"If you want to know who we are..."
The Oxford Gilbert & Sullivan Society is an international award-winning society devoted to the appreciation and performance of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, writers of comic opera during the Victorian era. The shows sit somewhere between grand opera and musical theatre, but being catchy, lively, slightly absurd, they essentially form a genre of their own. You can find much more about them and their music than you ever wanted to know here.
The society is one of Oxford’s oldest and most prestigious, officially dating back to 1927, although it existed unofficially for some years before then. Our alumni include national directors and conductors, and the society was featured in the Oscar-winning film, ‘Chariots of Fire’. We have performed in numerous prominent locations, from the Oxford Playhouse to the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, held every year in Harrogate.
We are the most active dramatic society in Oxford, committed to putting on a production of a Savoy Opera every term.
Michaelmas - our Freshers' show, aiming to get Freshers involved in the society.
Hilary - our biggest, most elaborate production of the year.
Trinity - a smaller production to cap off the year.
We also hold weekly social events for our members, usually a sing-through of one of the Gilbert & Sullivan opera. The previous term’s show is usually sung through, and the next term’s show is previewed. See our termcard for dates.
Other events include a biennial marathon singing through the entire G&S canon non-stop, as well as an annual white-tie society dinner with a guest speaker in Trinity Term.
