The University of Wisconsin-Superior Theatre Department, in collaboration with the Music Department, will present UWS Opera: Two One-Acts featuring The Brontë Sisters: Retrospection and Trial by Jury. Performances, directed by UW-Superior Professor Vicki Fingalson, D.M.A., will take place at 7:30 p.m. on April 24 and 25 in Manion Theater.

The Brontë Sisters: Retrospection, written by Fingalson and local composer Wendy Durrwachter, is a biographical music-play about the 19th-century literary trailblazers Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë. This performance will feature the premiere of a three-person version of the show.

“During Spring Semester 2024, I embarked on a sabbatical project to research, develop, and write this new art song-play,” said Fingalson. “It offers an intimate look at the extraordinary lives of these sisters. After completing the play, including the monologue and narrative portion, I collaborated with composer Wendy Durrwachter to set six curated Brontë poems to music, which fit within the narrative’s dramatic arc.”

In November, the piece premiered with Fingalson performing the role of all three sisters with Durrwachter on piano.

“I designed the piece to be flexible, so it could be performed by three singing actors instead of one, and accompanied by orchestra instead of piano,” said Fingalson. “This upcoming student performance will be the premiere of the three-singer version with orchestra. It’s thrilling to see it performed by my students, and, since I wrote and performed the solo version, I feel a deep connection to every aspect of it.”

UW-Superior student actors for The Brontë Sisters include Holland Venhuizen, Gianna Hopke, and Emma Jones.

“I think the audience will appreciate the commitment to the storytelling,” said Fingalson. “The three actors bringing the Brontë sisters to life are embracing the challenge, and I believe the audience will leave with a deeper understanding of the remarkable lives of Charlotte, Emily and Anne.”

This premiere performance will be followed by the Gilbert and Sullivan classic, Trial by Jury, a comic operetta that satirizes the British judicial system.

“This performance marks the 150th anniversary of the operetta’s premiere and the 60th anniversary of its first performance at UW-Superior (April 25, 1965),” said Fingalson. “The Trial by Jury cast consists entirely of current students, with the chorus performed by the UWS Chorale under the direction of Michael Fuchs. The UWS orchestra will perform from the pit, conducted by Erin Aldridge.

“There will be many students involved in this production – onstage, in the pit and behind the scenes. About 30 students will be onstage, with an additional dozen in the pit and several more in various backstage roles. It is one of the largest student-participation productions ever performed at UWS.”

UWS Opera: Two One-Acts will run for two nights, closing the theatre season at UW-Superior.

“The large cast and pit orchestra of Trial by Jury will bring joy and levity, leaving the audience smiling and humming a catchy tune or two,” said Fingalson. “The arts enrich communities by promoting understanding, sparking critical thinking, and offering a joyful respite.”

Tickets for UWS Opera: Two One-Acts are $10 and may be purchased at the box office in the Holden Fine Arts Center. Manion Theater is in the Holden Fine and Applied Arts Center at 1805 Catlin Ave. in Superior.