FRS 001Q — Sec. 001 — (1 unit) — CRN 53280 — W 4:10-6:00 pm — 109 Wellman Hall
H.M.S. Pinafore: From Text to Performance

Instructor: Elizabeth Langland, Department of English, College of Letters and Science

Description: H.M.S. Pinafore remains one of the most popular works of the famous Victorian collaboration between Gilbert and Sullivan. Written at the height of the Victorian Empire, it offers and illuminating vision and critique of the period. This course will give students an in-depth appreciation for the work, its cultural context, and the challenges of moving from Victorian written text and libretto to 215~-century performance. Students will begin by reading HMS Pinafore and studying the cultural context in which it was written. Then students will meet with and interview the show's director, Granada Artist-in-Residence Glen Walford; its musical director, D. Kern Holoman; its scenic designer, John Iacovelli; and its costume designer, Maggie Morgan, to discuss the challenges they faced and solutions they reached in mounting the production at UC Davis. Finally, students will attend the production of HMS Pinafore at Mondavi Center, May 23-25.

Format: The seminar will offer one credit and meet for two hours every other week during the spring quarter. Students will be expected to prepare knowledgeable interview questions for the artists producing the show and will submit a 750-1000 word review of the production after they have attended it. Grading: Students will be given a letter grade based on the quality of their participation (50%) and quality of written review of performance (50%).

About the Instructor: Elizabeth Langland is Dean of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies and Professor of English. A specialist in Victorian literature and culture, she is the author of five books and co-editor of three books. She recently completed a critical edition of Margaret Oliphant'sl968 novel Phoebe Junior and has written numerous essays on Victorian literature, feminist theory, and theory of the novel. She also spent at year in London, studying acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.