"New Society Sails to Success With Gondoliers" was the headline in the theatre section of the Evening Gazette on Tuesday 6"` September 1971. The new society being the Rosedale Gilbert and Sullivan Society, the brain child of the late Madam Greta Cook, a well known singer, music teacher, choir mistress and enthusiast for amateur musical theatre. Mrs. Cook felt the area needed a society devoted to the Savoy Operas.
With the help of among others, Nancy Chilvers, Margaret Seaman and ex Savoyard Beryl Dixon she set about the task, using her ladies choir as a nucleus and drawing members from all over the district she formed her society naming it "Rosedale" after the village in which she was living at the time also the name of her ladies choir. Ironically neither the "Society" nor the choir has ever had a member from the village of Rosedale.
1973 was an exciting year for the society, when, after producing "The Mikado" in Middlesbrough, they took the show to The Waterford Festival of Light Opera. The operetta was performed on two consecutive nights. An extract from the Dublin Evening Herald Dated 22“° September 1973 reads,
“‘Last night The Rosedale Gilbert and Sullivan Society from Middlesbrough gave what was one of the most brilliant presentations of "The Mikado" ever seen in Waterford."
The following awards went to the Society, runner up for best female actor, Margaret Smith, now Margaret Jones our Chair Person, certificates of merit for singing and acting, Joan Addison. John Gallagher and David Pointer. The Alex Sweeney award for best costumes, to the Society. A special award for the most outstanding set, to the late Derek Copeland, then Manager of Middlesbrough Little Theatre, and great friend of the Society. The 1996 production of "H.M.S. Pinafore" was taken to the "Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan" at Buxton in Derbyshire.
Since its inception The Society has staged a Savoy Opera every year and has performed "The Canon" with the exception of "The Grand Duke”. Numerous concerts have been staged on our own behalf and we have provided the chorus for concerts by “The Principals of D’Oyly Carte” and “Gilbert and Sullivan for All” at Billingham Forum and former D’Oyly Carte principal lan Wallace at Middlesbrough Town Hall.
|
|
TEES VALLEY GILBERT & SULLIVAN SOCIETY PREVIOUS PRODUCTIONS
2007 HMS PINAFORE
2006 IOLANTHE
2005 PATIENCE
2004 THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
2003 THE SORCERER
2002 THE GONDOLIERS
2001 THE MIKADO
2000 IOLANTHE
1999 RUDDIGORE
1998 THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD
1997 THE SORCERER (Open air)
1996 HMS PINAFORE
1995 THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
1994 UTOPIA LIMITED
1993 THE GONDOLIERS
1992 THE MIKADO
1991 PATIENCE
1990 IOLANTHE
1989 PRINCESS IDA
1988 THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD
1987 THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
1986 RUDDIGORE
1985 HMS PINAFORE
1984 THE SORCERER & TRIAL BY JURY
1983 THE GONDOLIERS
1982 THE MIKADO
1981 IOLANTHE
1980 PRINCESS IDA
1979 THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
1978 PATIENCE
1977 THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD
1976 HMS PINAFORE
1975 THE SORCERER & TRIAL BY JURY
1974 RUDDIGORE
1973 THE MIKADO
1972 IOLANTHE
1971 THE GONDOLIERS
|
