the SAVOY SOCIETY of OTTAWA

Savoy Society of Ottawa | PO Box 4355 Station E, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B3 | 613-825-5855 | info@ottawasavoysociety.org


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About Savoy

Who we are and what we do

Founded in 1975, The Savoy Society of Ottawa is an organization of people who share a common interest in performing the comic operas of Sir William S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan. The name "Savoy" is taken from the London Theatre of the same name, where Gilbert and Sullivan's operas were performed in the late 19th century.

Our first production, The Pirates of Penzance, opened on April 29, 1976, at L'Ecole Secondaire de LaSalle on Old St. Patrick Street, and played for 4 performances. We moved to the Centrepointe Theatre in Nepean when it opened in 1988 (as its first client), and we now play 7 public performances, including a Sunday Matinee, plus a Benefit performance.

Savoy is an organization in which we take great pride. It is comprised of a large number of devoted and talented people who produce a very high quality of performance on stage, is self-supporting and financially sound, enjoys a solid reputation in the community, and has a very strong family atmosphere which allows individuals to engage in artistic expression in a warm and supportive environment.

Membership

Our membership is drawn from all walks of life in the National Capital Region. For those who wish to perform, our casts are selected through open auditions each year, and are usually in the range of 40 people. For those interested in offstage roles, some 150 people are required each year to fill all the back stage positions necessary to present the show. Except for directors and a professional orchestra, all cast and back stage members are volunteers.

For more information on becoming a member of the Savoy Society, see our Getting Involved section.

Community Service

The Savoy Society has a tradition of service to the community, which we perform in several ways:

Performance History

As of 2008: In 33 years, we have opened the curtain on 237 public performances and 31 Benefit performances of 31 different productions, and have played to some 130,000 people.

There are 11 Gilbert and Sullivan operas that are still generally performed we have performed each of them at least once.

2009 The Gondoliers
2008 Pirates of Penzance
2007 Iolanthe
2006 HMS Pinafore
2005 Patience
2004 The Mikado
2003 The Sorcerer
2002 The Gondoliers
2001 Ruddigore
2000 The Pirates of Penzance
1999 The Yeomen of the Guard
1998 Trial by Jury, H.M.S. Pinafore
1997 Princess Ida
1996 Iolanthe
1995 The Mikado
1994 The Gondoliers
1993 Patience
1992 The Pirates of Penzance
1991 Trial by Jury, H.M.S. Pinafore
1990 Ruddigore
1989 The Yeomen of the Guard
1988 Iolanthe
1987 The Mikado
1986 The Gondoliers
1985 The Pirates of Penzance
1984 Princess Ida
1983 Trial by Jury, H.M.S. Pinafore
1982 Ruddigore
1981 The Yeomen of the Guard
1980 The Mikado
1979 Patience
1978 The Gondoliers
1977 Iolanthe
1976 The Pirates of Penzance

2010 - 2011 Board of Directors

The operations of the Savoy Society are governed by our volunteer Board of Directors. The 2009-2010 Board is:

President Dennis Watson
Vice-President Bruce Patterson
Treasurer Ted Metelnick
Secretary Kim MacDonald
Directors at Large Vance Bolling
Pam Ford
Andrea Kinsley
Kevin Gehrels
Past President Penny Mapleston

The Savoy

Why should an Ottawa group devoted to Gilbert and Sullivan be called The Savoy Society? Do we have anything to do with that region in France nestled between Italy and Switzerland?

"Savoy" actually refers to the Savoy Theatre in London, which was built by impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte in 1881 from the profits of the early G&S operas. This theatre, on the Thames Embankment just off the Strand, now has its entrance in part of the renowned Savoy Hotel, which Carte built in 1889.

The name was chosen from the fact that the site was once occupied by the Savoy Palace, built on land granted in 1246 by King Henry III to his wife’s uncle, Peter of Savoy (later the Duke of Savoy). The Palace was the most splendid nobleman’s residence in London, and in the 14th century came to be occupied by John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster, until it was burned down during the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381.

The Savoy Theatre was built during the run of Patience, and it was hailed as London's most modern theatre, with innovations such as numbered seating and free programme booklets (the latter no longer the practice in London!). Most notable of all was the fact that the Savoy was the first public building in the world to be lit by electricity.

The Gilbert and Sullivan operas are also known as the Savoy Operas due to the fact that all of them, with the exception of first, Thespis, either premiered or were revived at the Savoy. According to some definitions, a Savoy Opera can be any opera that was performed at the theatre, which would take in a number of other works from the 1890s and 1900s, such as Hood and German's Merrie England, as well as collaborations Gilbert and Sullivan made with other partners.

In the 20th century, the Savoy continued its life as one of the great West End theatre, and it occasionally welcomed back the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company for some of their London seasons. The theatre was substantially renovated by Rupert D’Oyly Carte (son of Richard) in 1929, and much of the interior was gutted in a fire in 1990, the theatre being restored and reopened three years later.

The name "Savoy" has thus become firmly linked with the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. There are dozens of Gilbert and Sullivan groups around the world that pay tribute to the original home of the operas by using the name "Savoy", the Savoy Society of Ottawa being one.