Gilbert and Sullivan stories in Ballan

MELBOURNE’S Savoy Opera Company brings its latest show, Gilbert and Sullivan favourites HMS Pinafore and Trial By Jury to Ballan on Saturday 19 October.

The Surrey Hills-based amateur theatre company will perform the comic operas at the Ballan Mechanics Institute in Inglis Street starting at 2pm.

The not-for-profit organisation has been taking the works of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan to audiences in Melbourne and regional Victoria since 1943.

It presents two major productions each year, focusing mainly on Gilbert and Sullivan works but also occasionally performing light opera.

Its Melbourne performance venue is the Clayton Community Theatre, but it organises regular tours of country Victoria and has appeared in Lilydale, Point Lonsdale, Portarlington, Ballarat, Bunyip, Buninyong and Dunolly, among others.

Men’s chorus leader and committee member Terry Taylor said the Ballan show is part of a current run of metropolitan and country performances.

He said the audience could expect a “wonderful show with great singing, fun and frivolity.”

“People can expect to see a very professional, first class performance show,” Mr Taylor said.

The Ballan performance, directed by Stee Dixon, will feature a 15-piece orchestra and a cast of about 25.

Mr Taylor said Savoy was planning to perform Jeanie Deans, a Scottish show based on a character in an 1818 novel by Sir Walter Scott, in May next year and would be bringing it to country venues.

He said it had not been performed in Scotland for about 100 years, and Savoy believed the May shows would be the first time it has ever been performed in Australia.

Tickets are available on trybooking.com or at the door.