
A jilted bride driven to madness, a baronet cursed to perform wicked deeds, a local guild of disgruntled professional bridesmaids, the village beauty held hostage by etiquette, the shy farmer she loves, the heroic sailor prepared to sacrifice friendship to win her hand, and ghosts!
An ancient witch’s curse has condemned each heir of Ruddigore to commit a crime a day or perish in agony. Refusing to submit to this fate, the latest baronet of Ruddigore fakes his death and goes into hiding in the local village as timid farmer Robin Oakapple leaving his younger brother, Sir Despard, to shoulder the family curse. When his identity is betrayed, will the shy and honest Robin be able to stomach the family tradition of moustache-twirling villainy-for-life or will his exasperated ancestors return from the grave to haunt him?
Gilbert and Sullivan’s satirical take on Melodrama and the Victorian obsession with the supernatural, Ruddigore turns the gothic romance tropes of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Picture of Dorian Gray on their head in this zany comedy operetta that will delight the whole family.
Rehearsals: at The Moore Center (125 State Street, Ellsworth) on Saturdays (12-5 pm) and Sundays (1-5 pm) starting January 4th.
Join the chorus (no audition needed), crew, orchestra, or volunteer in other ways! If you are planning on singing in the chorus this year and have not yet signed up, please send an email to president@gilbertsullivanmaine.org.
Performances of Ruddigore will be at The Grand in Ellsworth on March 7, 8, 9 & 14, 15, 16.
Thank you to our media sponsor WERU Community Radio!
News
- Ruddigore 2025The cast of GSSME’s 2025 show has been hard at work preparing for our March performances! This cast includes Christien Breau as young Robin Oakapple, Rogan Winch as his foster brother Richard Dauntless, and Aidan Pasha as Sir Despard Murgatroyd of Ruddigore. Will Robin marry his love, Rose Maybud (Alexandria…
- Announcing the 2024/2025 Lee Patterson Classical Vocal Scholarship Recipients!Congratulations to: Shannon Elliott, Miranda Snyder, Amelia McKay, and Olivia LaSalle!
- Ruddigore rehearsals are starting next Saturday!The first rehearsal for our 2025 production of Ruddigore is onSaturday, January 4th from 12-5pm at The Moore Center in Ellsworth!If you’ve ever been curious about joining us for a production, stop by The Moore Center on Saturday and check it out! Join the chorus (no audition needed), crew, orchestra,…
- Annual Meeting 2024The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine will host its Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 26th at 1 pm. The meeting will be held at Dotti Schaller’s house in Sullivan, Maine (email us at info@gilbertsullivanmaine.org for the address). This is a potluck event and a time for us to gather and…
- Ruddigore AuditionsAuditions for lead roles in Ruddigore will be held on on Saturday, October 19 from 1-3 PM and Monday, October 21 from 6-8 PM at the Moore Center (125 State Street) in Ellsworth. If you plan to audition, send us an email at info@gilbertsullivanmaine.org so we know when to expect…
- GSSME Receives Maine Theater Grant from The Maine Community FoundationWe are delighted to announce that The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine is one of the recipients of Maine Community Foundation’s Maine Theater grant for 2023/24! These funds will help GSSME produce its upcoming, fully-staged production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s operetta The Sorcerer performed with full orchestra at The…