While some groups are wondering how to attract young people into Amateur Dramatics, Benfleet Operatic Society has 9 proud members with sons and daughters joining them in The Pirates Of Penzance which opens at The Appleton School Theatre on Wednesday 9 April. One of the strengths of BOS is the variety of their programme with a mixture of shows, operetta, choral work and concerts attracting a good mix of members -old hands and new enthusiasts. Several teenagers have joined for recent shows including Anything Goes and the Society has just held auditions for children to be in Oliver in November. It could be the start of a whole new generation of members!
Benfleet Operatic Society began in 1956 as the Benfleet Methodist Choral Society and productions were staged in the tiny church hall. Our first performance was Christmas Music from Handel's Messiah. Marian Mitchell took the baton, which she held almost continually until her death in 1995. Our first Gilbert and Sullivan production was The Sorcerer in 1957 and we are delighted that a couple of the younger members of the cast from this original production are still with us nearly 50 years later! BOS has built a Reputation for Gilbert & Sullivan staging all 13 of Savoy operas on a number of occasions. The Society would usually produce one main show each year and an oratorio including over the years Olivet to Calvary, The Crucifixion, Elijah and The Messiah as well as several lesser-known works. Some years later we changed our name to Benfleet Operatic Society and in 1970 moved from the church hall to the larger Appleton School Theatre in Benfleet and occasionally other venues such as The Paddocks Theatre on Canvey Island. The 70's marked our debut in grand opera with staged excerpts from The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. During the 80's we started performing more modern Musical Shows, such as Oliver, Fiddler On The Roof, Half a Sixpence The Music Man and Scrooge and in 1983 we performed a concert version of Carmen. A complete list of all our past productions can be found on our website www.benop.org.uk
Whilst the society has grown over the years it has always been based in the local community. In the early years the scenery was a few flats and a hand painted backcloth by a local artist. Highlight of the year was the annual scrubbing down of last year's Ducal Palace or Rocky Seashore with a hose and buckets in the garden - definitely a time for wearing swimsuits!! Now the scenery is hired, but the group is still strongly community based and relies on an experienced team of backstage crew and front of house drawn from friends and relations who help make shows a success. Social events include the annual dinner, quizzes, family fun picnics and model car racing. Looking to the future we would like to build links with one of our local schools not only to encourage AmDram, but also to give students the opportunity of being involved on the technical side or with the business of running a Society
We are affiliated with NODA (National Operatic and Dramatic Association), and have received a number of NODA awards. Most recently Dave Roberts was Highly Commended for his moving performance as Ebenezer Scrooge in Scrooge - The Musical. Prior to that both Keith and Robin Mitchell received the Best Individual Performer award for Fiddler on the Roof and Music Man respectively. We have also received the Best Chorus award for Orpheus in the Underworld and Iolanthe.
Pirates, one of Gilbert and Sullivan's best-loved shows and a firm favourite with BOS members tells the story of Frederic, mistakenly apprenticed as a pirate instead of a pilot by his hard of hearing nursemaid. The Pirates are a soft-hearted band who never attack a ship that is weaker than their own and are chased by a squad of keystone cops out to protect the honour of the large family of daughters of Major General Stanley.
Recently many groups have returned to old favourites from the G&S stable and there has been a revival of the Doyle Carte professional company performing at The Savoy Theatre in London. Enthusiasts now have their own G&S website, an International Festival held in Buxton each year and a discussion board called Savoynet.
Two of the male principals won't be lost for words, each having played the others role before. Dave Roberts (Pirate King) played Major General in the 1972 production and Rob Gray (Major General) played Pirate King in 1988 production. And just for good measure producer Keith Mitchell has played both rolls as well. Between them the three have racked up over a dozen performances of Pirates playing all the male roles.
We always welcome new members of all voices. After Pirates The Society will be holding rehearsals for Curtain Up - a concert of show songs for Friends of St James' Church, Hadleigh on 26 April and then for Oliver from 26 to 29 November.
The Pirates of Penzance - Benfleet Operatic Society
The Appleton School Theatre, Benfleet
Wednesday 9th - Saturday 12th April at 7.45pm
Tickets £5 to £7.50 from Box Office: 01268 692786 - for further information please contact Robert Gray on 01268 751303
