Opera voices will be heard coming from the Student Center Thursday and Friday night when the work of Gilbert & Sullivan comes to life in the opera Patience.

The opera is performed by the SIUC’s opera theater. The opera revolves around the desire of two poets who are in love with the same girl, the village milkmaid named Patience.

Timothy Fink, the director of the show, said Patience is told that love is not perfect and the two poets are perfect so one of them has to change in the end to win her love.

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The show is also about people who cannot distinguish between the love of artisans and the love of art, he said.

The three main characters in the show are Patience, Grovner and Bunthorne, who are the two poets.

Julie Barber, who plays Patience, said her character is straightforward, simple, young and she says what she thinks.

Patience wants to love for love not for any other reason, she said.

Michael Lindner, who plays Grovner, said his character is an idealic poet.

My character believes he is cursed with perfection and he always has groupies following him around, he said.

Jesse Pierce, who plays Bunthorne, said his character is very popular among the maidens in the show.

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My character knows he is good-looking and he loves it, he said. His fondest love is for Patience, and he is willing to do anything to get her.

Pierce said his character is a fleshly poet, meaning he blurts out nonsense.

Fink said this is his favorite Gilbert & Sullivan opera.

Patience is playing in the Student Center Ballrooms at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

Tickets are $4 for students and $7 for senior citizens and $8 for the general public. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Student Center box office or can be purchased the night of the show. For more information call 453-3478.