BROWNWOOD – October 18, 2017 – Howard Payne University’s School of Music and Fine Arts held a dress rehearsal Monday evening for its Homecoming musical, Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance.” Performances are Thursday, October 19, through Saturday, October 21, at 8 p.m. each evening at HPU’s Mims Auditorium. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children and students and are available for purchase at the door on the evenings of the performances.
“The Pirates of Penzance,” a classic comedic operetta, is one of the most famed products of the theatrical partnership of librettist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan. It follows the story of Frederic, a member of a band of pirates. It is quickly explained that when Frederic was young, his nurse mistakenly apprenticed him to a pirate rather than a pilot. Frederic announces his resolve to forsake the pirate life and work wholeheartedly to their extermination.
Cast members include Caleb Bostick, freshman from Brownwood; Jake Bowren, sophomore from San Antonio; Jayland Brown, freshman from Temple; Leland Brown, freshman from Euless; Kayla Chadwick, senior from Tulia; Josh Collier, freshman from Voca; Camila Cotter, junior from Garden Ridge; Piper Davis, freshman from Bulverde; Taylor Davis, sophomore from Alvin; Jarod Dowling, junior from Grandview; Christopher Freeland, junior from Bangs; Marissa Godbey, senior from Austin; Josiah Hughes, sophomore from Katy; Hayden Jacobs, senior from Lytle; Victoria Malone, senior from Fort Worth; Bryce McWhirter, junior from Pflugerville; Ryan Miles, sophomore from Goldthwaite; Madison Miller, sophomore from Granbury; Ashleigh Moss, junior from Alvarado; Sadie Perez, freshman from Brownwood; Brendyn Porter, junior from Red Oak; Cassia Rose, senior from Winnsboro; Andi Rosenquist, freshman from Brownwood; Penny Stehlik, sophomore from Round Rock; Natalie Stephens, senior from Alvarado; Izzy Vela, freshman from Brownwood; and Luke Victor, sophomore from Austin.
Dr. Celeste Church, professor of music and dean of institutional research and effectiveness, serves as the production’s artistic director. The production team includes Dr. Gregory Church, professor of music, as musical director; Dr. Nancy Jo Humfeld, professor of theatre and chair of the Department of Theatre, as choreographer; Dr. Nicholas Ewen, assistant professor of theatre, as set/technical designer; Joseph Dunlap, instructor of music, as concert master; and Deejay Moses, junior from May, as stage manager.
For more information about “The Pirates of Penzance,” contact HPU’s School of Music and Fine Arts at 325-649-8500.
More than 30 other events are scheduled for Homecoming weekend, October 20-21. For complete details and the latest schedule information, visit www.hputx.edu/homecoming or contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 325-649-8044 or via e-mail at alumni@hputx.edu.
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Cutline: HPU students recently performed in a dress rehearsal for the university’s Homecoming production of “The Pirates of Penzance.”