Whilst they may not have travelled over the bright blue sea to get here, the world famous Gilbert & Sullivan Festival has found a new home at the Royal Hall and the Harrogate Theatre after being unceremoniously kicked out of their long term home in Buxton.
Touted as the largest of its kind, the festival is set to commence on August 2nd, staging an impressive 60 full-scale performances during its relatively short 25 day run.
For any fans of the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, this is a fantastic chance to take in some of the classics, including H.M.S Pinafore, the Mikado and The Pirates Of Penzance. The festival’s very own professional theatre company will perform 23 of the works with the remainder being performed by some of the country’s very best theatre groups including Godalming Operatic Society; Grosvenor Light Opera Company; Harrogate Gilbert & Sullivan Society; Plymouth G&S Fellowship; Peak Opera; Red Line G&S Opera Company; South Anglia Savoy Players; SavoyNet Performing Group; Trent Opera and the WWOS musical theatre company. Also making an appearance will be 7 major university companies from, amongst others, Cambridge and Harvard – all hoping to win over the crowds and avoid a trial by jury.
21st Anniversary Celebrations
This year will mark the 21st anniversary of the festival and, to celebrate, Gilbert & Sullivan enthusiasts will take the role of the wandering minstrel – attempting to break a world record by performing all 13 operettas non-stop, in locations around Yorkshire. Each performance will include full theatrical sets and orchestra and will be over in the blink of an eye – or slightly longer at 30 hours. Alongside this world record attempt will be an X-Factor styled talent competition where future Gilbert & Sullivan stars have the opportunity to become the very model of a modern major Thespian.
Over the coming months production posters will be appearing throughout Harrogate and the wider area detailing performance times and venues. However, for any G&S fans who simply cannot wait for the three little maids from school to show up on the streets, then why not bring a little Mikado into your living room with some classic production posters from posterlounge.co.uk. Take a look at their fantastic selection and be sure to enjoy all the Gilbert & Sullivan festivities this coming summer.
