PBGS 50 Years Singing #4: Moving to Campus West

Yeomen at Campus West in 1996

Throughout the 1990s PBGS continued to grow in reputation and in membership. In 1996 we made the ambitious decision to move our bigger spring shows to the larger venue of the Campus West Theatre, Welwyn Garden City, opening with a large-scale production of Yeomen of the Guard. For the first time we had the space to sing with a ‘full band’, to quote the Duchess of Plaza Toro, and enjoyed singing this wonderful score with a full orchestra. The larger stage and better facilities also offered scope for ambitious productions such as Carmen (1997) and The Merry Widow (1999). As our horizons expanded we found new audiences and drew our growing membership from throughout Herts and Beds, with some members coming from even further afield.

PBGS 50 Years Singing #3: Expanding our horizons

Brigadoon 1993

By 1979 PBGS was expanding rapidly so the decision was made to move productions from the refectory at Putteridge Bury to Luton Library Theatre. Our first show there was a production of The Mikado, although rehearsals continued at Putteridge Bury until it became part of the University of Luton (now the University of Bedfordshire) in 1992. 

After Peter Jenkyn's retirement, Margaret Blenkin (then Patterson) became MD and then our Chairwoman. Under her leadership the Society's horizons expanded further and PBGS diversified to perform its first non-G&S shows, always playing to the Society's strengths of strong operatic soloists and wonderful chorus sound. Our first foray outside the G&S Genre was Brigadoon in 1993, followed over the next few years by Die Fledermaus, Orpheus in the Underworld and Carmen. But the core of our repertoire was, and still is, Gilbert & Sullivan.

Die Fledermaus 1994

Orpehus in the Underworld 1995

PBGS 50 Years singing #2: Early days at Putteridge Bury

After being founded at the Putteridge Bury Teacher Training College in 1971, early G&S productions took place in the College Refectory during the October half-term holidays. The Society's growing reputation for high musical standards and witty productions meant it expanded beyond a College Society, drawing its membership from across three counties! Even when the Society moved its main productions to Luton Library Theatre (now St Georges), we still performed summer concerts at Putteridge Bury and rehearsed there until 1992. It was a great pleasure to work in such a beautiful building surrounded by lovely grounds. Here are some photos of ‘The Crowd’ from our 1978 Trial by Jury (performed at Putteridge Bury) and our 1980 production of The Pirates of Penzance at Luton Library Theatre.

1980 Pirates of Penzance

1980 Pirates of Penzance

1980 Pirates of Penzance

1978 Trial by Jury - 'The Crowd'

 

PBGS 50 Years Singing #1: How PBGS started!

Peter Jenkyns, Ruddigore 1983

As this is PBGS’s 50th Anniversary we will be posting some snippets about our history throughout the year, so look out for our ‘PBGS 50 Years Singing’ Specials! So – how did our Society start? PBGS was founded in 1971 by Peter Jenkyns, lecturer at what was then the Putteridge Bury Teacher Training College just outside Luton, and June Pickard who was studying to become a teacher there. Peter was an accomplished singer, composer of children's vocal music and MD - even sought after by the D'Oyly Carte as a patter baritone - and June was an experienced performer and producer who had trained at the Royal College of Music. The first PBGS members were all students who were part of the Department known as 'Music Main' and their very first production was that perennial favourite, The Pirates of Penzance. Above is Peter, in a great photo taken by The Luton News in 1983 to promote Ruddigore, and below a programme from our 1973 Gondoliers and a photo from our 1976 production of The Yeomen of the Guard!

 

Photo of Peter Jenkyns © The Luton News

50th Anniversary merchandise survey

 

To celebrate PBGS's 50th Anniversary we will be producing a few items with our 50th Anniversary logo on them. The choice of merchandise is wide (shirts, water bottles, bags...), so to help us narrow the field and create the items you really want we have created a short survey. If you are interested please help us by taking a few moments to complete the survey:

 

It's our 50th Anniversary!

Our 1992 21st Anniversary Concert

Welcome to PBGS's 50th Anniversary Year! It's not going to be quite the year we were hoping for, but watch this space as there are plans afoot. In the meantime, here is a nostalgic look back at our 21st and 40th celebrations (somehow we missed 30)!

In 1992 we celebrated with a special concert and a meal. I've posted the programme so you can see what we sung - we certainly covered the whole repertoire! In 2011, for our 40th, we took The G&S Sketch Show, written by our current Chairwoman, Paula Fraser, to the International G&S Festival in Buxton, performing at the Pavillion Theatre as part of the Festival Fringe. It was a great afternoon and very well received, if somewhat hectic! We also performed it in Hitchin with special guests and a dinner. 

Hopefully, although our current celebratory plans have had to change, we will still be able to bring you a staged production of The Yeomen of the Guard next October (we have all our collective fingers crossed). And before then we will have a surprise for you!

We miss seeing you all in the theatre. As a group of dedicated G&S and Musical Theatre fans, we can't wait to entertain you once again.
 

21st Anniversary programme

 

 

At Buxton in 2011 for the G&S Sketch Show

Pavillion Theatre, Buxton

 

Merry Christmas from PBGS

 

 

Merry Christmas from all of us at PBGS!

It's been a strange year with no shows to present to you and we were especially disappointed to have to withdraw our wonderful double-bill of Trial by Jury and The Sorcerer at our Tech rehearsal. We've missed getting together to rehearse and sing the music we love. 

Despite all the difficulties we are still here, still ready to perform and there are still things to celebrate as next year is our 50th Anniversary! We hope to have some news soon, as we plan how to mark this very special year with, hopefully, an anniversary production of Gilbert and Sullivan's masterpiece, The Yeomen of the Guard, in October.

We've missed seeing you all and thank you for your continued support. You can keep up with our news and see some nostalgic photos of past productions on our Facebook page. In the meantime we wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a much better, music filled 2021!

N-OVAtion award for Manda Fraser and our Iolanthe costumes

Wonderful news - our very talented wardrobe mistress (and performer!), Manda Fraser, has won this year's N-OVAtion award for 'Most Exciting & Colourful Costumes' for her work in Iolanthe. All the fairy costumes were designed and made by Manda, and all of you who saw the show were blown away by how beautiful they looked. We are thrilled that all that hard work and inspiration has been recognised. Aren't they stunning? Thank you Manda!