Welcome to the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Western Australia!

Established in 1951 by Bernard Manning, the Society has been a major contributor to the musical life of Perth. Many national and indeed international performers have received some of their earliest stage musical experiences through the Society.

The Society has always aspired to be be an amateur company performing at a professional standard. To this end, we have been fortunate in securing the services of some of Australia's best-known and talented directors and musical directors.

News

The Gondoliers - October 2011
The Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s 60th Anniversary Production was staged at the Octagon Theatre (on the University of WA campus) between the 6th and 15th October before enthusiastic and appreciative audiences.
It is the first production of the Society in this venue and we were all impressed by the facilities at the Octagon.  The orchestra pit (which is not often used) proved to be most satisfactory for our purposes and the general impression was that this is a venue we can continue to use for our major productions.

Sir Charles Court Centenary Dinner - September 2011
The late Sir Charles Court was patron of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society from 1974 until his passing in 2007.  In view of his long association and of his son Victor Court’s current association with the Bullock Trust the Society was asked to provide entertainment at a special dinner held on 29th September.  Several of the cast of The Gondoliers provided excerpts from that show and were well received by the 270 audience at that dinner.  The Society President, Max Page, gave a brief address outlining Sir Charles’ musical achievements, his contribution to the Gilbert and Sullivan Society and his support for the arts in general (click here to read the address).

Another birthday party - September 2011
On a somewhat smaller scale two members and a pianist provided the entertainment at a surprise birthday party for a visiting G & S buff.  This sort of concert is something we like to see, extending the Society and its activities into the broader community.

Summerset Arts Festival, Scarborough Beach - February 2011
We were delighted in 2011 to participate for the first time in the Summerset Arts Festival at Scarborough, courtesy of the City of Stirling, as part of the Theatre by the Beach series. The amazing Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre was packed with young and not-so-young alike for what was a terrific abridged version of the classic Pirates. See here for more details and pictures!