WELCOME TO OUR WEBSITE
Hello and welcome to the online home of Leeds Gilbert & Sullivan Society! If you want more that you find on these few pages, do reach out - click on "CONTAST US" in the menu.
If you're interested in learning a little history of the society, just click the four brief HISTORY links on this page, and to meet the team who run the show scroll down.
To see galleries from previous shows, click "PAST SHOWS" below. We are building pages for as many of our previous shows as we can, but so far have only the last few years. For a full list of shows see the bottom of this page.
LG&S Productions
Leeds Gilbert and Sullivan Society was first known as Hunslet St Silas Choral and Operatic Society and it began its life over 100 years ago - in 1909 to be precise. A group of young people decided to support the local church “as a means of healthy recreation and to foster and develop a love of music in Hunslet.” This area of Leeds was at the time a thriving centre for the engineering industry in Leeds and the Society had many members who were, by day, involved in some way or another, with that industry.
The Society not only survived through two world wars, economic depression and major slum clearance in Hunslet but still went from strength- to- strength, producing Gilbert and Sullivan shows, other musicals and choral work. In 1953 the Society took their production of HMS Pinafore to the Leeds Civic Theatre and in 1954 was granted permission by Leeds City Council to use the Leeds Coat of Arms on its stationery. That same year the name of the Society was changed to The Leeds Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
The Society continued to enjoy enormous success at the Civic Theatre and then more recently at the Carriageworks Theatre in the centre of Leeds, winning many awards. and Leeds Gilbert and Sullivan Society (like the character in The Mikado) has always been the ‘Go-To’ Society for quality productions. The Society continues to offer “healthy recreation”, on and off stage, to our 90+ members whilst sharing a passion for Gilbert and Sullivan and many other forms of Musical theatre. In 2016, we produced Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld and other smaller recent productions have included I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Into the Woods and She Loves Me.
The Society continues to stay fundamentally the same, while evolving and exploring new ideas. In 2018 we premiered a brand new musical based on the works and characters of Gilbert & Sullivan, A Nice Dilemma, written and produced by Yorkshire-based Director Sarah Case. 2018 saw us return to The Mikado, in a completely new and innovative production. 2019 will bring the glorious musical classic: Guys & Dolls. 2020? We have plenty of ideas, but nothing we can share quite yet.
The Team
Janet Johnston
Janet has chaired the committee for 19 years and is actively involved in everything we do. If you have a question about pretty much anything, Janet is the person to go to! Janet will often be the person who makes announcements and gives information at rehearsals.
Emma Stirk
Running our Society involves many moving parts, many of which need financial and business management. Emma takes on these numerous and often unseen elements.
David Naylor
David looks after the purse strings for our society, including the 500 Club. David often sings with the tenors and Emma Stirk helps out by supporting him in all matter financial when he’s not around.
Katie Lister
Katie leads the admin for the society and coordinates new members, auditions, correspondence and supports the committee. She also works on publicity and communications including the website and is one of the ‘Tweeters’ on our Twitter account. Katie can be found singing with the altos.
Trustees
Steve Limb
Judith Smith
Committee
Becky Barwick
Jasmine Caine
Sarah Case
Hannah Faulkner
Anne Futers
Emma Kennedy
Chris Limb
Heather Pennwood
Matt Stirk
List Of Shows
1953 HMS Pinafore
1954 The Mikado
1955 The Gondoliers
1956 Yeomen of the Guard
1957 Trial by Jury & Pirates of Penzance
1958 Iolanthe
1959 Ruddigore
1960 The Mikado
1961 Patience
1962 The Gondoliers
1963 Princess Ida
1964 HMS Pinafore
1965 Yeomen of the Guard
1966 Iolanthe
1967 Trial by Jury & Pirates of Penzance
1968 The Mikado 1969 Ruddigore
1970 Patience
1971 The Gondoliers
1972 Princess Ida
1973 Yeomen of the Guard
1974 Iolanthe
1975 HMS Pinafore
1976 Utopia (Limited)
1977 The Mikado
1978 Ruddigore
1979 Patience
1980 The Gondoliers
1981 Trial by Jury & Pirates of Penzance
1982 Yeomen of the Guard
1983 Princess Ida
1984 Iolanthe
1985 The Mikado
1986 HMS Pinafore & The Zoo
1987 The Sorcerer
1988 The Gondoliers
1989 Ruddigore
1990 Patience
1991 Pirates of Penzance
1992 Yeomen of the Guard
1993 Iolanthe
1994 The Mikado
1995 Princess Ida
1996 HMS Pinafore & Trial by Jury
1997 The Gondoliers
1998 Ruddygore
1999 Pirates of Penzance
2000 Yeomen of the Guard
2001 The Sorcerer
2002 Iolanthe
2003 The Mikado
2004 Patience
2005 HMS Pinafore & The Zoo
2006 Pirates of Penzance
2007 The Gondoliers
2008 Ruddigore
2009 Princess Ida
2010 The Mikado
2011 Yeomen of the Guard
2012 Iolanthe
2013 The Sorcerer
2013 I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
2014 Pirates of Penzance
2014 Into The Woods
2015 Patience
2015 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
2016 Orpheus & The Underworld
2016 She Loves Me
2017 Kiss Me Kate
2017 Trial By Jury
2017 A Nice Dilemma
2018 The Mikado
2018 Closer Than Ever
2019 Guys & Dolls
2019 I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change!
2020 H.M.S. Pinafore (Cancelled before first performance)
2022 Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street