The story takes place on the Royal Navy Ship HMS Pinafore, where Josephine, the daughter of Captain Corcoran, falls for the sailor Ralph Rackstraw. However, she is forced to choose between her true love, and her father’s intention for her to marry Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of the Admiralty.

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Among one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular works, HMS Pinafore satirically deals in themes of love and duty, with mirth and silliness to spare. It pokes fun at patriotism, meritocracy, and the British class system in general. 

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Costuming H.M.S. Pinafore presented a lot of firsts for me. This was the first show where I was supervising two assistants, one which worked as a stitcher, and the other as a dramaturg. Finding the correct balance between maintaining a friendly, comfortable demeanor and leading the team was difficult, but rewarding in the end. This was also my first time working on an opera, as well as trying to make historically accurate clothing for a time before before the midcentury. My stitching assistant and I worked around the clock to brainstorm how to best execute matching outfits with the limited budget in just one month, eventually culminating in the looks below! It was a wild adventure, but totally worth it for the chance to add some historical flair to the stage and dive into something new.

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Performed April 11-13, 2024.