May 2025: We become a registered charity
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| Our 2025 production of Ruddigore |
This year we've taken another step forward as a Society by becoming a registered charity (no. 1213199) thus ensuring the future of our Society's funding and also as a home for G&S and musical theatre, both for talented local performers and for our wonderful audiences.
Many thanks to our Treasurer David Crew and Chair Karen Wedekind for all their hard work navigating this and making it all possible!
March 2025: Trial by Jury Bring & Sing and World Piano Day
PBGS had a busy day on the 29th March! In the afternoon we had our Trial by Jury Bring and Sing at Pirton Village Hall, and we had a fantastic time singing this piece together and celebrating its 150th Anniversary. Many thanks to everyone who joined us to sing or to listen, our wonderful cast, our MD Margaret Johnson for getting such a great performance out of us, all the helpers who served yummy tea and cake (not to mention washing up) and all from Pirton who helped us set up! What a wonderful afternoon of music making and reuniting with old friends who came to share the occasion with us.
In the morning we were in Hitchin Market Square celebrating World Piano Day, entertaining passing shoppers and raising money for the Garden House Hospice. Many Thanks to Sue Trost for organising it and playing the Old Joanna for us. We had brilliant sunshine and there was even an eclipse of the sun...
Sept 2019: Congratulations to Richard Syms
Many congratulations
to Director Richard Syms who gave us our wonderful 'A Little Night
Music' last year, led us bravely through the tangled forests of 'Into the Woods' and directed our stunning 'Merry Widow'. Richard is celebrating 50
years as a priest and 40 years in professional theatre. It's always a joy working with you, Richard.
Sept 2019: Why singing is good for you
Take a listen to this wonderful interview on Three Counties Radio with our Chairwoman Paula Fraser and member Al Saunders on why singing and being a member of a group like PBGS is good for your mental health and welbeing. The interview starts at 0.44.40. Well done, both of you, on speaking so eloquently about such an important subject.
Three Counties Radio: Reflecting on World Suicide prevention day
July 2019: PBGS at Benslow Music's Open Day
It was really lovely to sing once again at Benslow Music Trust's Open Day and bring a mixed programme of G&S to a small but really appreciative audience! We performed selections from Iolanthe to give everyone a taste of our next show, then launched into excerpts from Ida, Patience, Gondoliers and Mikado. There were lots of smiling faces and we had great fun too. Any excuse to sing and lark about in G&S topsy-turvydom!
July 2019: PBGS at Ampthill Proms
PBGS was thrilled to take part in this amazing event with Ampthill
Concert Orchestra and Redborne Choir. While the sky lit up with fireworks at Ampthill Proms, we were lustily singing 'O Fortuna' from Orff's Carmina
Burana. We also sang Verdi's 'Anvil Chorus' (very loudly) and waved our flags through
'Land of Hope and Glory', 'Jerusalem' and 'Rule Britannia'. Oh,
and did we mention, Collabro were there too! What an amazing thing to be part of. We'd love to do it all over again!
April 2019: Praise for our Grand Duke!
What a wonderful show Grand Duke has been. We were fortunate to see it twice on Thursday and Saturday and greatly enjoyed both times.Thanks to Mr and Mrs Parfitt for sharing how much they enjoyed the show with us, Grand Duke is a difficult show to pull-off successfully and encouraging words like these make all the hard work worthwhile! And, yes, we were all having a great time on stage!
This is one of the best productions of GD that we have seen ( and we have seen a few!). Careful editing of the text and tasteful updating plus superb direction gave us a lively, vibrant and colourful production. The set was simple but so effective and lighting well controlled and shaped the emotions of the scenes.
Choreography was fantastic and made full use of the stage. It was lovely to see all the chorus working so hard throughout, but also clearly showing that they were enjoying what they were doing. Strong performances from the Principals gave the finishing touches. All in all a show of which everyone can be proud. Please pass our congratulations and thanks to all.
We look forward to Iolanthe in October.
Dec 2018: Life Membership for Teresa Newham
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| Teresa in The Merry Widow |
Nov 2018: PBGS performs with Amptill Concert Orchestra
We were really thrilled to perform in this fabulous Gala Concert with Ampthill Concert Orchestra on the 25th November. It was lovely sing with such a large orchestra and to take the stage with so many talented young people. There was a lineup of Stellar soloists, including Bonaventura Bottone who created Koko for Jonathan Millar's now famous Black and White Mikado with the ENO. Nice to hear our men's chorus joining him in A Wandering Minstrel I and giving a stirring performance!
Sept 2018: PBGS sing for EHAA in Stevenage
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| Jon Newham explains a policeman's lot... |
August 2018: PBGS at the 25th International G&S Festival in Harrogate
PBGS was thrilled to open the Festival Fringe for the 25th Silver Jubilee International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Harrogate with our production of The Gondoliers on Thursday 9th August 2018 at Harrogate Theatre. The Festival is a wonderful event to take part in which stretches every company and PBGS rose to the challenge in style, as you can see from the screen grabs of our performance! Thanks to everyone who made this possible and to the International G&S Festival for hosting such a celebration of all things Gilbert and Sullivan. It really was 'too much happiness'.
July 2018: PBGS sing at Benslow Music's Open Day
PBGS was thrilled to perform once again at the Benslow Music Trust's Open Day. Seven PBGS members along with MD Sue Trost sang selections from A Little Night Music and The Gondoliers, with a little detour into Pirates half way through to get the audience to sing along with 'A Policeman's Lot'. Benslow Music offers residential and day music courses, and chamber concerts at its beautiful purpose-built campus in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.
July 2017: PBGS at Benslow Music's Open Day
PBGS members had a very enjoyable day entertaining visitors at Benslow Music Trust's Open Day in Hitchin, with two half hour slots. Excerpts from Pirates of Penzance, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Gondoliers, and a chance to promote our wonderful society to a really appreciative audience who were plainly having a great time. They even got the chance to sing and do the movements to 'A Policemans Lot'! Thanks to Sue Trost for keeping us in line from behind the keyboard, Paula Fraser, Richard Fraser, Vikki Rehm, Graham Breeze, Bryony Reynolds, Jo Bigg, Richard Dean and Sue Wookey.
December 2016: New Honorary Life Members
Three long serving and valuable PBGSers have been made Honorary Life Members. We don't know where we'd be without Clive Wheeler, Paula Fraser and Richard Fraser, so many congratulations from all of us. You deserve it so much after years of working hard for us all.
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| Clive Wheeler as the Mikado |
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| Paula Fraser as Josephine in HMS Pinafore |
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| Richard Fraser in Jack the Ripper |
December 2015: PBGS sings at a wedding in
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames
Four PBGS members sang 'Brightly Dawns our Wedding Day' from The Mikado at the wedding of Eleanor Lavan and Eric Lybeck in Henley-on-Thames on 21 December. Eleanor is the Great Granddaughter of D'Oyly Carte singer Albert James, and Paula Fraser, Sue Wookey, Graham Breeze and Peter Johnson serenaded her as she walked up the aisle, with Margaret Johnson accompanying them on the piano.
Albert James joined D'Oyly Carte in 1880 and worked directly with Gilbert and Sullivan, appearing in principal roles on tour - including Ko Ko, General Stanley. the Lord Chancellor and Bunthorne among many others. In the later stage of his career he continued working for D'Oyly Carte as Stage Manager and then Publicity Manager up to his death in 1913. You can read more about his long G&S career at The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive. His Great Granddaughters work in the theatre themselves and have written a performance piece about his life, Wild Laughter. You can read about the work and more about Albert on their website, Sidelong Glance Productions.
It was a privilege to bring some G&S to the wedding celebrations and share in a long tradition of Gilbert and Sullivan performance. PBGS wish Eleanor and Eric a long, happy and music filled life together!
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| Albert James as Ko Ko |
22nd August 2015: PBGS and Wolverton at the International G&S Festival Fringe
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| Harrogate Theatre |
Many thanks are due to our wonderful Producers, Alison Gibbs (Trial) and Graham Breeze (Zoo), for two very original and sparkling productions that we were proud to present, our trusty MDs Margaret Johnson (Trial) and Mike Crofts (Zoo) for holding it all together in the Pit and getting the very best out of us, to Paula and Richard Fraser for the herculean effort of organising it all and getting us up there, and also thanks to Jo Bigg for organising wonderful accommodation.
Finally thanks to all the cast and crew of both societies for putting in so much effort and dedication. It was hard work, it was chaos in those dressing rooms, it was fast and frantic, but it was the most fun one can have on stage and an unforgettable achievement.
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| PBGS and Wolverton all mixed up backstage |
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| Margaret and Mike in The Pit |
Feb 2015: PBGS takes Trial by Jury to the International Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan
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| Our 2013 production of Trial by Jury |
But this time we will form a unique partnership with Wolverton Gilbert & Sullivan Society who are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year by taking their production of The Zoo to perform on the same afternoon. In a unique opportunity, performers are able to perform in both productions if they wish, working with different Musical Directors and Directors. It is a marvellous opportunity to see other amateur and professional companies performing top quality G&S shows, to listen to speakers about the world of Gilbert & Sullivan, and a social event for morning to night as a celebration of all things G&S.
November 2014: Our Presidents Elected!
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| Our Presidents, Anne and Tony Critchley |
This may be a tad of a step down for Anne and Tony as, since our Production of Princess Ida at the Buxton International Festival in 2004, they have been known as Queen Anne and King Tony. Frankly, when it came to supporting us through all the ins and outs of it, they ruled! Anne deserves a special mention for dealing with bags full of wet woolly knitted chain mail. And their support for all things PBGS has been staunch ever since in many practical and important ways. I don't know about everyone else at Putt, but when they turn up at a rehearsal I try extra hard so they can see what we are really capable of. The best kind of Presidents are the ones you want to make proud.
In other words, we don't know what we'd do without them!
PBGS performs in the West End!
On 25th June, six PBGS performers, one Musical Director and 2 Wolverton G&S performers - with a technical Chairman - headed to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London's West End. Given one weeks' notice by the BBC's "The One Show" to perform the opening chorus from Iolanthe, we dragged the costumes out of the garage, choreographed the number, organised 2 rehearsals and gathered as much fairy dust as possible! Read the full report of our adventure here and watch this space for more photos of our fairies all lit up. Although the sequence ended up on the cutting room floor due to time constraints on the day, we loved being involved in this!
PBGS Celebrates 40 years of performing
Our October 2011 performance of the G&S Sketch Show in Hitchin marked the end of our 40th Anniversary Celebrations which have taken us from our performance of Ruddigore at the Queen Mother Theatre, Hitchin, in May, through to performing the Sketch Show in Henlow, Buxton and at finally at Hitchin. It's been a busy year for PBGS!
JULY 31 2011 Putteridge Bury performs at the Buxon International G&S Festival Fringe
©Sue Wookey
Putteridge Bury took the G&S Sketch Show to the 2011 Buxton International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival as part of the Festival Fringe. The show went down a storm with an appreciative Festival audience. See our blog page for the full story!
©Sue Wookey
