Grosvenor Light Opera Company

We will shortly be starting rehearsals for our summer production of The Gondoliers.  We kick things off with an open rehearsal on 29 January 2020 at 6.45pm in St Gabriel’s Halls, Pimlico.  This is an ideal opportunity for anyone thinking of joining the company or wanting to dip a toe into the water of G&S to come along and meet the director and MD, and get an overview of the production and rehearsal process.

Auditions for principal roles will be on 5th February and 8th February.  There are no auditions for chorus – you need only enthusiasm and availability.

We have put together a Welcome Pack with full details about GLOC, the production, the rehearsal process and how to audition for a principal role.    If there is anything you need to know which is not covered in the Welcome Pack, please do make contact with us.

New members, young and old, are always welcome, and we’d be delighted to see you on 29th January.

Come and join the annual Gloc panto fun on Thu 5th or Fri 6th December 7.30pm at Churchill Gardens Residents Association Hall! Note the correct postcode is SW1V 3AL not as shown in some old versions of the poster! Get your tickets now

Dear GLOC Members – old, new and fans!

Following the success of GLOC’s previous Come And Sing productions of Guys and Dolls and Carousel, join us on Saturday 6th July at St. Gabriel’s Church Hall, Pimlico, for another fun scratch performance, this time of Donizetti’s well-loved comic opera about the perils of using dodgy love potions purchased from travelling salesmen (which then, unsurprisingly, became the inspiration for Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Sorcerer).

The day will be broken up into two workshop sessions – 10am-1pm, and 2pm-5pm, with an hour for lunch, and will culminate in an informal hour long performance at the end.

All are welcome to join! Tickets are £20 and available from http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/grosvenorlightopera

Are you a budding writer or dramatist? Or do you just have visions of sugarplums dancing in your head that could be realised on stage for minimum cost? That’s right – we at GLOC are looking for a talented person or team to draft, develop and deliver our next winter production. This is a fantastic opportunity to get your work performed by a fantastically enthusiastic and dedicated amateur company.

The GLOC winter show is a chance for the company to do something a bit different from its usual G&S fare. In recent years this more relaxed show has taken various forms including cabaret, pantomime and comic musical using a mix of songs from G&S and musicals, and pop and festive favourites. To be delivered on a shoestring budget, and performed with piano accompaniment in a local community hall, our main aim for the show is to have fun and entertain our audience, and keep our cast and chorus of around 30 people – mostly young professionals – entertained throughout the three month rehearsal period.

The successful writer or team will be expected to plan the production and be responsible for directing – or finding a director for – the show. The deadline for applications is 30 April. For more information on the company, and what the application should include, keep reading...

Anyone who is interested in this opportunity to showcase their work with a young, lively company should email admin@gloc.org with a short outline of their ideas including:

• plot outline

• characters

• the look and feel of the piece, such as set, lighting and costumes (bearing in mind venue and budget limitations)

• an outline list of songs, and how the music will be sourced

• how you will work with a limited budget and manage the time constraints of our volunteer production team

Please also attach a draft of at least one full scene for the proposed show. A full script, with sheet music, must be completed by the end of July, before production begins in September. This gives time for final reviews and edits, and for our musical director to produce any new arrangements as required.

The deadline for submissions is 30 April.

We expect the show itself to be performed over 2 nights in late November or early December (exact dates TBC). Rehearsals are on Wednesday nights starting in September, with the opportunity for one or potentially two longer Sunday rehearsals later in the rehearsal period.

Some things to consider:

• The winter show can be an opportunity for members who don’t audition for roles in our summer operas to shine – if you are writing an original piece, consider what small to medium roles could be included.

• One of GLOC’s aims is to spread knowledge of Gilbert and Sullivan so while not essential, inclusion of their work (for example, one song, potentially with new lyrics) if appropriate would be appreciated.

If you would like to speak to a member of the company before applying, please contact admin@gloc.org and we will arrange for this.

We are on the hunt for an enthusiastic and experienced lighting designer for our upcoming production of HMS Pinafore, is that you? If so, please email admin@gloc.org for more information or to register your interest!

We look forward to hearing from you!

We are excited to announce the cast list for this Summer’s performance of HMS Pinafore!

Josephine: Nicole Burke
Little Buttercup: Laura Anstice-Pim
Cousin Hebe: Ali Dixon
Ralph Rackstraw: Tom Marshall
Captain Corcoran: Daniel Morris
Sir Joseph Porter: the Revd Geoffrey Farrar
Dick Deadeye: David Danson
Boatswain: David Anstice-Pim
Carpenter: John Aldis

Congratulations guys! And well done to everyone who auditioned, the panel had to make some very tough choices!

The first rehearsal is this Wednesday 13th February, 6.45pm at St. Gabriel’s Church Hall in Pimlico – all are called. See you there!

Have a drink, sing a song, eat good food and support your fellow GLOC members in this special event on the 2nd February. The afternoon will begin with an audition workshop lasting around 45 mins, after which we will host GLOC’s first ever piano bar.

Audition workshop

Auditions are horribly stressful for a lot of people. Am I auditioning for the right role? How do I choose the right song? How do I get the pianist to follow me? How do I know what the panel are looking for? Christopher Jacklin, GLOC’s MD, will share his experience on both sides of the panel and has enlisted the advice of numerous colleagues in the business to try and answer these questions and more in an effort to make your next audition a little less intimidating.

This session will take the form of a masterclass followed by a Q&A. We are looking for 2-4 people who are happy to perform in a mock-audition in front of the rest of the group and to receive some public feedback. If you’re interested please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Piano Bar

Think of this as karaoke with a live piano accompaniment. All styles of music are welcome, so if you want to try out a song for the upcoming Pinafore auditions this would be a great opportunity. However, if you’ve always fancied having a go at the Erlkökig, The Wizard and I, Musetta’s Waltz or I Have Nothing, now’s your chance!

From our MD: In order to keep this event free I will be volunteering my services on the piano. As my sight-reading is not quite on the same level as Nick’s I would be grateful if people could let me know what they want to sing (or even send me the sheet music…) by email in advance. Obviously this isn’t required – I’ll have a stab at anything on the day – but it would definitely help me out.

The Venue The afternoon will take place upstairs at the Stonemason’s Arms pub, 54 Cambridge Grove, Hammersmith, W6 0LA. They have a great food and drinks menu and, rather generously, have agreed to waive the room booking fee provided we pre-order any food by the 30th of January. We will be taking food orders at the Pinafore open rehearsal, or you can email us your requests.

Cost

As noted above, this will be a FREE event! There is a minimum bar spend for the whole group but there is no obligation to spend any money if you don’t want to. Just come and have fun.

Taking Part

The afternoon is open to everyone so feel free to bring friends and family along. There is no obligation whatsoever to get up and sing and you’re very welcome to just relax, have a drink and enjoy each other’s company. It would be helpful to have an idea of numbers (and song choices) in advance but it’s absolutely fine to turn up on the day as well. That said, if you want to perform in the audition workshop we would like you to get in touch, and if you want food you will need to pre-order it by the 30th.

All are welcome to come aboard Grosvenor Light Opera Company’s summer production of HMS Pinafore!

Pop along to meet us, ask questions, and have a bit of a sing!

The open rehearsal is on the 30th January at St Gabriel’s Church Hall in Pimlico, central London from 6.45 and is open to everyone!

The show will be performed from Wednesday 2nd June to Saturday 8th June at Bridewell Theatre, Blackfriars, London

Auditions for principal roles: Wednesday 6 February and Saturday 9 February. No need to audition for chorus – enthusiasm is the only requirement to join!

More details can be found in our welcome pack or by emailing admin@gloc.org

My Gallant Crew, Good Morning!

We are so so excited to announce our director for Pinafore. It was such a great year for applications and were in the fortunate position of having a really hard decision to make, but we’re delighted to announce Jessica Dalton as our director. She has fantastic ideas and a wealth of great experience, we can’t wait to get started!

Come along for the open rehearsal on Jan 30th at St. Gabriels Hall to get involved! Everyone welcome!

Yours in Gloc,

The Committee