Pirates of Penzance (2017)

Photography by Ron Bullions

Show Reviews

Sydney Arts Guide
http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/gilbert-and-sullivan-opera-sydney-the-pirates-of-penzance/

Weekend Notes
https://www.weekendnotes.com/the-pirates-of-penzance-gilbert-sullivan-opera-sydney/

Stage Whispers
http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/pirates-penzance-6

Production Team

Stage Director - Victoria Watson
Musical Director - ​Rod Mounjed
Choreographer - Sarah Pearce
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Principal Cast

MAJOR-GENERAL STANLEY - Mitch Bryson
THE PIRATE KING - Chris Lewis
SAMUEL (his Lieutenant) - Joshua Knight
FREDERIC (the Pirate Apprentice) - ​​​Daniel Verschuer
SERGEANT OF POLICE - Toby Page

(General Stanley's Daughters)
MABEL - ​​Sarah Arnold
EDITH - ​Laura Griffin
KATE - Angelique Tot
ISABEL - Holly Champion 

RUTH (a Pirate Maid of all Work) - ​Zoe Arthur​ 

Understudies:

Sergeant of Police - ​Terence Hogan
Edith - Joann Balasuriya
​Kate - Holly Champion ​​

Chaperones & Daughters chorus: 
Fiona Ashton, Joann Balasuriya,
Kyran David, Marie Deverill,
Alice Dunne, Georgina Hughes, Jane Makin,
Ellie Singer, Judy Singer, Anna Skocz,
Sara Wakeling, Sonia White
Pirates & Policeman chorus: 
Nick Adams, Peter Chappell,
Scott Crichton, Michael Darmody,
Terence Hogan, Terry Matthews,
Mary O’Bryne, Dawn Pugh, Gary Selby,
​John Wollaston

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Victoria Watson, Stage Director

Victoria Watson has over thirty-five years’ experience as a director, music director, performer, teacher and writer on music and theatre. In 2015, she directed a highly successful season of Mozart’s comedy of relationships Cosi fan tutte for Operantics at the Independent Theatre, North Sydney.

In Melbourne, she appeared regularly as a principal and ensemble artist with the Victoria State Opera. As both artistic director and performer, Victoria toured and performed extensively with chamber ensembles The Aspidistra Quartet, The Apollo Ensemble and Divertimento, and in Sydney for the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Australia Club. She brought a strong theatricality to these groups, and often featured the works of Gilbert and Sullivan and their contemporaries.

In Sydney, she has performed with Opera Australia and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She was artistic director of a major opera education project for Opera Australia for over ten years, introducing teenagers to opera. In 2014, she was vocal coach and assistant music director for the New Theatre’s sellout season of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd.

An accomplished pianist and stagecraft coach, Victoria has lectured in voice at the major universities in Melbourne, and at UNSW, UWS and NIDA in Sydney. She has also taught at Ascham, SCEGGS Darlinghurst, Barker College and Wenona School. She is a published author on opera and a popular freelance lecturer on opera and music theatre. She currently runs a busy Vocal Studio in Artarmon, Sydney.

Victoria is very active on social media as an advocate for Australian singers worldwide through the popular Bel Canto page on Facebook, and as the artistic director of Belcantosong Australia.
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Celebrating a lifetime admiration and love for the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, Victoria (most aptly named!) is thrilled to be directing for Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Sydney one of their most rollicking, witty and timeless works - The Pirates of Penzance!

Rod Mounjed, Musical Director

Rod has been Musical Directing since 1985, when he first designed the music for the play Cloud Nine at the Seymour Centre. Recent Musical Design in 2002-4 has included The Importance of Being Earnest, A Midsummer Nights Dream (Shakespeare by the Sea). Since 2000 Rod has worked as a conductor with Symphony Australia’s conducting program and has worked interstate with different ensembles and orchestras from each of the major symphony orchestras around Australia, specializing in the works of Stravinsky, Mendelssohn, Grieg and Beethoven.

Rod has worked with the Savoy Arts Company since 1991 (Iolanthe, Princess Ida (twice) Pirates of Penzance, Yeomen of the Guard, HMS Pinafore and The Gondoliers). With Regals Musical Society has conducted Broadway Pirates of Penzance, Pippin, Oklahoma, Chess, Annie, Me & My Girl. His two shows with the Rockdale Musical Society have been Anything Goes and Mame. He has conducted Ruddigore for Rockdale Opera in 2011.

For the past three decades he has been the resident Musical Director at Lugar Brae Players and has participated in HMS Pinafore, The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, South Pacific, Oklahoma, The Music Man, My Fair Lady, Me & My Girl, The Pajama Game, Guys and Dolls, Oliver, Annie Get Your Gun, Sound of Music. He volunteered to help conduct Yeoman of the Guard and Iolanthe for the G & S Singfest (Glen Street Theatre and Zenith Theatre).

As a pianist he has recorded for SMP classics, works by Mendelssohn (Songs without Words), Beethoven (Late Piano Sonatas Op.109, 110 & 111), and “An Evening with G & S” for violin and piano.
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Sarah Pearce

Sarah has been dancing and performing since the age of three. Originally from South Australia, she studied dance at many different schools, giving her a vast vocabulary of dance styles and choreographic techniques. 

She began exploring musical theatre choreography when she was 18 as the assistant choreographer of High School Musical 2 with STAYG25, whilst also performing the role of Martha in the show.  After this she took on the role of choreographer for The South Coast Choral and Arts Society’s production of the Wizard Of Oz. 

In 2015 she moved to Sydney to study a bachelor of music, majoring in music theatre at the Australian Institute of Music. In 2016 she was assistant choreographer for their production of Chicago, whilst also performing the roles of Mary Sunshine and Liz.  She will be returning as assistant choreographer to work on their 2017 production of The Pyjama Game.

She is excited to be choreographing The Pirates of Penzance for The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Sydney!