Seattle Opera and Seattle Public Theater's Youth Program to Present THE MIKADO, 8/1-3

Seattle Opera in collaboration with Seattle Public Theater's (SPT) Youth Program spin Gilbert & Sullivan's classic topsy-turvy operetta, The Mikado in a whole new direction.

THREE [free] performances: Friday, August 1 @ 7pm, Saturday, August 2 @ 7pm, and Sunday, August 3 @ 2pm. Admission to all youth performances are free to the community. Donations are encouraged to support SPT's Theater Youth Program and to offer student tuition assistance.

Now in its fourth year, the popular collaboration between Seattle Opera and SPT's Youth Program continues with this manga-style production of The Mikado. One of Gilbert & Sullivan's most accomplished and entertaining works, the story is set in the fictional Japanese town of Titipu, in which flirting is a capital offense. The Mikado tells the story of a wandering minstrel who falls in love with the fair Yum-Yum, who just so happens to be engaged to the town's newly appointed Lord High Executioner. Stage-directed by SPT Artistic Associate Kelly Kitchens (SPT's Arcadia and The Understudy) with Musical Direction by Seattle Opera Youth Program Manager, Barbara Jamison, this colorful re-imagining of this surprisingly modern tale of star-crossed lovers updates the traditional silk kimonos of ancient Japan with vibrant Harajuku Tokyo street fashion, and their wild, punky mix of colors and styles.

"Building a character and crafting it into a performance requires a good deal of imagination and a great deal of hard work," says Music Director Barbara Jamsion. "We are throwing ourselves into the joyful world of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Mikado to do just that. We started with exploratory work through physical storytelling and the specificity of effective humor. We are focusing these skills on creating specific characters in our 21st century manga-style adaptation of this operetta, with sharp angles and larger-than-life physicality. Along the way, each performer has to ask and answer many questions, 'How does the libretto and music reveal my character?' 'What does my character want in any given moment?' 'How can I then communicate this to an audience with my voice and body?' 'What is my relationship with other characters and how does that affect my choices?'"

The Mikado is stage-directed by Kelly Kitchens with musical direction by Barbara Jamison. The production features the acting talents of Audrey Herrin, Abigail Marschell, Alexandra Troy, Amber Panks, Anna Hurtado, Arabella Johnson, Dante Trejo Savani, Ella Hurtado, Fernanda Corona, Hazel Smith, Ian Miller, Isabella Johnson, Lauren McDonagh, Natalie Ositis, Peyton Cvitkovic, Rosetta Fiddler, Sophie Ruha, Talia Carter, Tiamo Minard, Una Christophersen, Vivek Shah, Viviana Loreto.

The Mikado is stage managed by Katherine Draves, and assistant stage managed by Seamus Smith. Featuring sound design by Jessica Salas, costume design by Molly O'Connor with Sequin Hutton and Finn Johnson on run crew.

This ensemble features actors grades 4 to 8.