Booking is now open!
If you click the image on the left to get a larger view, you’ll see an intriguing image welcoming users to Thanolie Village Hall. To find out what that means, and to see more than just one coronet and pair of fairy wings, you will have to head for Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline, where our production of Iolanthe will be playing from 22 – 24 February 2024, each evening at 7:30pm plus a Saturday matinée at 2:30pm.
All the wit and good humour you’d expect from Gilbert & Sullivan, sung and acted to our usual high standards, and with a full orchestra. As you’ll see from our synopsis, Iolanthe is sub-titled “The Peer and the Peri”, so you can expect a clash between Britain’s laws as interpreted by the House of Lords, and fairy law. Lots of sly political satire in this show!
Tickets are £18 (£16 concessions; £8 under-18s), and you can buy them here (or click the “Buy your tickets here” banner above). To help you choose your seats before going through the booking office process, you can view the Carnegie Hall seating plan here.
If you prefer to contact Anne Dolbear, our ever-friendly and helpful Treasurer, you can telephone or text her on 07703 483083, or email her at ticketsales@dgass.org.uk. We recommend this option for group bookings or if you have accessibility requirements.
On the floor!
There’s an Iolanthe music rehearsal this evening (4 October), but please make every effort to be at Limekilns next week as our first floor rehearsal is on Wednesday 11 October. Such an opportunity will not occur again … Sorry! Wrong show!
Naturally Elementally – 1
Concert rehearsals – change
Our final rehearsal for the concerts on 15/16 September will be on Wednesday 13 September, at the usual time of 7:30pm and replacing the Iolanthe rehearsal, with preliminary rehearsals on Sunday 3 September at 2:30pm in the Gelert Hall (behind the church) and on Sunday 10 September at 7:00pm (note the change!)
Meanwhile, don’t forget to sell the tickets that Anne gave you, and let her know how many you’ve sold for each concert so she can keep an eye on the numbers – wouldn’t it be lovely to have a full house!
Something sociable!
Apart from the concert and show dates, plans are afoot for three social activities:
- On Saturday 16 September at 5:00pm, a pre-concert meal at the Bruce Hotel, Limekilns for participants and friends. Book with Jack Archibald soon!
- On Friday 8 December, at 6:30pm for 7:00pm, our usual Christmas Night Out at the Pitbauchlie House Hotel. Sign-up sheets at rehearsals.
- A re-run of our successful Anniversary Tea on Sunday 21 April 2024. Note that this time it won’t be on the Saturday because other exciting things are planned for that weekend – details to follow!
And don’t forget to check with Ian Anderson to pick your number(s) and register your interest in the Bonus Ball competition. Only £1/week for each number for a bit of fun and a potential £20 win, and last year Ian made £300 for Society funds.
On the Wings of Song
Our President, Frances McCafferty, will be giving a short concert in Dunfermline Abbey next Sunday, 3 September, at 12 noon. The programme will last around 45 minutes and has birds as its theme. Frances will be accompanied by Matthew Beetschen, the Abbey Organist.
Teas and coffees are available from about 11.30am and can be taken into the pews for the concert. Entry is free and ticketless and the Abbey disabled ramp is finally open, so access is available for all. Church-goers for whom 12n would otherwise be too early are invited to attend the Abbey service at 10.30am, by way of a change!
Our 50th anniversary tea
This is what greeted members and guests at our much-delayed 50th Anniversary tea, which was held at the Pitbauchlie House Hotel on Saturday 22 April 2023. We sat down at wittily-devised G&S-themed tables – thanks to all the creative members of Sinead Black’s team:
- Each table had a G&S theme!
Not only did Sinead organise the event splendidly, but she also acted as Mistress of Ceremonies. Guests who were introduced included two of our founder members, Ann Duly and Robin Ożóg, who duly cut the cake after Robin had spoken most movingly of our history and what it had meant to him to be involved with the Society. Do take time to read what he said, which you can find at this link.
- Sinead Black introducing the proceedings
Stuart McCue-Dick, Councillor for NODA (Scotland), was our guest, both to speak and to present a record number of long-service awards. Illustrated at this link is how we totalled 315 years of NODA service! Presentations acknowledging specific service were also made to Gwyneth Kirby in memory of Howard, who had laboured valiantly front of house, and to Mary Kidd, a former vice-president and orchestra convenor. And, of course, no G&S gathering these days is complete without an appropriate ode from our G&S makar, Kerry Black, which you can read at this link!
- Those who collected their awards at the tea
Grateful thanks to everyone who took part on the day or worked behind the scenes to make the event such a success, and especially to Sinead. And of course we are eternally grateful to Val McManus our resident photographer who has helped us fix the fugitive moment! Val had also put together the archive material presentation projected during the Pirates overture, and this formed a backdrop to the tea: you can enjoy it again at this link.
And grateful thanks to everyone who came and supported. You can see below that they enjoyed themselves! [The order is fairly random, based on Val’s walkabout round the room, with some artefacts of the uploading process, and we hope that everyone has been identified correctly. All comments to the webmaster, please!]
- Gary and Shan Edgar
Next appearance
Your next chance to see the Society on stage at Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline will be on 19–21 February 2026 in a sparkling production of Strictly Patience.
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