Kaitlyn Stavinoha as Gianetta in The Gondoliers 2017
Juhi Varma
Nearly a decade after making her Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston debut in The Gondoliers, Katy soprano Kaitlyn Stavinoha is returning to the beloved operetta — this time on the other side of its tangled romantic plot.
Stavinoha, who portrayed Gianetta in the society’s 2017 production, will take on the role of Casilda when The Gondoliers returns to the Wortham Theater Center for performances July 18-19 and July 25-26.
“My first role with the company was in 2017, doing Gianetta,” Stavinoha said. “They took a chance on a new soprano, and it was amazing. It instantly became another family, and I’m so excited to come back and do the other soprano role, Casilda.”
The production is part of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston’s 75th season and marks the operetta’s first Houston staging since 2017. It also coincides with the Wortham Theater Center’s 40th season. The society presented The Gondoliers as the inaugural production in the Wortham’s Cullen Theater in 1987.
Set in Venice, the comic operetta follows two gondolier brothers, Marco and Giuseppe, who learn that one of them is the heir to a distant throne — although no one knows which brother is the rightful king.
The mystery becomes more complicated when the men discover that the future king was married during infancy to Casilda, the daughter of a duke and duchess. Since both brothers have already married, the revelation creates romantic confusion, mistaken identities and the possibility that one of them may have two wives.
Stavinoha described the production as “two shows in one,” with one storyline centered on the gondoliers and another following the royal family.
“Everything kind of intertwines, and then they come together in the finale,” she said. “It’s really fun to be a part of the other side.”
Both Gianetta and Casilda are soprano roles, but the characters occupy very different social worlds. Gianetta is part of the gondoliers’ working-class community, while Casilda belongs to an aristocratic family.
“The heart is the same,” Stavinoha said. “They’re women who know what they want and will do what they have to do to get it. But it is fun playing a difference in the class — playing someone who’s much more common, low-brow versus the high-brow situation.”
The Gondoliers 2026 rehearsal with Dennis Arrowsmith, Kaitlyn Stavinoha and Sarah Lee
Playing royalty also comes with certain theatrical advantages.
“Who doesn’t want to dress up and be fancy?” she said. “It’s fun to pretend to be the princess or the queen.”
Stavinoha said she remembers admiring the soprano who portrayed Casilda in the 2017 production and has drawn inspiration from that performance.
“She was incredible, and I looked up to her,” Stavinoha said. “It’s such a joy to remember the charm and silliness that she brought and kind of give a nod to that.”
Stavinoha grew up in Katy, attending Katy Junior High and Katy High School before leaving the area for college. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music and vocal performance from Oklahoma City University and a master’s degree in music and vocal performance from Baylor University.
She began singing in school and church choirs and credits her Katy educators with recognizing and nurturing her interest in music and theater.
“When I started junior high, the choir director and the theater director saw the passion in me and encouraged me,” she said. “They gave me so many opportunities.”
After college, she secured her first job with Houston Grand Opera. She and her husband ultimately decided to remain in the Houston area and now live in Cinco Ranch.
Stavinoha has since continued performing while also teaching young singers through a small private studio in the Katy area. Some of her students have gone on to study music at university level.
“It’s kind of full circle,” she said.
Rehearsals for The Gondoliers began June 8 and have followed an approximately six-week schedule. Stavinoha praised the production’s cast, which includes performers of varying ages and backgrounds from throughout the Houston area.
“We have 41 in the cast, 29 in our orchestra, plus a conductor, stage director, chorus master, and a whole group of behind-the-scenes and backstage superstars of stage managers, crew—it truly is and takes a village.”
The production is directed by Houston native Alyssa Weathersby, a New York-based director, choreographer and performer who also directed the society’s production of Iolanthe last season.
Dr. Clifton Evans serves as music director. Evans previously worked with the society as assistant conductor from 2000 to 2003 and music director from 2003 to 2008. Gregory D. McDaniel, artistic director of the Houston Ebony Opera Guild and the New Jersey Symphony’s 2025-26 Colton Conducting Fellow, is serving as assistant music director.
Stavinoha said that earlier, the society operated as an all-volunteer organization. It has since grown and now pays its artists, but she said it has retained its welcoming atmosphere.
“It still manages to hold that feeling of family, which is really special,” she said. “Especially as the company grows, it still feels like the family that I had the first time I went. It’s such a privilege to be a part of it.”
Although Stavinoha enjoys dramatic operas, she said comedy presents its own artistic challenges. Because Gilbert and Sullivan’s works combine singing with spoken dialogue, performers must devote additional attention to timing and delivery.
“I think it’s very difficult to do comedy right,” she said. “I have to do more preparation beforehand, especially with Gilbert and Sullivan, because we have spoken lines as well.”
The goal, she said, is to ensure that a line is not merely amusing to the performer but lands properly with the audience.
For young people hoping to pursue careers in opera, Stavinoha recommends seeking strong training and making the most of every opportunity.
“Find opportunities, and if you don’t find them, create them,” she said. “Find good training, find a good voice teacher and just keep studying.”
(Courtesy photos)
