A chance remark by Derek, the husband of Mrs Marjorie Stoker, some forty years ago brought into being the society of which she is now President.
At the time Marjorie was a member of the Leeds G&S Society and was finding travelling to and from rehearsals rather irksome, so Derek suggested that she start a company in Castleford.
An advert was placed in the Pontefract and Castleford Express to that effect and a meeting arranged for interested parties. About two dozen attended that first get-together and it was decided there and then to organise a concert sometime in the spring of 1972 to raise funds, with a view to staging a full-blown production.
All went well and by October of that year ten principals, including Marjorie, playing Mabel and a chorus of forty-one ladies and thirteen gentlemen were assembled in Castleford Civic Centre to introduce the public of the area to the delights of Gilbert’s words and Sullivan’s music in their “Pirates of Penzance”. The show had been knocked into shape during those few months by Mr Jim Naylor, a veteran of G&S productions and Mr Edwin Lack, who was in charge of the conductor’s baton and an orchestra of thirteen. To provide a little more balance in the chorus a few of those forty-one ladies were recruited as pirates – though they did get changed in the ladies dressing room!
The next production, in the autumn of 1973, was the most popular of Gilbert and Sullivan’s works “The Mikado”. The society was ready to tackle any of the operettas and over the next six years, now under the musical direction of Mr Ian Smith, seven more were performed (the 1979 production being a double bill of “H.M.S. Pinafore” and “Trial by Jury” before “The Mikado” was repeated).
In 1981 “Utopia Ltd”, which requires eighteen principals, was Jim Naylor’s last show with the society and he was replaced by Ros Burgess-Dawson for the 1982 repeat of “Pirates”. Marjorie had by this time taken over as Musical Director but handed the baton to Mr David Hookham during show week and took the stage as Mabel again.
Ros and Marjorie were in charge for the next five shows during which time “Patience” and “The Sorcerer” were staged for the first time. Indeed, apart from “The Grand Duke” the society had now performed all the Savoy operas.
For the 1988 production of “Yeomen” a professional producer was engaged for the first time. Mr Tom Lawlor had had a wealth of experience in G&S, (with D’Oyly Carte) and grand opera at Glyndebourne. This too was the year that Mr Norman Walker replaced Mrs Dorothy Atkins as accompanist. Dorothy had done sterling service for all of seventeen years and, remarkably, the Society has only had those two accompanists in its thirty five years’ existence.
Tom stayed for four years and was succeeded by Mrs Roberta Morrell, who also had performed with the very best, including a brief appearance in the film “Chariots of Fire”. She and Marjorie steered the Society’s productions up to 1999, when Mr Roger Hurford took up the M.D.’s baton. Roberta stayed for two more shows before Mr Graham Weston was recruited to produce the Society’s fourth “Pirates”. This was also the show where Mr Stuart Whitwell, a long standing playing member took over as Chorus Master and M.D.
Although Graham holds down a day job he still finds the time and energy to produce and take part in numerous shows every year. For the 2005 production of “H.M.S. Pinafore” Malcolm Mawson was engaged as M.D. and he and Graham were in charge when the Society took its next major step and moved its annual production to the newly refurbished Pontefract Town Hall.
| Gilbert and Sullivan, Castleford's previous productions | |
| Main Shows | |
| 1972 The Pirates of Penzance | |
| 1973 The Mikado | |
| 1974 Ruddigore | |
| 1975 Iolanthe | |
| 1976 The Yeomen of the Guard | |
| 1977 The Gondoliers | |
| 1978 Princess Ida | |
| 1979 HMS Pinafore & Trial by Jury | |
| 1980 The Mikado | |
| 1981 Utopia Ltd | |
| 1982 The Pirates of Penzance | |
| 1983 Patience | |
| 1984 Ruddigore | |
| 1985 Iolanthe | |
| 1986 The Sorcerer | |
| 1987 The Gondoliers | |
| 1988 The Yeomen of the Guard | |
| 1989 Princess Ida | |
| 1990 HMS Pinafore | |
| 1991 The Mikado | |
| 1992 Patience | |
| 1993 The Sorcerer | |
| 1994 Iolanthe | |
| 1995 Ruddigore | |
| 1996 The Pirates of Penzance | |
| 1997 The Gondoliers | |
| 1998 The Yeomen of the Guard | |
| 1999 HMS Pinafore | |
| 2000 Princess Ida | |
| 2001 The Mikado | |
| 2002 The Pirates of Penzance | |
| 2003 The Sorcerer | |
| 2004 Patience | |
| 2005 HMS Pinafore | |
| 2006 The Mikado | |
| 2007 The Yeomen of the Guard | |
| 2008 The Gondoliers | |
| 2009 The Pirates of Penzance | |
| 2010 Iolanthe | |
| 2011 H.M.S. Pinafore & Trial by Jury | |
Page content last supdated: 27th November 2011.
