In 1976, Harris Strong and Elizabeth “Betty” Beatty, two friends mad for Gilbert & Sullivan, founded the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Hancock County (later changed to the G&S Society of Maine). The Grand Auditorium had just been renovated by another Harris Strong organization, Hancock County Auditorium Associates.
It proved to be a perfect match. The new company performed The Gondoliers in early 1977. That show became the first in a series of full-on productions spanning more than four decades.
We are very grateful to the community for its unflagging support. And we hope that the community–you–will continue to support us by attending our performances; introducing friends to these wonderful, funny, entertaining shows; joining a production (it’s fun!); and, donating generously to help defray the significant expenses of staging such productions (ticket sales alone don’t quite do it).
By-laws
Our current by-laws, as amended October, 2024.
Meeting Minutes
Meeting minutes can be found here.
Past Productions
Here’s a list of all our winter productions:
- 1977 – The Gondoliers
- 1978 – The Mikado
- 1979 – Trial by Jury & H.M.S. Pinafore
- 1980 – The Pirates of Penzance
- 1981 – Ruddigore
- 1982 – Patience
- 1983 – The Yeomen of the Guard
- 1984 – The Gondoliers
- 1985 – Iolanthe
- 1986 – Princess Ida
- 1987 – Trial by Jury & H.M.S. Pinafore
- 1988 – The Mikado
- 1989 – The Pirates of Penzance
- 1990 – The Sorcerer & Pineapple Poll
- 1991 – Ruddigore
- 1992 – Patience
- 1993 – The Yeomen of the Guard
- 1994 – Utopia, Limited (also: International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival: Buxton, England where the Society won First Prize!)
- 1995 – Iolanthe (also: International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival: Buxton, England)
- 1996 – The Gondoliers & The Grand Duke (also: International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival: Philadelphia)
- 1997 – The Mikado (also: Collins Center for the Arts, and Greenville)
- 1998 – Princess Ida
- 1999 – Trial by Jury & H.M.S. Pinafore
- 2000 – The Sorcerer
- 2001 – The Pirates of Penzance
- 2002 – Ruddigore
- 2003 – Patience
- 2004 – The Mikado
- 2005 – The Yeomen of the Guard
- 2006 – Trial by Jury & H.M.S. Pinafore
- 2007 – Iolanthe
- 2008 – The Gondoliers (also: Bucksport Performing Arts Center)
- 2009 – The Pirates of Penzance (also: Bucksport Performing Arts Center)
- 2010 – The Sorcerer
- 2011 – Ruddigore (also: International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival: Gettysburg)
- 2012 – Trial By Jury & A Gilbert & Sullivan Musicale (also: Summer Music Theatre Festival at University of Maine, Orono)
- 2013 – The Mikado (also Bangor Opera House and the Higgins-Demas Theater at MDI HS)
- 2014 – Princess Ida (also Bangor Opera House)
- 2015 – The Yeoman of the Guard
- 2016 – Patience
- 2017 – The Pirates of Penzance
- 2018 – H.M.S. Pinafore (Trial by Jury performed at The Grand anniversary celebration, summer 2018)
- 2019 – Iolanthe
- 2020 – The Gondoliers
- 2021 – No Show
- 2022 – No Show
- 2023 – The Pirates of Penzance
- 2024 – The Sorcerer
- 2025 – Ruddigore
Performances of Each Show
- The Gondoliers: 77, 84, 96*, 08*, 20
- The Mikado: 78, 88, 97, 04, 13*
- Trial By Jury & H.M.S. Pinafore: 79, 87, 99, 06, 18
- Trial By Jury & A Gilbert & Sullivan Musicale: 12*
- The Pirates of Penzance: 80, 89, 01, 09*, 17, 23
- Ruddigore: 81, 91, 02, 11*
- Patience: 82, 92, 03, 16
- The Yeomen of the Guard: 83, 93, 05, 15
- Iolanthe: 85, 95*, 07, 19
- Princess Ida: 86, 98, 14*
- The Sorcerer: 90, 00, 10, 24*
- Pineapple Poll: 90
- Utopia, Limited: 94*
- The Grand Duke: 96
* Performed at The Grand Auditorium and another venue.
