Enjoy an evening of song, expert insights, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the world of Gilbert and Sullivan at a free University of Iowa Alumni Association (UIAA) event featuring UI faculty, staff, and students.

The UIAA Lifelong Learning event, WorldCanvass: The Magic Behind H.M.S. Pinafore, will take place at 6 p.m., Friday, July 20, at the Hoyt Sherman Place Art Gallery in Des Moines, before the UI Opera Theater’s performance in Des Moines of Gilbert and Sullivan’s acclaimed comic opera. During the event, members of the UI opera cast will sing "Things Are Seldom What They Seem" and "Sorry Her Lot Who Loves Too Well."

This event is free and open to the public, but doesn't include opera tickets, which are available for performances on Friday, July 20, or Saturday, July 21, at 8 p.m. Visit Ticketmaster to order tickets.

Joan Kjaer, host of the television and radio program WorldCanvass from UI International Programs, will moderate a discussion with UI faculty and staff William LaRue Jones, director of orchestral studies; John Cameron, professor and head of acting; and Margaret Wenk-Kuchlbauer, scenic and costume designer. They will discuss various topics, including the history of the piece and approach to the production; the style and original performance theories of this genre; the transition from artwork to actual set designs; and the collaboration between Sir Arthur Sullivan and William Gilbert.

This discussion will be taped for broadcast on UITV, Iowa Public Radio, and KRUI; it will also be available as a podcast as part of the WorldCanvass series on iTunes.

The event is presented in collaboration with the UI’s International Programs and the Department of Theatre Arts and the School of Music in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

To learn more about the UI production, visit now.uiowa.edu/2012/06/ui-performs-gilbert-sullivan-coralville-des-moines.