Trivia

In May 1961 'The Student' reported on the creation of a new student society to perform the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The Group was the brainchild of Robert Heath, a natural sciences student, who had decided that such a society would be a 'natural for students', now the copyright over the performance of the G&S operas had expired and there could be creative freedom in the way they could be produced. Having collected a number of like minded enthusiasts he presided, as musical director, over six sold-out performances of 'The Mikado' in the Little Theatre in the Pleasance in January/February 1962. Fifty seven people took to the stage, with direction of the production in the capable hands of veteran graduate John Burgess.

Of the 96 productions staged by the Group (to April 2011), 58 have been by Gilbert and Sullivan. The Group's second production, in Leith Town Hall, was of 'The Pirates of Penzance'. This has been the Group's most performed opera, receiving 10 productions so far. 'The Mikado' ranks second, with 7 productions to date. 'Iolanthe', The Gondoliers' and 'Ruddigore' have all received 6 productions, with 'Trial by Jury' being given 5 times. 'The Yeomen of the Guard' and 'Princess Ida' have had 4 outings, while 'The Sorcerer' and 'Patience' languish at the bottom of the production stakes with only 3 appearances each. 'Utopia Limited' and 'The Grand Duke' have not been produced by the Group.

In total so far, there have been 38 productions by the Group of 31 shows not in the G&S canon, from Offenbach through Brecht/Weill to Porter and Sondheim, though a number have had close connections with G&S, like 'The Zoo' and 'Murder at the Savoy'. The first show that was not by Gilbert and Sullivan to be staged by the Group was 'A Victorian Evening of Ballads and Songs', produced to accompany 'Trial by Jury' in the Church Hill Theatre in October/November 1975. But the first totally non-G&S production was of 'Oliver!' which toured to Selkirk and Buckhaven before opening in the Church Hill Theatre in May 1988.

The Group's first appearance at the Fringe was in August 1993 with a production of 'Trial by Jury' in the University Staff Club in Chambers Street. This was followed in 1995 by 'G&S Go Wilde' in the University Chaplaincy Centre and thereafter there has been a Savoy production each year on the Fringe in a number of different venues. 

The Group has appeared in 16 theatres. These range from the Leith Theatre (seating 1,300 people) in the 1960s and 70s, through the Royal Lyceum in the 1980s, down to Fringe locations holding a hundred or less. The Church Hill Theatre has been the most regular home for the spring productions of G&S and has seen the most productions to date, 31 in total. The Leith Theatre (formerly Leith Town Hall) was home to 24 Savoy productions and the Pleasance Theatre has held 14 productions so far. Augustine's on George IV Bridge has been home to 8 productions in the Fringe.

Out of town the Group has been seen on tour in the Borders in 1987 and 1988 and took 'The Sorcerer' to the International Festival of Light Opera in the Theatre Royal, Waterford in 1992. receiving a commendation for the set! 

In total 46 directors have worked with the Savoy. The early stalwarts, lan and Isobel Ewen, still rank at the top, having directed 14 productions between them. In more recent times this has almost been matched by Fraser Grant who directed 13 productions. Next in line are Julianne Jerome who directed 5 shows and Magnus Wake with 4 to his credit. 

The tally of musical directors is 40. Bruce Davis heads the list with 9 productions, followed by Walter Thomson with 8 and Moray Nairn with 7. Christopher Bell and Robin Moore both appeared as MD six times. 

Set Designers don't always receive acknowledgement in the Group's programmes so it can be difficult to give them the credit they deserve. Of the 26 lurking in the archives, Kenny Easson with 12 shows and David Larking with 10 head the list. lan Purves with 8 and Fraser Grant with 6 are the next most prolific.

Costume Designers are even more difficult to identify. Of the 36 people credited as Costume Designer (or in some instances as Wardrobe Mistress) there is one person who stands way above all others with 17 productions to her credit, and she is Betty Thomson.

The vital but sometimes thankless task of accompanying rehearsals has been undertaken by many people. There have been those who went on to be musical director, others have also appeared on the stage. Two multi-talented individuals during their Savoy career have been both musical and stage director, not at the same time of course. 

To April 2011 the Savoy will have given over 600 performances, Again, the archives are a little lacking in detail in some years where programmes omit dates or the theatre involved! However in the first 25 years of the Group there were 171 performances. In the next 24 years there have been over 440. The difference in the work rate and the number of productions per year to an old hand is remarkable. 

One major difference in the Group's productions from the early days is the size of the cast. Then we regularly luxuriated in choruses of forty to fifty people. In the Group's second year, for 'The Pirates of Penzance', there were 65 people on stage with 55 in the chorus. This cast size was repeated in 1975 for 'H.M.S. Pinafore' with, again, 30 women and 25 men in the chorus. Today a chorus of 20 to 24 would be more often seen in the Spring G&S production, with smaller casts in the other shows. However the 2004 production of 'The Pirates of Penzance' boasted a cast of 52, with a chorus of 42, 24 women and 18 men.

The Group has had three Honorary Presidents to date. Dr. Andrew Shivas, a distinguished pathologist in the University's Medical School came to the Group via the orchestra. An equally distinguished timpanist and percussionist, he played for the group's first production and for many years after. He became the first Honorary President in the Group's second year of existence and was the source of much good advice. After his death, in 1992, the Group appointed Des O'Brien. Des was a mature student who, on retiring from Guinness, came to study Architectural History. In his youth he had been an international rugby player and was Captain of the Irish Rugby Team in 1952. He joined the Society in 1981 and was a member of the male chorus for many years. Des was also a pillar of the social side of the Group. Des died in 2005 and was succeeded by Robin Harper MSP.

In 2006 the Group decided to institute an award in Des' memory for the chorus member who brought the most energy and enthusiasm each year. The first recipient was Mary Clare, later to be President of the Group. The opera that year, appropriately, was 'Princess Ida', the one in which Des had first appeared.

Claude Jenkins was our first Honorary Vice-President, Claude was the last surviving member of the original Savoy Company, having joined the Company in 1896 as assistant stage manager. He subsequently went on to have a very distinguished career as a stage director, working with Lehar and Mascagni among many others. In 1966, in his late 80s, we brought him to Edinburgh to be our Guest of Honour at the Gala Performance of 'Princess Ida' and the title of Honorary Vice President was created for him. Subsequently it was decided also to award the title to individuals, who had given exemplary service to the Group. Much later it was decided these individuals should be Honorary Life Members. The title was next given to Robin Harper MSP, who appeared in the 2005 production of 'The Gondoliers' as Inez.

Over the years members of the Group have gone on to do many things, mostly related to their field of study. However from the many talents that have been put at the Group's disposal there have been those who have gone on to make professional careers in the performing arts, including a West End theatre director, an accompanist, a conductor and chorus master and some members of Scottish Opera. 

No survey of the Savoy would be complete without a reference to the social side of the Group's life. We can identify well over 30 couples from the earlier years who met as a result of being members of the Group. No doubt this list has been and will be added to!