Free Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe Performances Coming

Wednesday, June 5, 1 p.m., Orcas Center

Eighth graders from Catlin Gabel School in Portland will again sing their way through the San Juan Islands in June

Eighth grade students from Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Oregon, will offer free performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta Iolanthe at three community performances during the first week of June:

• Monday, June 3, 2 p.m. at the Mullis Community Senior Center on San Juan Island
• Tuesday, June 4, 1 p.m. at the Shaw Community Center on Shaw Island
• Wednesday, June 5, 1 p.m. at the Orcas Center on Orcas Island

Iolanthe is a topsy-turvy love story involving fairies, magic, politics, and the struggle between law and nature. Catlin Gabel’s updated production sets the play in Washington, D.C., with a cast of environmental activists, corrupt political-bureaucrats, and a Portlandian urban farmer and his pet chicken, all singing Gilbert & Sullivan’s sublime music. People of all ages will enjoy this political fairy tale.

Since 1988, 8th graders from Catlin Gabel have sung their way through the San Juan Islands in June, performing in schools, community centers, and residential care facilities. It is the highlight of the year for these students. “Performing Gilbert and Sullivan in the San Juans is a treasured tradition at our school,” said drama teacher Deirdre Atkinson, one of the teachers who will accompany students on the tour. “The students look forward to it all year. They love visiting the islands and meeting people, and they come home with great memories.” As the capstone project of their 8th grade year, Catlin Gabel students present a full-scale production of one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic operettas.

Catlin Gabel serves Portland and the world as an educational catalyst, drawing together dedicated educators, motivated students, superb curricular resources, and thoughtfully applied technology, in a beautiful and functional setting, all for the purpose of forming bold learners who become responsible action-takers for life.

Catlin Gabel is an independent, non-sectarian, progressive coeducational day school serving 750 students from preschool through twelfth grade. Its roots go back to the Portland Academy, founded in 1859. The school occupies 60 acres on Barnes Road, five miles west of downtown Portland. For more about the school, please visit www.catlin.edu.