{"id":20151,"date":"2015-02-11T15:13:16","date_gmt":"2015-02-11T21:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/?p=20151"},"modified":"2015-02-18T17:45:16","modified_gmt":"2015-02-18T23:45:16","slug":"bemidji-state-university-presents-the-mikado-beginning-feb-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/2015\/02\/11\/bemidji-state-university-presents-the-mikado-beginning-feb-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Department of Music Presents Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Mikado,” Feb. 26-28"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"20150211-BSU-Mikado-header\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Mikado, Gilbert and Sullivan’s satiric look at a stereotypical early 20th Century English version of feudal Japan, is coming to Bemidji State University.<\/p>\n

The opera, first performed in 1885, follows the story of a teenager, Nanki-Poo, who runs away from home rather than be forced to marry an older woman by his father — who just happens to be the Mikado, emperor of Japan. While on the lam, he falls in love with the girlfriend of a town executioner, who decides to allow Nanki-Poo to marry his girlfriend for one month. After that month, the pair agree that the executioner will behead Nanki-Poo teen in order to fulfill an order from the Mikado that someone in the city be executed.<\/p>\n

BSU’s production of The Mikado opens a four-show run on Feb. 26. The opera begins at 7 p.m. each night from Feb. 26-28, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Feb. 28.<\/p>\n

• Bonus: Gallery of costume design sketches<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Cory J. Renbarger<\/b><\/a>, assistant professor of music, says Gilbert and Sullivan originally used the Japanese setting to deliver a scathing satire against rules, laws and hierarchies in place in Great Britain when the opera was written.<\/p>\n

“It shows the stupidity of some of our old ways of doing things, and of laws and our conventions with society and with love as well,” Renbarger says. “It’s hilarious.”<\/p>\n

Renbarger is the artistic and stage director for the production. Music will be conducted by Scott Guidry, assistant professor of music; costumes will be designed by professional designer Fred Rogers; and BSU’s Tom Skime will supervise the technical production.<\/p>\n

Auditions for the show were held in late September and casting was completed in early October. The cast and crew will include BSU students, members of the BSU faculty and staff and residents from the Bemidji community.<\/p>\n

Renbarger says he is already seeing how the experience is benefitting the production’s students.<\/p>\n

“I have seen the students develop exponentially during this process,” he said. “Academically, it’s such a positive and important thing for them. It’s rewarding to see them have this transformative experience.”<\/p>\n

In addition to BSU students and faculty, many members of the Bemidji community will be participating in the production. Some members of the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra will play in the pit, makeup is being designed and applied by Bemidji’s Professional Salon Academy, and costumes are being done by BSU alum and professional costumer Fred Rogers.<\/p>\n

“There’s no way I can do it all,” Renbarger said. “Bemidji is a great place full of people who care about art and care about quality, and they’re willing to do a lot for a little. So thankfully we’re able to do this, and we want to keep getting better and better.”<\/p>\n

Tickets
\n<\/b>BSU’s production of The Mikado will be held in the Main Theatre of BSU’s Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex. Tickets are available at the door. The price is $15 for adults and $5 for senior citizens; all students are admitted free.<\/p>\n

Contact
\n<\/b>• Dr. Cory J. Renbarger<\/strong><\/a>, assistant professor of music<\/p>\n

Links
\n<\/b>• Synopsis of The Mikado<\/i><\/a> at the Utah Shakespeare Festival<\/span><\/p>\n

The Mikado cast list, by hometown
\n<\/b>Bemidji |56601| Cooper Blackwood, senior, science, tenor; Nanki-Poo
\nBemidji |56601| Bob Boland, senior, music, tenor; Pooh-Bah
\nBemidji |56601| Miranda Carlson, junior, music education, soprano; Geisha
\nBemidji |56601| Mark Christensen, professor of English; The Mikado
\nBemidji |56601| Meghan Dougherty, freshman, music; assistant costume designer
\nBemidji |56601| Debbie Guelda, professor of biology; set design
\nBemidji |56601| Heather Guidry, community member; orchestra
\nBemidji |56601| Scott Guidry, assistant professor of music; Conductor
\nBemidji |56601| Eric Gustafson, community member, rehearsal pianist
\nBemidji |56601| Sarah Hamrin, community member; orchestra
\nBemidji |56601| Tracy Johnson, community member; orchestra
\nBemidji |56601| Emily Kivi, community member; orchestra
\nBemidji |56601| Sammi Korczak, freshman, music; orchestra
\nBemidji |56601| Susan Nelson, community member; orchestra
\nBemidji |56601| NikkiLee Nolden, sophomore, music education, alto; Pitti-Sing
\nBemidji |56601| Eric Olson, community member; orchestra
\nBemidji |56601| Geri Olson, information technology specialist; video technician
\nBemidji |56601| Cory Renbarger, professor of music; director and set designer
\nBemidji |56601| Pat Riley, community member; orchestra
\nBemidji |56601| Loretta Roed, community member, geisha
\nBemidji |56601| Fred Rogers, community member; costume designer
\nBemidji |56601| Thomas Skime, theatre technician; set design, lighting
\nBemidji |56601| Josh Sorenson, sophomore, music education, tenor; Pooh-Bah
\nBemidji |56601| Sarah Sundeen, community member; orchestra
\nBemidji |56601| Libby Sorenson, community member, geisha<\/p>\n

Anoka |55303| Ali Lekkas, junior, elementary education; assistant stage manager
\nBlaine |55434| Gwendolyn Erickson, senior, music, soprano; Yum-Yum
\nBovey |55709| Tia Ellies, senior, music education, soprano; Yum-Yum
\nBrainerd |56401| Megan Tschida, junior, business administration; stage manager, subtitles
\nClarkfield |56223| Andrew McCormick, junior, music education, bass; Ko-Ko
\nCottage Grove |55016| Lavonte Hardie, sophomore, criminal justice; orchestra
\nLe Sueur |56058| Luke Barnard, junior, music, tenor; Nanki-Poo
\nLittle Canada |55109| Callie Dunbar, senior, social work, alto; Pitti-Sing
\nMankato|56001| Kathryn Freyberg, sophomore, business administration, alto; Geisha, set design
\nMentor |56736| Katie Meine, sophomore, music education; Ko-Ko’s Attendant, Geisha
\nMounds View |55112| Stephen Martin, sophomore, music; orchestra
\nNevis |56467| Brian Bass, junior, music; orchestra
\nOrtonville |56278| Maggie Ragan, senior, music education, alto; Katisha
\nPrinceton |55371| Hannah Jenson, freshman, music education; Geisha
\nRedwood Falls |56283| Derek Bebeau, sophomore, music education, bass; Pish-Tush
\nSlayton |56172| Molly Bass, senior, music education, tenor; Peep-Bo
\nStaples |56479| Lynnea Iverson, senior, music education, soprano; Geisha
\nThief River Falls |56701| Leandra Craigmile, sophomore, music education, alto; Peep-Bo<\/p>\n

Bemidji State University<\/b>, located in northern Minnesota’s lake district, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling nearly 5,000 students, Bemidji State offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate programs encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities<\/strong><\/i><\/a> system<\/span> and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. University signature themes include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and global and multi-cultural understanding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Mikado, Gilbert and Sullivan\u2019s satiric look at a stereotypical early 20th Century English version of feudal Japan, is coming to Bemidji State University, Feb. 26-28.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20152,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[872,953,9,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homepage","category-mybsu","category-news","category-top-story"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20151"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20251,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20151\/revisions\/20251"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}