Registration is Now Open!
AGES: 13 - 20
WHEN: 10:00am - 4:00pm, July 14 - 18 and July 21 - 25 | Those cast in main roles will also rehearse 10:00am - 4:00pm, July 13 and 19
PERFORMANCES: July 25 and 26 at 7:00pm and July 27 at 2:00pm
COST: $400 | Scholarships are available
AUDITIONS: May 10, by appointment. Auditions are optional and only required for those interested in being cast in a main role. Those who don't audition will be cast in the ensemble of pirates or maidens.
A program like none other, young performers prepare and perform a comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan in the span of two weeks!
This incredible program challenges and nurtures performers, building and improving vocal and theatrical skills in a demanding but supportive environment. In addition to rehearsing the production, youth participate in masterclasses and workshops focusing on vocal technique, acting, improvisation and prop construction. All participants are accepted into the program and perform in the production regardless of experience or audition. Scholarships are available to help cover the cost of tuition. The program is led by New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players veteran, Louis Dall'Ava and Opera Naples Director of Education, Robin Frank.
For more information email Robin Frank at rfrank@operanaples.org.
One of Gilbert and Sullivan's finest, The Pirates of Penzance is fun for the entire family with a hilarious story involving sentimental pirates, blundering policemen, absurd adventures and improbable paradoxes. Young Frederic was apprenticed to a band of tenderhearted, orphaned pirates by his nurse who, being hard of hearing, had mistaken her master's instructions to apprentice the boy to a pilot. Frederic, upon completing his 21st year, rejoices that he has fulfilled his indentures and is now free to return to respectable society.
The Pirate King is quick to inform Frederic that, as he was born on February 29th in leap year, he is not yet 21. Thus, he must remain apprenticed to the pirates until his 21st birthday. By the end of the opera, the pirates, a Major General who knows nothing of military strategy, the General’s large family of beautiful daughters and the timid constabulary all contribute to a cacophony that can be silenced only by Queen Victoria's name.
Stage Director
Louis Dall’Ava has performed 23 principal roles in Gilbert & Sullivan operettas with companies including The New York Gilbert & Sullivan players, Manhattan Savoyards, Sorg Opera (OH) and Mobile Opera (AL), at venues including Wolf Trap, The Garden State Arts Center and The International G&S Festival in Buxton England. He is the 2005-2006 recipient of NYGASP's Isaac Asimov Award for Artistic Achievement. Among various other musical theater roles, he has performed Charles and the Comte de Chagny on three international tours of The Phantom of the Opera and was named Best Actor in a Musical by Bravo Pix for his portrayal of Fagin in Commonwealth Opera's Oliver. He has also been the director and costume/set designer for numerous productions throughout the country and has been involved with Opera Naples in various capacities including directing youth productions, costumes, props and performing since 2005.
Louis Dall’Ava
Music Director
Robin Shuford Frank is Director of Education and Community Outreach, Chorus Master, and Music Administrator for Opera Naples. She manages Opera Naples professional Resident Artist Program, Student Apprentice Program, Elementary School tours and community engagement programs. An accomplished pianist, she is Musical Director for community and youth productions, a rehearsal pianist for main productions and performs as a collaborative pianist. Frank is the accompanist for The Festival Singers of Florida and performs with the Naples Philharmonic and The Naples Players. She is a frequently sought guest accompanist for choral festivals and has performed and taught masterclasses in China and Indonesia. Frank is also an Adjunct Professor in the Bower School of Music at Florida Gulf Coast University.
Robin Frank
Support for Opera Naples 2025-26 Youth Programs is provided by FineMark National Bank and Trust, Collier Community Foundation in honor of William Lindsay on behalf of Salomon and Jen Cardenas, Florida Theatrical Association, William and Jacqueline Mears, and Robert and Mary Jane Oliveira.
Support the Summer Youth Program
Your tax-deductible unrestricted donations, large and small, make it possible for Opera Naples to continue its mission, its many artistic and educational programs and ongoing improvements to the Wang Opera Center. We couldn’t do it without you!