The Director writes...

The Yeomen of the Guard is quite different from any other Savoy Opera. The more serious plot and the complex characters make a strong contrast to the burlesque and satire of W.S.Gilbert's other libretti. He chose to fiish his drama with an incredibly vague stage director: out of character for the most authoritarian and precise director of his day. He allowed audiences to make their own conclusions about the fate of the heartbroken Jack Point, and as a result, many performances of Yeomen end in an insipid anticlimax, with audience and cast alike uncertain of what really happened. I am sure that this interpretation will leave the viewer in no doubt as to out intentions. The climax of Yeomen was Gilbert's best conundrum; I do not intend to let it go to waste. This production is the Society's most ambitious technical challenge to date. We have used Central Hall in an entirely novel way, spending big money and running not a few risks. I hope you all agree that the visual spectacle offered makes our strenuous efforts worthwhile. I am indebted to all of the cast and crew for their hard work and commitment but I should like to extend my personal thanks to three people in particular: to David Pumfrey, who assembled an extraordinarily complex set with imagination and dedication; to Martin Atkins for his invaluable service in the lighting box for over a decade and who rises to his greatest challenge in this show; and to Simon Mann, for without his wholehearted and unstinting support as Treasurer, set builder and principal, this show would not have been possible. I am sure that you will appreciate the efforts of every person involved in this production, but most of all, I hope that you enjoy it.

The Musical Director writes...

Quite a statement, that! But contrary to the beliefs of most of my lecturers (and many of my friends) I can indeed write; so here goes. The Yeomen of the Guard is quite unlike the majority of Gilbert and Sullivan enterprises, being much harder musically. The score is tricky - the violins have asked me to make special mention of the number of semiquavers they are required to play in the course of the week - and 'serious' music is of greater consequence than in other shows. The funeral march is almost Mahlerian, and the tragic climax of the finale to Act II stands out amongst all G&S moments. As for my interpretation of the dots, well I still can't play in five flats, but then I don't have to. I am trying to break away from the 'usual' way of doing things, not to be different for its own sake, but because I think many of the usual interpretations are wrong. I have tried to look at Sullivan's markings afresh, and perhaps get closer to what he intended. Obviously certain things depend on the size of the set and the number of people involved, but on the whole I hope we are presenting The Yeomen of the Guard as it was intended.

Images

Production Team

• Director: Bruce Walton
  • Bruce is a graduate of the University; in 1992 he was living in the city and working as a freelance computer skills trainer and book-keeper. He was involved in every Society production from 1984 and directed the successful 1990 production of Pirates of Penzance. He has also directed The Marriage of Figaro and Die Fledermaus and has made many appearances as a principal and as a chorus member with various groups in York. Rumours of his complete addiction to opera have been greatly exaggerated; he has been known to play Bridge, watch cricket and drink beer in odd moments of spare time.
• Musical Director: Chris Bell
  • Chris was a Music student at the University of York. He was also a Songman at York Minster and a former chorister of St. Paul's Cathedral. In York, he conducted the University Glee Club (now the Glee Singers) and was a member of the Yorkshire Bach Choir. He has toured extensively in Europe and America with various choirs and has frequently performed on radio and television. In addition to this, his name is credited on the sleeves of a number of gramophone records. Before coming to York, he was Director of Music at Ashdown House School in East Sussex.

Crew

Stage Director

Bruce Walton

Production Manager

Dave Pumfrey

Assistant Production Manager

Deborah Bowers

Lighting Engineer

Martin Atkins

Lighting Assistants

Ian Wallace

Paul Barden

Sound Engineer

Colin Bradford

Sound Assistant

'Raggy' Barclay

Stage Manager

Deborah Bowers

Assistant Stage Manager

Stephen Daly

Recording Engineer

Ambrose Field

Film Crew

Colin Melia

Alan Murrell

Set Design

Dave Pumfrey

...from an idea by

Bruce Walton

Martin Atkins

Properties

Caroline Dollings

Make-up

Michaela Pittam

Costumes

Rachel Stewart

Beverley Webster

Photography

Andy Finch

Poster Design

Chris Huff

Programme and Publicity

Eleanor Smith

Laurence Cole

Cast

Sir Richard Cholmondeley (Lieutenant of the Tower)

Christopher Brennan

Colonel Fairfax (under sentence of death)

Ashley Wilson

Sergeant Meryll (of the Yeomen of the Guard)

Laurence Cole

Leonard Meryll (his son)

Stephen Trowell

Jack Point (a strolling jester)

Justin Harmer

Wilfred Shadbolt (Head Jailor and Assistant Tormentor)

Simon Mann

The Headsman

David Edwards

1st Yeoman

Simon Coles

2nd Yeoman

John Sheppard

1st Citizen

Nicholas Cook

2nd Citizen

Paul Atkinson

Elsie Maynard (a strolling singer)

Miranda Park

Phoebe Meryll (Sergeant Meryll's daughter)

Barbara Logan

Dame Carruthers (Housekeeper to the Tower)

Jo Tyszka

Kate (her niece)

Julie Winkless

Chorus

• FEMALE CITIZENS:
  • Jan Addison,
  • Liz Allen,
  • Karen Atkinson,
  • Sarah Bacon,
  • Lynne Charnley,
  • Sally Deeming,
  • Caroline Dollings,
  • Christine Eden,
  • Shayleen Hall,
  • Christine Harland,
  • Natalie Hawkes,
  • Helen Hodges,
  • Berenice Hopkins,
  • Fleur Ibbitt,
  • Kate Mapp,
  • Jessica Marshall,
  • Karen Melville,
  • Melissa Nicholas,
  • Alison Parrott,
  • Vanessa Potter,
  • Rachel Rankin,
  • Gudrun Richardson,
  • Hilary Richardson,
  • Angela Salisbury,
  • Helen Secker,
  • Bronwen Smith,
  • Eleanor Smith,
  • Rachel Stewart,
  • Sarah Tully,
  • Christina Volkmann,
  • Eleanor Wakely,
  • Beverley Webster,
  • Rain Wordmald
• MALE CITIZENS:
  • Paul Atkinson,
  • Charles Cantwell,
  • Nicholas Cook,
  • Jonathan Hassell,
  • Rob Lomax,
  • Jeremy Lowe,
  • Peter Ramsay,
  • Paul Salaman,
  • John Stoneham
• YEOMEN OF THE GUARD:
  • Doug Baillie,
  • Simon Coles,
  • Don Goodeve,
  • Tim Hallet,
  • Neil Macnab,
  • Duncan Robson,
  • John Sheppard,
  • Matthew Tattersall

Orchestra

• The orchestra was comprised of members of the Vanbar Ensemble.

Acknowledgements