Members
Time to audition!
You’ll see that the New Show page now has an Auditions page, inviting you to contact Ellen and book a slot to audition for our next show. Our next show is The Gondoliers, a perennial favourite, but amazingly an opera we last performed back in 2015.
As with the last three productions, we are promised a rather different take on the way that the story is presented, and all we know so far is that the action will take place in the 1920s. But now is the time for those who fancy a principal role to put themselves forward … Wednesday 20 May and Sunday 24 May are the current slots, but don’t hesitate to express an interest if you would dearly love to perform with your favourite G&S Society and can’t make those dates. Above all, please don’t wait until the end of May and echo the Sergeant of Police: “It’s too late now … you should’ve thought of that afore!”
And the next show will be …
… The Gondoliers. At the EGM held on Wednesday 25 March, members approved the committee’s proposal for the 2027 show. Linda Milne will be the director, and Eddie MacLennan will be the MD.
We hope to have details about audition pieces and dates soon, so watch this page! And, of course, encourage would-be chorus participants, in the full knowledge that this will be another fun show to take part in, as were The Jury’s Out and Strictly Patience.
Vote for KOS!
Good news from our friends in the Kirkcaldy Orchestral Society … plus a call to action!
The Royal Philharmonic Society annual awards recognise star musicians, ensembles, and ventures in classical music “lifting hearts and minds across the nation”. Among these, the RPS Inspiration Award is specially presented to non-professional ensembles, “recognising local heroes who do so much year-round to bring people together through music”, and the winner is unusual in being chosen by public vote … which is where you come in, because KOS are on the short-list of four, and the only one of the four in Scotland! Click the image to see the good things that RPS has to say about KOS.
Please vote for KOS at this link, and pass this on the message to anyone else who might like to support KOS. Voting closes at 11am on Monday 2 February 2026 and the winner will be revealed at the 2026 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards on Thursday 12 March.
DGASS at Buxton
We’re delighted to announce that DGASS have been invited to perform “The Jury’s Out” at the prestigious International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival at Buxton next year. As you’ll see at this link, our performance at 2.30pm on Wednesday 5 August 2026 at St John’s Church, Buxton, is sandwiched between an HMS Pinafore sing-a-long and a pre-theatre talk about The Mikado.
Our 2025 production will be adapted to a semi-staged concert version with piano(s), and we’re hoping most of the première cast will be able to reprise their performances in Derbyshire. More details later – there’ll be rehearsals after Strictly Patience in order to get us back up to speed. Meanwhile, book the date (we’ll get a chance to rehearse at the venue on the afternoon/evening before the show), and start thinking soon about transport and accommodation.
We’d love to have supporters for our show, and you’d enjoy the rest of the Festival. For example, at the Opera House there’s a performance of The Mikado on the evening of our show, and our friends from the Edinburgh G&S Society are performing Iolanthe on Monday 3 August.
General booking starts in February, but the programme is available now at this link.
Strictly Patience rehearsals starting soon
The first rehearsal for Strictly Patience is Wednesday 27 August at Limekilns Parish Church. This will be preceded by a social event from 18:30. (Small donations of cake and biscuits welcome) This will give everyone a chance to catch up and to welcome new members. We’ll start singing around 19:30 with Musical Director Eddie MacLennan and Accompanist Carol Madden.
Printed vocal scores will be available to borrow at the rehearsal, but let Ellen Patrick know if you want a pdf score in the meantime.
Please bring along potential new members!
Rehearsals 2025–26:
Linda Milne (director) will be producing a rehearsal schedule, but the outline is:
Before Christmas:
- the Chorus will rehearse on Wednesdays 19:30–21:30 and there may also be the odd Sunday rehearsal from 14:00–16:00
- Principals will rehearse on Wednesdays 18:30–21:30 and there will also be some scheduled Sunday rehearsals from 14:00–16:00
After Christmas:
- the Chorus will rehearse on Wednesdays 19:30–21:30
- Principals will rehearse on Wednesdays 18:30–21:30
- both Chorus and Principals will rehearse 17:00–19:00 on Sundays from 4 January
Social and fund-raising events
Jack Archibald has announced plans for social and fund-raising events so that you can put the dates in your diaries!
Saturday 27 September: Ceilidh at Limekilns Parish Church. Music from Dunfermline Strathspey and Reel Society. £10 per ticket. Bring friends, family, drinks and a buffet contribution.
Saturday 18 October (19:00 for 19:30 prompt start): Quiz in aid of DGASS at Cowdenbeath Bowling Club, kindly organised for us by Kerry (costumes) and Lindsay (assistant stage manager). £10 per team (max 6 people per team). Aiming to bring at least 3 or 4 teams. Raffle prizes welcome. Irish Bingo. Treasure Trove. Great fun!
Big Raffle – £20 worth of £1 tickets to be issued to members soon. Winning tickets to be drawn at the concert (see below).
Sunday 30 November (afternoon): Seasonal Concert involving some of our members at Limekilns Parish Church. Tickets £10.
Friday 5 December (18:30 for 19:00): Christmas Meal at the Pitbauchlie House Hotel.
Christmas Carol Singing at Tesco (Fire Station): Thursday 11 December (16:00–18:00); Saturday 13 December (10:00–14:00); Thursday 18 December (16:00–19:00). Come for whole or part sessions. Singing friends are welcome too!
Ian Anderson will be signing people up for the weekly “Bonus Ball” draw. £1 per week till show week.
Getting prepared for Strictly Patience – 3
When the first version of this post was prepared, the “interesting fact remained” as characters in both last year’s show and next year’s might put it, is that was then exactly 300 days to our opening night of Patience!
[For those who are wondering “Why so many flowers?”, it’s because our Patience is cast as a florist/gardener rather than the milkmaid in Gilbert’s original]
Do please spread the word, and encourage folk not only to book the dates, but to join in the fun … every G&S show needs a chorus, and the team could include you and your friends. No previous experience is necessary … as it says on our Becoming a member page: “Mostly you need enthusiasm, plus a willingness to dress up, apply make-up, and generally be an idiot on stage!” We start back with our regular Wednesday rehearsals on 27 August at Limekilns, and hope to see you there.
You’ve just missed a chance to see the Society on stage, but we’ll be back at Carnegie on 18–20 February 2027 with a sparkling production of that perennial favourite, The Gondoliers.
