Annual General Meeting |
Thu, 01 Sep 2011Time: 7:15 pm
Venue: The Club for Acts and Actors, 20 Bedford Street, London. WC2E 9HP |
The 88th Annual General Meeting of The Gilbert and Sullivan Society will be held at The Club for Acts and Actors on Thursday 1st September 2011 commencing at 7.15pm
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Contact: Stuart Box (Hon. Secretary)
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Scott Hayes |
Thu, 15 Sep 2011Time: 7:15 pm
Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1 (nearest tube: Holborn) |
Scott Hayes, Sullivan’s great, great-nephew gives us another illustrated talk about Uncle Arthur
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Contact: Angie Arnell (Hon. Programme Secretary)
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Robin Wilson |
Wed, 12 Oct 2011Time: 7:15 pm
Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1 (nearest tube: Holborn) |
Robin Wilson gives us his illustrated lecture on ‘The Other side of Sullivan’.
The most important musician of his day, Sullivan composed a symphony, a concerto, many ballads and art songs, and a great amount of church and large-scale choral music, in addition to his famous operettas. Professor Wilson will explore the lesser-known side of Sullivan's output.
Professor Robin Wilson is Head of the Pure Mathematics Department at the Open University, Fellow of Mathematics at Keble College, Oxford, and Gresham Professor of Geometry, London. He has written and edited over two dozen books, on topics ranging from mathematics and its history, via philately, to the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and has recently published a book on mathematics and music |
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Contact: Angie Arnell (Hon. Programme Secretary)
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W.S. Gilberts's Birthday Event |
Tue, 15 Nov 2011Time: 7:15 pm
Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1 (nearest tube: Holborn) |
An evening with Jeff Clarke.
Jeff has worked extensively as a director and a musical director in professional theatre since 1982. Before starting his own opera company (Opera della Luna) he worked regularly in repertory theatres all over the country.
Opera della Luna's policy is to create new and innovative productions of musical theatre, comic opera and operetta, in English, and to tour them to mid-scale venues all over the UK. The company has won considerable acclaim for its highly entertaining and inventive performing style.
The company undertakes two major tours each year and regularly visits over a hundred venues countrywide. Occasionally the company tours overseas.
An unforeseen development of the company’s work began when a small “fun” production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance – as performed by an enthusiastic vicar and his parishioners – and entitled The Parson’s Pirates achieved something approaching cult status. Three other G and S productions have followed – The Ghosts of Ruddigore, The Mikado, and HMS Pinafore all adapted for a cast of 7 or 8 and no chorus. All have achieved great success and have toured extensively. |
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Contact: Angie Arnell (Hon Programme Secretary)
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Seasonal Gathering |
Tue, 06 Dec 2011Time: 7:15 pm
Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1 (nearest tube: Holborn) |
Our traditional Christmas event to include a special presentation on G&S costumed dolls by Christine and Alan Parfitt with Videos, a quiz, food and a magic show!
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Contact: Contact: Angie Arnell (Hon. Programme Secretary)
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An afternoon with May Fortescue |
Sat, 11 Feb 2012Time: 2:15 pm
Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1 (nearest tube: Holborn) |
Tony Joseph presents an afternoon on May Fortescue, D’Oyly Carte soprano with Leon Berger, Linda-Anne Hutchison and Bruce Graham
May Fortescue (1862–1950) was a singer and actor-manager of the Victorian era and a protégée of playwright W. S. Gilbert. She was a member of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1881 to 1883, when she left the company due to an engagement to a nobleman, young Arthur William Cairns, Lord Garmoyle (later the 2nd Earl Cairns). Cairns soon broke off the engagement under pressure from his family, and Fortescue returned to the stage in leading roles.
With the £10,000 that she received in her breach of promise lawsuit, Fortescue started her own touring theatre company, often performing the plays of W. S. Gilbert. Concidentally, Gilbert visited Fortescue on the day he died. Her acting career continued until 1926 |
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Contact: Angie Arnell (Hon. Programme Secretary)
Email:
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"No harm in reveling in the past" |
Sat, 17 Mar 2012Time: 2:15 pm
Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1 (nearest tube: Holborn) |
Celebrating much loved and missed D’Oyly Carte personalities. Led by Cynthia Morey and particularly commemorating VPs Sir Charles Mackerras, John Fryatt & Patricia Leonard
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Contact: Angie Arnell (Hon. Programme Secretary)
Email:
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Bernard Goss memorial event & Sullivan’s birthday |
Sat, 12 May 2012Time: 2:15 pm
Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1 (nearest tube: Holborn) |
An afternoon with Lorraine Daniels accompanied by Hilary Morgan.
Lorraine Daniels was known by her full name, Lorraine Dulcie-Daniels, when she joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company chorus in January 1976. She had previously studied at Trinity College, London, and in 1974 won the Elisabeth Schumann Lieder Competition. During her first full season with the Company (August 1976-July 1977) she began to make occasional appearances in small parts (Edith in The Pirates of Penzance, Leila in Iolanthe, and Vittoria in The Gondoliers).
From 1979, Miss Daniels continued to appear as Edith, Iolanthe, and Pitti-Sing, while adding Phoebe in Yeomen, Tessa in Gondoliers, and Constance in The Sorcerer to her regular duties. She eventually yielded Edith to Jill Pert (in 1980), and Gondoliers was dropped from the repertoire beginning in September 1980, but Ruddigore was added in its place, with Miss Daniels as Mad Margaret. She continued to appear as Constance, Iolanthe, Pitti-Sing, Margaret, and Phoebe until the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company closed for good in February 1982.
Since the D'Oyly Carte's closure, Miss Daniels has made many concert and operatic appearances in Great Britain and North America. Her London credits include concerts at the Barbican and Royal Festival Hall, as well as seasons at Sadler's Wells, the London Palladium, the Savoy, and the Adelphi. She toured North America frequently with Kenneth Sandford, Geoffrey Shovelton, John Ayldon, and others with a concert program of G&S favorites called 'The Best of Gilbert and Sullivan', and may be heard singing selections from the G&S repertoire on a cassette recording of that title privately produced in 1995. She also appeared briefly as Pitti-Sing in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. |
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Contact: Angie Arnell (Hon. Programme Secretary)
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Further details, recent biographies from and programme suggestions to:
Angie Arnell, Hon. Programme Secretary
c/o Wunbee, 1b Victoria Road, Erith, Kent, DA83EH
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