It is now Official - SavoyNet have been invited to produce The Sorcerer at the 2002 festival.
EASTBOURNE and BUXTON share 9th annual event
For
the first time in our nine year history the International
Gilbert
and Sullivan Festival will split in 2002 between two
English
venues - the southern seaside resort of Eastbourne
and
Buxton, Derbyshire.
Why?
1. Next year the Commonwealth Games will be staged in Manchester over the same traditional opening week of our Festival with hundreds of thousands of extra visitors expected to the region . No one is quite sure of what impact that might have on transportation and accommodation.
2. The first week of our Buxton based festival has always been the quietest week - and to cover our costs we need to be hitting 80%+ audience levels throughout the three weeks.
3. Accommodation costs in Buxton have risen quite sharply over the last three or four years. Identical hotels in Eastbourne are 20-40% cheaper.
4. We have been advised that local Council support is likely to fall whilst Buxton theatre costs will rise.
Eastbourne is a charming resort area providing the highest quality of life for its residents and visitors. It boasts one of Britain’s broadest selections of overnight accommodation from charming guest house to the Victorian elegance of the large seafront hotels.
The
Devonshire Park Theatre is a gem It is Grade 2 listed,
originally
designed by Henry Currey in 1884 and improved by
celebrated Theatre Architect Frank Matcham in 1903.
It
seats 936. It is one of the best examples of Victorian
Theatre
in the country with an ornate interior featuring decorative
plaster work with scrolls and caryatids by Schmidt
of Holloway and has been a winner of the Martini/TMA
“Most Welcoming Theatre’ Award.” It adjoins the
Winter Garden complex which will host our opening night
in Eastbourne.
The town has scores of attractions from the Towner Art Gallery; museums; selection of specialty shopping streets and spacious indoor shopping complex and of course a vast selection of quality restaurants; a pier and the Grand Parade Bandstand which will also figure prominently in our plans.
So
here is your opportunity to enjoy
the
delights of a seaside resort alongside the
beauty of the Derbyshire Peak District.
Eastbourne Programme
How
is this for an Eastbourne Opener.
Saturday
July 27th in the Winter Gardens
we will present one of the biggest
G & S Gala Events ever seen in the
South of England. We are looking to put
together a massive choir of G & S enthusiasts
from the South who will be supported
by some of the most famous professional
G & S performers for a night
to remember. There will be rehearsals
during the day. And the icing
on the cake will be a special appearance
from “The Parliament Choir”
comprising members of the House of Commons
and the House of Lords singing among
other things The Peers Chorus! As
many of you will know Eastbourne is
a great holiday venue with wide ranging
attractions. We plan to take G&S
to the widest possible audience in the town and are already arranging
concert
performances from the town’s bandstand
- the only one in the country to host daily summer
concerts.
We are also looking to stage a concert in
the Redoubt Fortress which houses the
Military Museum of Sussex.
The
International Adjudicated Competition
will be staged exclusively in Buxton
next year. This means that we have
eight evening opportunities in the
Devonshire Park Theatre. Five of
them will feature the
all-professional Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company with
two revised productions from Alan Spencer who has certainly had a very positive impact on the professional performances in Buxton.
On Sunday July 28th and Monday the 29th we will have two performances of "Pirates of Penzance". On Friday and Saturday August 2nd and 3rd we will stage "The Mikado" with two final performances of "Pirates" on Sunday August 4th
This leaves Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for three additional attractions. These could be non-competitive performances from Southern G & S groups; or we are also looking at repeating the very popular “Old Tyme Music Hall” concept - similar to that staged in Buxton this year and a possible Festival special from Hinge and Bracket ( subject to availability) with a Festival Production of “Trial by Jury.” And in addition we will have a full programme of daytime activities and the Festival Club will no doubt be as popular in Eastbourne as it has proved in Buxton.
In
a Contemplative Fashion
It
would seem fairly certain that
the
atrocities of
September 11th
will
have an
impact on next year’s
festival.
As
we read daily the number
of
people travelling by plane
has
reduced significantly.
We have
no
confirmed
overseas
groups - disappointing
-
but perhaps understandable.
We do of course expect to welcome many individual overseas families and guests and we are continuing to search out the potential visiting groups. On the other hand we also read that holiday bookings outside Britain have dropped substantially and that more and more of us will holiday at home next year. We hope if it is YOU that is staying in England, that you will join us in either Eastbourne or Buxton (or both) for a holiday that is guaranteed to please
We will have details of hotel and guest house packages in the January Newsletter
The
framework for Buxton has been finalised. There will be an opening “big
event” in the Opera House on Saturday August 3rd
The
Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company will present matinee and evening performances
of “Pirates” on Saturday August 10th and “The Mikado” on Sunday August
11th. They will also present a brand new production of “Iolanthe” on Friday
evening August 16th and matinee and evening of Saturday 17th. We already have a
wide selection of shows which will fill the balance of the Buxton programme and
which will be adjudicated by our old friend David Turner. The performing groups
includes firm favourites from previous festivals and some highly promising new
groups.
The
Festival Fringe has grown in importance as the festival has expanded. Whilst the
fringe program is far from complete we are delighted to have probably the most
exciting selection of activities ever offered - including:
·
Concert in St. John’s Church by Edinburgh G&S Society featuring
items from The Golden Legend and Ivanhoe.
·
A concert performance of The Light of the World
·
A return of the highly popular Estonian Group, The Talin Theatre Ensemble
with a performance of Trial by Jury.
·
Building on their success at the 2001 Festival, the Jerusalem G&S
Society with a performance of “Lost and Forgotten Songs”
·
A G & S concert by the French-speaking Quebec G&S Players from
Canada.
·
A semi-staged performance of “The Merry Widow.”
·
A concert performance of The Grand Duke.
We plan to have finalised the programmes for both Eastbourne and Buxton by the end of the year. If you have a special request or a programme you would like to bring to the 2002 Festival please drop us a line. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
David Turner returns as the Festival Adjudicator
More
details will follow!