Ray Adams (Carpenter Bob Becket), Adria Whitfill (Josephine), Elanor Morris (Cousin Hebe), and Ally Davis (Little Buttercup). The Chorus of Sailors is comprised of Jeremiah Savon Jackson, Ethan Brooks Baker, Cube Wyrick, Logan Anthony, Liam Sweeney, Tre Taylor, and Kanai Nakata. Sir Joseph’s Female Relatives are Grace Vetter, Victoria Avery, Katie Boyd, Bria Anderson, Makenna Henehan, Olivia Rose Barrell, Willow Davis, and Megan Carlson. The show is co-directed by Nicole Perrone and Kimberly Lazzeri. Other creative team members include Damon Stevens (Music Director), Jay Goodlett (Choreographer), Anna Catton (Scenic Designer), Paige Devroomen (Props Design/Master), Ronnie Chamberlain (Costume Designer), Jeremiah Kearns (Lighting Designer), Zach Collins (Sound Designer), and Halee Hood (Hair/Makeup Designer). The Stage Manager is Brian Robertson, and Assistant Stage Managers are Tiffany Turner and Alexis Pendleton.


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