{"id":111184,"date":"2025-01-23T11:11:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T16:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=111184"},"modified":"2025-01-23T13:00:03","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T18:00:03","slug":"interview-st-annes-music-drama-society-keeps-gilbert-sullivan-legacy-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/01\/23\/interview-st-annes-music-drama-society-keeps-gilbert-sullivan-legacy-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | St. Anne\u2019s Music And Drama Society Keeps Gilbert & Sullivan Legacy Alive"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L-R:
L-R: Vocalist Josh Gibson; Vocalist Beth Armstrong-Chauvin; Vocalist Philip Garde; Vocalist Emma Lavigne; MADS Artistic Director Laura Schatz (Photo courtesy of the artists)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sir W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan are the famous Victorian-era duo known for establishing the distinctive English form of the operetta. Over a span of 25 years in the late 1800s, they collaborated on 14 operettas. Their works are known for their whimsical plots and comedic characters, often with social and political satires, set to Gilbert\u2019s sharp-witted libretto and Sullivan\u2019s infectious tunes. G&S are known to have influenced many 20th-century musical theatre creators, including Broadway legends like Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, and Oscar Hammerstein. Their works have permeated popular culture, with influences in literature, film and television.<\/p>\n

Despite the music and language of G&S being easily accessible to audiences of all ages, there has been dwindling in interest in their works, which have now become a dying art of sorts. G&S operettas are admittedly very dated both in subject matter and presentation. Their humour and satire, deeply rooted in the context of the British Empire and Victorian society, have lost relevance in the modern world. Given competition from more contemporary musical offerings from big-named companies like Mirvish, it has become much less financially viable to put on fully-staged G&S productions.<\/p>\n

Up until the 1970s and 80s, several Toronto music theatre companies like the Toronto Gilbert & Sullivan Society and Clarkson Music Theatre were staging G&S exclusively or regularly. The Toronto Operetta Theatre still does, every few years. Until recently, the North Toronto Players produced re-imagined G&S works with their own parodic twists. Some organizations, like the Toronto G&S Society and the Centre for Opera Studies and Appreciation, have switched to performing G&S works in concert only.<\/p>\n

Today, St. Anne\u2019s Music and Drama Society (MADS as they call themselves) is the only organization in Toronto that has been performing G&S operettas exclusively and yearly since 1964. Originally founded by Clifford Poole and Roy Schatz, it grew from a group of singers coming mainly from the church choir, to an over 70-strong company that draws vocalists and crews from the broader community and all walks of life.<\/p>\n

\"L-R:
L-R: Sir William Schwenck Gilbert; Original image: between 1899 and 1911, Scanned from the 1914 edition of Fran\u00e7ois Cellier & Cunningham Bridgeman’s Gilbert and Sullivan and Their Operas (Public domain); Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan first published in 1893 by Alfred Ellis & Walery, London (Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

St. Anne\u2019s Music and Drama Society (MADS)<\/h2>\n

In 2009, MADS performed Pirates of Penzance at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton, England. They were nominated for Best Traditional G&S Performance, and the soprano who sang the role of Mabel won Best Female Vocalist. For MADS\u2019 50th anniversary in 2013, they again took on the Buxton stage with The Gondoliers.<\/p>\n

The Yeoman of the Guard<\/h3>\n

MADS has staged all 13 of the surviving G&S operas. For the company\u2019s 61st production this year, they will be staging seven performances of The Yeomen of the Guard, their sixth time performing this operetta. The cast of 40 will be accompanied by an 18-piece orchestra.<\/p>\n

The Yeomen of the Guard premiered in 1888 to huge success. It is thought to be G&S\u2019 most serious opera that does not have a predictable happy ending. The dialogue is in quasi-Shakespearean English, devoid of satire of British institutions. The score is widely considered to be Sullivan\u2019s most beautiful, with the overture written in sonata form rather than the usual potpourri of tunes from the opera.<\/p>\n

We spoke to MADS Artistic Director & Producer Laura Schatz<\/strong> and some of the vocal leads about this upcoming production.<\/p>\n

A Family Affair<\/h3>\n

MADS is first and foremost a family business. Schatz has been involved in MADS since childhood, and took over as Artistic Director from her father Roy who founded the company. She has sung in all but the first MADS productions of Yeomen. This operetta has a special place in Schatz\u2019s heart, as one of her favourite memories of her late father was him playing Jack Point, his signature role.<\/p>\n

A large portion of the cast has been regular participants in their shows for many decades. It is common to have parents, children and even grandparents participate in the show together. This year, a family of four with two barely teenagers are all performing in Yeomen, along with several mother and son or daughter duos.<\/p>\n

Philip Garde<\/strong> is a testament to this fine family tradition \u2014 he made his first MADS cameo when he was a six-month-old baby. Now in his 20s, Garde has been performing with the company for over 10 years, and it has come full circle for him to be starring as one of the leads in Yeomen. He describes his character of Jack Point as one of the few absolutely tragic roles that the G&S wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many interesting nuances to his character, each bringing an opportunity to explore something new. This also makes him a very daunting character to play \u2014 to tread the line between the utter absurdity of his forward-facing persona and the depressed, melancholy man who hides underneath.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cast<\/h3>\n

Schatz is very proud of this year\u2019s cast, which varies widely in age and experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cMADS is a place where younger singers can get experience on stage and learn stagecraft. Some of our singers are vocally trained, but decided not to go into music as a career. In fact, our two leads are lawyers! We give a niche platform for people who have normal day jobs who love singing to perform. They also benefit from professional vocal coaching from our Music Director, Kate Carver, who teaches at the University of Toronto and Laurier. The quality of singing is very high. Our ensemble is very involved in the choreography as well. Even though MADS remains a community outreach of St. Anne\u2019s Church, we are certainly not church-group calibre! In fact, tenor Colin Ainsworth and soprano Rachel Cleland both honed their crafts in MADS before going onto a celebrated professional singing career.\u201d<\/p>\n

To attract younger audiences to G&S, Schatz says it is important to have fresh young blood in the cast.<\/p>\n

Emma Lavigne<\/strong>, a second year Voice Performance student at U of T, is joining MADS for the first time. \u00a0She was first introduced to G&S by her mother. \u201cI love the music of G&S and the twisty-turny plots of their shows. I have always been drawn to musical theatre despite my focus in opera. I feel that G&S productions are a beautiful marriage of the two styles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another U of T Voice student also making a MADS debut is Josh Gibson<\/strong>. \u201cI absolutely adore the community of MADS and have felt so welcome as a newcomer. My first impression is that this organization is filled with a lot of passion and desire to share something they love. G&S to me is the perfect blend between my two passions; musicals and opera. There is so much genius in the music and dialogue. I would highly recommend MADS to any young artist looking to pick up experience on stage while having fun learning great music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, there are those who keep coming back year after year. This is Beth Armstrong-Chauvin<\/strong>\u2019s 10th performance with MADS. Even though she is a new mom with a four-month-old baby, she simply could not, \u201cmiss the chance to perform in a top quality production with an amazing cast and fantastic orchestra.\u201d She is singing the lead role of Elsie. \u201cMany of the G&S sopranos can feel a bit \u201cfluffy.\u201d Elsie has substance which makes her more challenging to play but also a lot more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Preserving the G&S Legacy<\/h3>\n

Schatz says that it is not easy for G&S to be performed well. \u201cG&S needs beautiful, trained, voices that can do justice to Sullivan\u2019s music, and actors who understand Gilbert\u2019s comedic and dramatic intentions well enough that they can both keep the original humour and intentions and portray these in a manner that modern audiences can appreciate. It is a delicate balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yeomen also has its unique challenges. \u201cYeomen is lesser known and not as lighthearted. It does not have the patter song that most remember from the more popular operettas. This makes it harder to sell. The dialogue could be a bit stilted and difficult to understand if not spoken well, but this year\u2019s leads do it so well and have the ability to get the humour across. The music is so astounding that the performers are so engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n

MADS hopes to keep the G&S legacy alive by engaging younger, newer audiences. As Lavigne and Armstrong-Chauvin put it, \u201cEven though young people may be intimidated by the idea of opera, G&S walks the perfect line between opera and musical theatre, and is a stupendously fun way to dip your toes into the opera world. It is accessible to audiences of all ages with elements of comedy and silly fun in every show, with the added bonus of it all being sung in English.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schatz wants everyone to know that G&S themes are still relevant in today\u2019s world. Along with Sullivan\u2019s sublime music, Gilbert\u2019s humour still shines and has the ability to make us laugh at ourselves and our society. Toronto is fortunate to have MADS to continue celebrating and sharing the legacy of Gilbert and Sullivan.<\/p>\n