Ross Valley Players Presents the Comic Musical H.M.S. PINAFORE

ROSS VALLEY PLAYERS is pleased to present the comic musical H.M.S. Pinafore, as the second selection in their 2016-2017 season. Written by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, H.M.S. Pinafore tells the story of a captain's daughter who is in love with an ordinary sailor, but her father has a more sophisticated suitor in mind. Will she and her beloved defy convention and set sail for love? H.M.S. Pinafore is the fourth collaboration between Gilbert & Sullivan and was their first major success. It is among the most crowd-pleasing comic musicals in history, loved for its dynamite songs, gleefully entertaining story and saucy satire. H.M.S. Pinafore begins with a preview on Thursday, November 17th and runs through Sunday, December 18th. Opening night is Friday, November 18th at 8PM.www.rossvalleyplayers.com

Gilbert and Sullivan's romantic romp set aboard a British Navy ship has delighted audiences for well over 100 years. Ralph Rackstraw (Cordell Wesselink) loves Josephine (Sibel Demirmen), his Captain's daughter, but Captain Corcoran (Bobby Singer) has arranged her marriage to Sir Joseph Porter (Norman Hall), the First Lord of the Admiralty. Little Buttercup (Heather Werkheiser), a peddler woman, loves the Captain. But social position dictates such pairings just cannot be. The topsy-turvy path to true love is complicated by the dark menace of sailor Dick Deadeye (Alan Weber) and the Captain's conniving first cousin Hebe (Dana Cherry), to the rollicking accompaniment to the Pinafore sailors and the Captain's sisters, cousins and aunts. What dark secret will come to light? Will true love prevail? H.M.S. Pinafore is directed by James Dunn.

FULL CAST: Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B. (Norman Hall), Captain Corcoran (Bobby Singer), Josephine (Sibel Demirmen), Little Buttercup (Heather Werkheiser ), Ralph Rackstraw (Cordell Wesselink), Dick Deadeye (Alan Weber), Cousin Hebe (Dana Cherry), Boatswain (Dan Bort),

Carpenter's Mate (Javier Alarcon), Sailors (Lucas Amadeus Evans, Bob Galagaran, Peter Sorensen, Ben Vasquez), Sir Joseph's Sisters, Cousins and Aunts (Adrianna Dinihanian, Katie Ellis, Sophia Ferar, Arden Kilzer, Holly Soreng).

Performances are Thursday, November 17th (Preview Night) through Sunday, December 18th, with Opening Night on Friday, November 18th at 8PM. Thursday performances are at 7:30PM; Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM; Sunday matinees at 2PM.

All performances take place at the Barn Theatre, home of the Ross Valley Players - 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Ross, CA 94957.

Ticket prices are $27 general admission and $15 for under the age of 25. Thursday night tickets prices are $22 general admission and $12 for under the age of 25. Pay-What- You-Will is on Preview Night - Thursday, November 17th ($10 minimum donation suggested).

Audience members are invited to participate in "Talkback" with the director and actors after the matinee performances onSunday, November 27th and December 4th. Buzz at the Barn, a pre-show cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres and wine, will take place on Saturday, November 19th at 7PM. To order tickets, call 415-456-9555, ext. 1 or visit www.rossvalleyplayers.com.

Now in its 87th year, Ross Valley Players, a non-profit arts organization, is the oldest continually operating community theater on the West Coast. Created in 1930 as a way to escape the hardships of the Depression, Ross Valley Players has introduced live theater to thousands of Marin residents over the years. Each year, RVP presents a regular season of six full productions, running a total of 30 weeks. RVP offers special events and short-term productions outside the regular season. Plays include recent Broadway material, popular plays, classic theater, and a selection of works by well-known playwrights from around the world. RVP features all genres: comedy, drama, mysteries, and musicals. Their Ross Alternative Works (RAW) program presents short run, minimal set productions of original scripts by Bay Area playwrights.

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