President’s Update

Welcome to the first President’s Update of 2023.

We were delighted to be back in the magnificent setting of the Festival Theatre back in February for our production of The Yeomen of The Guard. For now, however, we hope you enjoyed the grandest of all Gilbert & Sullivan Savoy Operas The Yeomen of the Guard onto one of the largest stages in Europe. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our hard-working production team and committee who have worked tirelessly throughout the year. This year has been extremely challenging, especially finding a set to fit the stage of the Festival Theatre. A special mention to our Production Manager Mike Pendlowski who has designed this amazing set of Tower Green. We expect to be here for the next two years, while the King’s Theatre is closed for renovations.

Next year is an exciting year for the Society as we celebrate our centenary. I hope I hope you’ll be able to join us for many of the events we have planned. Plans for our 2024 centenary production of are already underway, as well as a centenary concert and other celebrations in what promises to be a memorable year. Auditions for the production will take place later this year. If you’re interested in taking a leading role, or appearing as a member of the chorus, please contact Annabel Hamid (secretary @ edgas.org) for further information.

Finally, thank you for supporting us throughout 2022 and so far through 2023. This year’s production is costing the company around £90,000 to stage. We don’t receive any grants or funding, so your support is vital as it enables us to ensure Gilbert & Sullivan’s wonderful operas continue to be enjoyed. I know many of you are regular attendees, coming to see us year after year-it’s great to see you once again! If you are new, I hope you’ll enjoy what we do and come back next year to support us again. Let us know your thoughts on what we do and keep in touch through our Facebook page or website.

All the best,

Andrew Crawford, President