G&S Festival NEWS
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G&SG&S FestivalFestival NEWSNEWS 14th Festival: Saturday July 28th to Sunday August 19th June 2007 FOOD HALL BUXTON AWAITS PROJECT Welcome to our "new look" pre-Festival news- DROPPED letter. As you can see, it takes a comprehensive The Buxton Pavilion Gardens look at the wonderful programme that awaits you. will not become a regional Bookings for this year’s Festival are looking good – but there food hall. The East Midlands is still plenty of room for the scores of supporters who Development Agency regularly book at the last minute. (EMDA) is not convinced that the project will be There are so many late night Festival Club, viable and is no longer highlights this year. We have and most of the other prepared to risk its multi- four professional shows – regular Buxton attractions million pound investment. two from the Carl Rosa will be there for you to Company (Yeomen and enjoy. At the same time EMDA has Iolanthe), and two new recognised that the Pavilion The Festival opens with Gardens is an important productions from our own another flourish – visiting heritage venue which Gilbert and Sullivan Opera societies singing from the contributes to the economic and Company (Patience and G&S canon, around the social well-being of the Peak Mikado). entire Pavilion Gardens. District and Buxton – and We have performing groups We invite you to be the believes its impact could be travelling from as far afield audience and the chorus, even greater. as Australia, South Africa, and then to join us in a EMDA will now work with the the USA, Ireland and all massive opening sing in High Peak Borough Council to the Octagon. points from within the UK. investigate how the complex can I have certainly got my be enhanced to: Fabulous Fringe "little list" of so many • Improve its economic use We have a fabulous fringe activities, too good to miss. • Encourage greater programme; some I look forward to seeing community and visitor use outstanding cabarets in our you there. • Protect and improve the building’s quality and ASSOCIATION RENEWALS presentation. “This is good news for the It is that time of the year. Membership of the Gilbert and Festival,” says Ian Smith, the Sullivan Association is due for renewal. Remember your Festival Director. “High Peak have contribution funds all our youth initiatives including the Youth now offered us a one year extension Production, Young Artistes activities and the school programme. to our contract which means we Enclosed is a membership renewal/application form. will be back in Buxton in 2008 for Thank you in anticipation. our 15th event.” 1 Spotlight on . The Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company Our very own professional company will be back and as Yum-Yum will be again this year with two sparkling productions Rebecca Bottone, who from Alan Spencer and John Owen Edwards. recently wowed the critics This is the team that gave us wonderful and audiences alike at productions of H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates London's Coliseum (also a of Penzance to critical acclaim last year. Matcham theatre, like Buxton Opera House) In fact Robert Beale of the Manchester Evening News where she appeared as noted " . Alan Spencer's production of H.M.S. Casilda in ENO's Pinafore . was another example of his ability to create production of The magic in a great tradition" and he went on to say "this Gondoliers. Rebecca year's outing revealed new facets of the diamond which is graduated from the Royal the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company . and Academy of Music and has quickly established an provides the best G&S available anywhere in the country enviable reputation as a these days". soprano of note, High praise indeed and a compliment to all our performing in many of the performers, production team and orchestra for their major houses across Europe invaluable contribution to its success. and for companies such as We very much hope to professionally. This will be the Royal Opera House, build on this success in followed with three Opera North, English Touring Opera and RSNO. 2007 and are delighted that performances of The the team will be performing Mikado (Friday 10th and Making a welcome return a new production of Sat 11th August) and early this year as Pooh-Bah and Patience (Friday 3rd and indications from the box the Major will be Gareth Sat 4th August) following office suggest that they are Jones, a member of the demands from many both being well received. original D'Oyly Carte for whom he appeared as audience members to see Making her début with us Strephon, Guiseppe, the this piece staged in the title rôle of Patience Counsel and Cox. He has recently returned from the USA playing the Mikado and Captain Corcoran for Carl Rosa Opera and has appeared for us in Buxton many times, most recently as King Hildebrand in 2003. We're also delighted to Alan SpencerJohn Owen Edwards Rebecca Bottone welcome back firm G&SOC favourites including Simon Butteriss, Jill Pert and Donald Maxwell. Don't miss out on any of these shows. If you haven't booked your seats yet ring 084512-72190. Gareth Jones Simon Butteriss Jill Pert Donald Maxwell 2 Having a Ball! THANK YOU! A big "Thank you" to those who have sent us donations of unwanted G&S scores and other memorabilia. These are always welcome, especially scores and libretti. We are gradually accumulating a useful archive of material. If anyone has any unwanted scores or libretti, we would be delighted to receive them at the Festival Office and can guarantee Regular Festival attendees Pam Waring and Sandra Wilkinson that they will be put to with Festival Secretary Neil Smith and his younger brother Ian! good use. Alternatively, by all means bring them Thanks to everyone who joined in the spirit of to Buxton with you and our St George's weekend in Buxton in April. deliver them to the Portacabin. All the proceeds have gone to our Youth Initiative, which will once again be strongly featured throughout this year’s Festival. It was sung in South Africa, across the United Whilst the April weekend did not attract the numbers States, and by one lucky that we would have wished, everyone who person on a cruise ship in participated agreed it was a fabulous programme. the Caribbean. Thanks to the Magnus C of E School, Newark, who presented a full scale production of The Pirates of Supporting Youth Penzance in the Paxton. And it is all about raising money to enable our Youth This performance Sunday afternoon, and School Initiative to take demonstrated what our culminating in a sing of off. By the end of this Youth Initiative is all about. "Hail Poetry" at exactly year’s Festival, we will have Children, you were great. 4.00pm. our first full school kit ready. It is of course The Venetian Ball From China to Pirates of Penzance, which We "had a Ball" that Somerset features a new vocal score, evening. It was a Venetian And at the same time, specially adapted for young Ball. Our grateful thanks people in different parts of people's voices, and a to the 15 or so couples the world stood up and teacher's pack offering from the Old Time Dance sang with us. Alistair ideas and suggestions how Society, who demonstrated Donkin halted a rehearsal in to take a production of the elegance of their hobby. the South West of England, Pirates, and turn it into an It was dancing at its best. and the whole cast joined entire school initiative. The weekend highlight was in. The Reverend Stephen Details will be available of course the fabulous Shipley's son sang it from from our Portacabin concert in the Octagon on his apartment in China. throughout the festival. 3 OVERSEAS VISITORS The Gilbert and Sullivan Festival has become a societies, many of whose truly international event and we are especially members are Buxton pleased this year to be welcoming performing regulars. groups from four continents. And from Europe - just Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria, from Australia, across the Irish Sea - comes will have travelled the greatest distance to bring their another group making its production of Patience (14 August). Buxton début – Festival Productions, Ireland's premier amateur society. They will present The Mikado on 15 August. SavoyNet is an internet discussion group, which exists in a world where distances don't matter. But once a year many of them travel to Buxton to spend ten days rehearsing a show for the Festival. This year's H.M.S. Pinafore on 8 Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Victoria August will be their In fact, it would be difficult present The for anyone to travel further Gondoliers (12 - unless there is a New August). Zealand society out there The Philadelphia reading this! Gilbert and Sullivan A very warm welcome back Union, from the to the Gilbert and Sullivan United States, is Society of Cape Town, who making its first were last with us in 2005 Festival appearance when they overcame with Iolanthe (5 appalling transport August), but many The Cape Town problems to win our hearts of their faces are familiar. Gilbert & Sullivan Society with The Pirates of That's because the group is a eleventh consecutive Penzance. This year they union of six Philadelphia Buxton production and the cast is drawn from the UK, Europe and North America. Add to these enthusiasts the individual visitors from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the fourteenth Festival is perhaps the most international ever! The Philadelphia Gilbert & Sullivan Union 4 FIRST TIME AT THE FESTIVAL? HERE’S HOW IT WORKS First time visitors to the festival might find the closing time at about 1.00am.