This Friday is perhaps one of the few chances you will have on your college budget to go out for a night at the opera.

The Charles and Reta Ralph Opera Center and the CSU Sinfonia Orchestra will be staging “Patience” by Gilbert and Sullivan on Nov. 8, 9 and 15 at 7:30 p.m., as well as Sunday, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m., in the Griffin Concert Hall at the University Center for the Arts.

According to Blaine Lemanski, who has played bass trombone for nine years, including one year in the UCA opera pit, those who are unfamiliar with the opera scene will find the “Patience” experience particularly entertaining.

“Not a lot of people know about the classical arts,” Lemanski said. “’Patience’ is a great start because it’s very accessible.”

According to Lemanski, the show is relatable to all audiences since it is comic, and to American viewers because it is written in English, rather than Italian. He described the production as a “big” coming together of music and stagecraft.

Noel Houel-von Behren, who plays the role of Archibald Grosvenor, agrees that individuals who are prejudiced against the dated, foreign and dull stereotype of opera are apt to enjoy “Patience,” which he refers to as “a stylized soap opera.”

“Honestly, I don’t really think there are lessons to be learned from ‘Patience,’” Houel-von Behren said. “I think students should come ready to laugh at a parody of the aesthetic movement.”

Houel-von Behren further praises the event as a period of growth for him as a performer, challenging him into acting differently, singing from comedic stances, maintaining character without breaking while delivering the comical dialogue and changing costumes quickly.

Evelynn Helman, who also recommends the operetta, worked with electricity for the tech team which hung the lights and focused them as per the director’s demands and the designer’s vision.

“It was different from the other theater programs that we had,” Helman said.

Tickets are $10 for CSU students, $1 tickets for patrons younger than 18 must be purchased at the Ticket Office and general admission is $20. They are available through the box office in the UCA lobby with at-the-door fees, by phone at (970) 491-2787, or online.

Spend your Friday night doing something unique and memorable, and support the hard work that your fellow Rams put into producing “Patience.”

Collegian Entertainment Reporter Hunter Goddard can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com.