Film Premiere!
Our Great Pasha: Inventing American Operetta

Taylor Screening Room, Tampa Theatre
September 19, 2026, 1:00 PM
Free Admission
Film (42 minutes) followed by a live performance and filmmaker conversation

A Documentary by Steven Nye

 
A team of scholars and performing artists reconstructs Richard Stahl’s operetta Said Pasha to uncover a hidden chapter in the origins of American musical theater. By asking the question, “what is American about American operetta?” – a genre that originated in other countries – the film confronts the possibilities and limits of representing race on the American stage in the late 19th century. The film features the only known recordings of songs from Said Pasha as well as “When Someone Pulls the String,” a popular song from Stahl’s hit musical comedy A Stranger in New York.


 
Filmed at the historic Tampa Theatre and the Henry B. Plant Museum, Our Great Pasha holds special significance for local audiences. The film is the second in a planned trilogy that traces the beginnings of American musical theater. The series’ first film, March of the Black Hussars: Viennese Operetta in America, was nominated for best mid-length film at the 2026 Sunscreen Film Festival.

Seating is limited; advance registration required.
RSVP to Jill D’Anna at 813.258.7302 or jdanna@ut.edu
 
Our Great Pasha was made possible by the generous support of: