The Peck School of the Arts Department of Theatre is teaming up with Milwaukee Opera Theatre to present a modern retelling of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic, H.M.S. Pinafore. Milwaukee Opera Theatre Artistic Director Jill Anna Ponasik is collaborating with UWM Lecturer Jeffrey Mosser to bring the production to life.
Originally set in the late 1870s, H.M.S. Pinafore explores timeless themes of love, status, and class. This new version reimagines the story in 2025 and relocates the action to Milwaukee, allowing the cast to connect the work directly to their own community.
“For me, the most exciting, delightful aspect of this adaptation is working on a team that includes Jeff Mosser, Dana Rochester, James Zager, and 17 UWM students to devise this together,” Ponasik said. “The collaborative spirit of the project is what gets me out of bed in the morning.”
That collaborative spirit extends directly to the student cast. As young adults living in the 21st century, their perspectives helped ground the adaptation in the realities of today.
“We were asking for their collaboration throughout the entire process,” explained Mosser. “This play wouldn’t have been the same without the collaboration of the actors and their contributions to the play itself”.
Among the student performers is senior Larissa E. Beckmann, who plays Cousin Hebe. She credits her time at PSOA with shaping her acting process and values how the Milwaukee setting resonates with her.
“I think Milwaukee is a place that I have really grown to love,” Beckmann stated. “To have Milwaukee be the forefront of this production is just so important to me. My time at PSOA has really shaped my process.”
Senior Josh Thone, also appearing in the production, is preparing not only for H.M.S. Pinafore but for his final performance at UWM’s Mainstage Theatre. He has drawn on his own traits and experiences to shape his character in this new adaptation.
“Audiences will take away inspiration in their own sense of self,” Thone stated. “I want them to be able to sit down in the theatre and just be able to enjoy something that is both new and familiar.”
H.M.S. Pinafore runs Oct 8-12 at the UWM Mainstage Theatre. Tickets and more information are on the PSOA Events Calendar.
Story by Payton Murphy ’27 (BFA Film)