History of the South Anglia Savoy Players
Founded in
1977 by the late Derek Collins, we are a band of Gilbert and Sullivan enthusiasts dedicated to producing
lively and fun performances of all the works of the two great collaborators
to the best possible standard. We are the only company to have performed
at every International
G&S festival
in Buxton , where we compete against other amateur
societies for a number of awards.
As well as touring the UK,
we have taken Gilbert & Sullivan to Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal
and the USA. In recent years the group has enjoyed considerable success
winning the International Gilbert & Sullivan trophy in Philadelphia
USA in 1996, and the International G&S Buxton festival trophy in
2001 and 2002, and have been six times 'runners-up' gaining forty two
individual awards.
We are proud to say that our 2009 production of Iolanthe came 3rd at Buxton and won the following awards:
- Best Traditional Production
- Best Duet: 'None shall part us from each other,' Oliver Savile and Charlotte Wattebot O'Brien
- Adjudicator's Special Award: The Peers' Chorus
We were also nominated in a further four categories:
- Best Chorus
- Best Director: Shane Collins
- Best Musical Director: Stephen Kenna
- Best Animated Chorus
In fifteen visits to the Waterford
International Festival we have won over fifty awards including the premier
award a record five times, and have been runners-up three times.
How we Operate
SASP put on one show per year, with a rehearsal
period stretching from May to July. We rehearse for approximately
six Sundays at Witham
Public Hall from
11.00am to 19.00 pm. We then have a small run of performances
in Essex prior to travelling to Buxton in Derbyshire for the festival
at the beginning of August. Every few years we also take part
in the Waterford
Festival of Light Opera
in Ireland.
Production Information
Revenue for
SASP comes generally from ticket sales. We have a small committee
consisting of a secretary Pam Adams and treasurer Chris Iddiols who
are responsible for operational matters. Cast members pay a show
fee to go towards costume hire and production costs and a small fee
per rehearsal which covers the hire of the hall, tea/coffee etc.
Casting is
in the hands of the Director, Shane Collins and the Musical Director,
Stephen Kenna who were selected by the company at the AGM in September.
Some casting will take place from the existing company but we do look
for people to play specific principal roles each year. Steve and
Shane work with our talented Choreographer, David Street to produce
the best show possible.
Because we
have a short rehearsal period, we try to arrive having familiarised
ourselves with the music and the plot, although we do not expect you
to be absolutely note perfect! There are a number of things available
to help you via the G&S
archive resources
page.
Musical scores
for G&S are readily available to buy or loan from libraries. Libretti
are available to download from the Gilbert
and Sullivan Archive ,
which contains a host of information about the shows. There are
also professional recordings of all the G&S shows. DVDs of
recent SASP shows at Buxton recorded professionally with full orchestra
are available here .
We are a diverse
and friendly society and stay in touch with members past and present
with regular emails of news.
Recent Shows
2010: The Pirates Of Penzance
2009: Iolanthe
2008: The Yeomen of the Guard
2007: Princess Ida
2006: Gondoliers
2005: The Mikado
2004: HMS Pinafore
2003: The Sorcerer
2002: Ruddigore
2001: The Pirates of Penzance
2000: Iolanthe
1999: The Mikado
1998: Princess Ida
1997: Patience
1996: The Yeomen of the Guard
1995: Ruddigore
1994: The Pirates of Penzance