 |  | The Fellowship was formed in October 1923 by a Mr Horace Bickle. The previous year he was in London as a law student when a chance conversation at his lodgings with two prominent member of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, (Henry Lytton and Darrell Fancourt) prompted him to set up the Fellowship on his return to Plymouth.
 | | Nic Fieldsend (Luiz), Tracey Jones (Casilda), Peter Clements (Don Alhambra), Richard Clarke (the Duke of Plaza Toro), Pauline Smith (the Duchess of Plaza Toro) |
Its object was to promote and preserve the works of the pair, who have been likened to the Lloyd-Webber and Rice of their time, so successful were their joint creations.
Since 1923 the Fellowship has produced 83 full productions of the Savoy Operas, at theatres as diverse as the Old Repertory Theatre and the modern Theatre Royal in Plymouth, as well as numerous concerts, most of them for charity.
Memorable productions include two productions of the Yeoman of the Guard performed in the superb setting of the Citadel on Plymouth Hoe and a production of HMS Pinafore performed aboard HMS Antelope, which later went down in the Falklands War.
Next production:
The Sorcerer
Theatre Royal, Plymouth
7th - 11th February 2006 |
Moving with the times
In 1997, Alan Spencer’s production of Iolanthe won the Regional Award for Excellence from NODA (the National Operatic and Dramatic Association).
The award was presented to the Fellowship again for our 2001 production of The Gondoliers, again produced by Alan Spencer.
The Fellowship also has its own junior group, the Young Savoyards, aged 12 to 16, who perform alongside the main company.
In 2002 we produced Princess Ida at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth. Leading the cast in the title role was the highly-acclaimed soprano, Kim Willcocks, who is well-known to Plymouth audiences for her many appearances with the Fellowship and Opera South West and as a guest artiste at concerts, including many with the Band of the Royal Marines. |
