East Norfolk Operatic Society |
A Brief History of ENOS
In 1959 a group of like-minded Wroxham and Hoveton residents
interested in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas met at the home of Hilda
and Donald Dickerson in Wroxham. The East Norfolk Amateur Operatic
Society was born. A committee was formed and a constitution written,
which has needed only a few changes through the years.
The Chairman was Noel Bird, the Secretary George Bullen, the
Treasurer R.F. Tilson, the Business Manager Ella Brough and Hilda
Dickerson.
The ever popular Mikado
was chosen as the first opera. Most of the cast
and audience lived in the nearby vicinity and included family, friends
and relations. Harry Balders was the Producer, the Musical Director
George Bullen and the Stage Manager Leslie Landamore.
Rehearsals took place in Wroxham
Church Hall, where the Society still
rehearses today. The operas were performed in Hoveton Village Hall.
There was a small changing room for the ladies and a caravan for the
men. There was not much room to change costumes and there was a need
for the men to run to the stage when it rained!
The Gondoliers, HMS Pinafore, Iolanthe, The Pirates of Penzance, Trial
by Jury, Ruddigore,
Princess Ida, The Yeomen of the Guard, and The
Sorcerer were all performed there.
The Operas were always well received but the cast and audience outgrew
the venue and so the Society moved to Broadland High School, in
Hoveton, in 1970. The first production there was Patience, under the
direction of Alec Court, the Musical Director being David Kett. The
Operas performed there included Utopia
Ltd. and The Grand Duke.
In 1993, a move to Sprowston
High School in north Norwich,
with
Iolanthe, provided a still larger stage and auditorium. During
Patience, in 1996, there really were twenty lovesick maidens! The
Society also enjoyed a twenty four or twenty six piece orchestra. The
Society's constitution does not dictate that the Gilbert and Sullivan
operas should be performed exclusively and so, in addition to the Savoy
Operas, Merrie England
and Die Fledermaus
have
also been performed.
In 1998, the Society agreed to drop the word amateur from its title,
thereafter being the East Norfolk Operatic Society.
At the millennium, the Committee decided to take a fresh look at the
Society and make plans for its future and decided that the 2005
production of HMS Pinafore
should take place at The Maddermarket
Theatre in Norwich.
This proved to be a popular and
successful
decision, and subsequently The Gondoliers, The Yeomen of the Guard and Patience have been performed there to great effect. It is anticipated that the operas will be performed there
for the forseeable future.
Modified
04/05/08
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