“Young Strephon is the kind of lout we do not care a fig about!
We cannot say what evils may result in consequence.”
“With Strephon for your foe, no doubt, a fearful prospect opens out,
and who shall say what evils may result in consequence?”
Iolanthe
Iolanthe, or The Peer and the Peri
October 31 – November 23, 2025
Directors
Stage Director: Michelle Schwantes
Music Director: Dr. Randal A. Buikema
Director’s Notes
Iolanthe is truly a unique tale. The narrative dazzles with images of idyllic, pastoral love, ancient magic, and fairies, as well as an industrialized Britain comfortably enjoying the zenith of its storied empire. Among its many timeless themes, two particularly relevant concepts emerge. We are presented with two vastly different societies: one ancient, magical, matrilineal, and fluid; the other modern, industrialized, patriarchal, and defined by socio-economic status. These systems are governed by their own customs and laws, but for all their beauty or efficiency, we see that both societies are burdened by an outdated legal system that fails to provide justice.
This work allows us to examine the means by which we organize our own societies and encourages us to explore the opportunities presented by growth and change. It grants us a lens to imagine how love, empathy, and circumstance inform our choices, and how the human experience is too infinitely complex to be classified or contained. At its heart, it lies at a crossroads, between ancient and modern, fluid and binary, rural and urban, stewardship versus ownership, and the poetical versus the scientific. Any society must continue to evolve, lest it be condemned to the ash heap of history.
The undeniable beauty of Iolanthe lies in its possibility. As we navigate our challenging reality, this tale is a comforting reminder of what is greatest about humanity – our capacity for forgiveness, transformation, and love.
Michelle Schwantes
Eric Sorum as the Lord Chancellor and Hannah Pantano as Iolanthe
Eric Sorum as the Lord Chancellor and Lara Trujillo as the Fairy Queen
Mike Tober as Strephon and Therese Kulas as Phyllis
Iolanthe Reviews
Play Off the Page, by Mary Aalgaard
PhenoMNal Twin Cities, by Stephanie Kwong
Two excellent internet resources for information about Iolanthe
Show Poster
Poster design by Tom McGregor and Mary Olson
Company Photo
“I often think it’s comical, how Nature always does contrive, that every boy and every gal that’s born into the world alive is either a little Liberal or else a little Conservative!”
Iolanthe