Oakland University To Present Gilbert & Sullivan's PATIENCE, A Comic Opera

Oakland University's School of Music, Theatre and Dance will present Patience - a comic opera in two acts with music and libretto by Gilbert and Sullivan - from June 24-27 on the Varner Hall Courtyard Outdoor Stage as part of the "OU Outside the Box" performing arts festival.

"Sullivan's charming melodies and Gilbert's witty dialect provide top notch material to showcase Oakland's talented young performers," said Dr. Drake Dantzler, director and assistant professor of voice at OU. "It's sure to be an evening of laughter and tuneful music."

Patience, or Bunthorne's Bride - the sixth collaboration of Gilbert and Sullivan - is a satire on the aesthetic movement of the 1870s and '80s in England, including fads, superficiality, vanity, hypocrisy and pretentiousness, romantic love, rural simplicity and military bluster.

"The entire opera is a hilarious farce on the Victorian aesthetic period and with each line of text and nuance of musical color, Gilbert and Sullivan have created a comedic masterpiece," said Kellan Dunlap, who plays the Lieutenant Duke of Dunstable. "I'm not sure if I have ever had so much fun playing a character as I have had playing the Duke, I just get to go onstage and make fun of myself.

"I think that following this year of uncertainty, we all need a show like Patience - something lighthearted and fun to show us that we can still laugh at ourselves and with one another," he added. "The fact that we are even putting this show on after a pandemic is amazing for me to even think about, honestly. There were many in our field that gave up and were discouraged because of the lack of performance opportunities, but not us. We have risen above and are excited to present this production."

Angela Bonello, who plays Patience, agreed.

"Being part of a production, especially one as humorous as Patience, after this tough year is so refreshing, and we are so grateful to be able to do the show," she said.

Performances are Thursday-Sunday, June 24-27 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $22 for the general public or $12 for students, and must be purchased in advance at www.etix.com.

Ticket buyers will receive an email with special instructions the day of the performance. All guests must fill out a health screening form before arriving on campus.

For questions, please contact the box office at smtdboxoffice@oakland.edu.