The
Savoy Singers is a well-known amateur operatic society based in Camberley, Surrey.
The Savoy Singers was formed in 1969 to promote the comic operettas of W. S. Gilbert
and Arthur Sullivan (G&S).
For its first effort, a sketchbook performance
of The Gondoliers was booked for one night only at the Camberley Civic
Hall.
We
now produce two shows a year, one by Gilbert and Sullivan and the other usually
a light opera or musical.
There are thirty to forty performers in each production
although the Society numbers far greater than this if non-performers, backstage
crew, rehearsal assistants and so on are included.
We
are affiliated to NODA and have won awards both for our productions and our programmes.
In
1992 our production of The Gondoliers won an Accolade of Excellence, as too did
our productions of HMS Pinafore (1997), Rose of Persia (2003), Utopia Limited
(2005), and Patience (2006).
Programmes for Anything Goes and
Patience were joint winners in 2006.
Since
1992 we have expanded our repertoire, performing a second show each Autumn. Initially
this was an operetta from the end of the last century (In 1992 this was Die
Fledermaus), but in recent years we have moved dramatically to the present
day with a production of the rock musical Chess, to much success.Our loyal audiences have enjoyed successful productions of shows such as Kiss Me, Kate, The Merry Widow, Bitter Sweet, Anything Goes, Hello, Dolly! and two George Gershwin musicals Strike Up the Band and Of Thee I Sing as well as our Gilbert and Sullivan performances.
We
have taken three of our productions to the Gilbert & Sullivan Festival held
in Buxton, Derbyshire, each year. The Sorcerer in 1998 was our first and
we subsequently returned with The Mikado in 1999 and The Grand Duke
in 2001. This is not the first time we have performed "away from home" having appeared several times on LWT's "Barrymore" show.
In 1998 we also had the exciting opportunity to "travel back in time" as extras in the Mike Leigh G&S film Topsy Turvy.
We have also made two trips to perform in Camberley's twin town of Bietigheim, Southern Germany; on our second trip we took our 1994 production of The Pirates Of Penzance.
In
March 2003 we gave a rare performance of The Rose Of Persia which is another
of the Savoy Operas, but this show was written by Sullivan and Capt. Basil Hood
(the librettist for Merrie England). This was very well received by both
our regulars and the many people who travelled the length of the country to see
it.We are occasionally able to perform a lesser known work, an opportunity to be enjoyed by members and audiences alike. This was the case with the two Gershwin musicals Strike Up the Band and Of Thee I Sing , Rose of Persia already mentioned and our unique production of Utopia Limited.
Members
of the Society live within the Surrey/Hampshire/Berkshire borders.
We
are always keen to welcome new members.
For more information contact the membership
secretary: Mrs Ann Cousins,
01276 23130 or visit our Join Us page
