About Us
Newcastle Gilbert & Sullivan Players Inc. have established a loyal following among the theatre going public of Newcastle. This has been achieved over many years and is a result of high quality productions of the Gilbert & Sullivan classics such as Mikado and Pirates of Penzance.
Newcastle Gilbert & Sullivan Players was established in 1952 and the first two shows raised funds for Christchurch Cathedral's building fund. Following the success of those early shows, the company has produced at least one show every year since then and donated profits to various charities. In 2008 the company made its first break from the repertoire of Gilbert & Sullivan to produce Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music.
Our 2009 production of Patience or Hot Chocolate represented a break from traditional Gilbert & Sullivan by placing the traditional musical in a modern setting with many allusions to modern society and culture, bringing this delightful musical into the modern Australian world. Generous sponsorship from TAFE Hunter Institute's School of Hospitality enabled us to share the culinary aspect with our audiences and to add authenticity to our productions as the "chocolate maidens" made chocolates as part of the performance, state of the art chocolate sculptures formed part of the backdrop and audiences were given European chocolates at intermission.
The success of Hot Chocolate is being built upon this year as we move onto our double bill of Mermaids of Mull and Trial by Jury. (Please watch this space for updates on how we are developing these two musicals to bring another entertaining and exciting show to you.)
Over the years our shows have won quite a number of City of Newcastle Drama (CONDA) Awards and had a very strong local following. A number of our performers have also gone on to pursue professional careers in the entertainment industry.
Our aim is to continue to bring the very witty works of Gilbert & Sullivan to life and introduce them to new generations - both as performers and audience members. We are proud of the standard to which we aspire and hope you will come and see why we remain one of the longest standing amateur theatre companies in Newcastle.