Director: John Crane
Musical Director: Brian Wiltshire
Director: John Crane
Musical Director: Brian Wiltshire
Director: Kenneth Palmerston
Musical Director: Eric Keats & Byron Brooke
Director: Victor Newton
Musical Director: Eric Keats
This year saw the closure of the Hippodrome in Boscombe and the company’s move to the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth which has been our home ever since. To reflect the change of venue the company changed its name to ‘The Bournemouth and Boscombe Light Opera Company’
Director: Victor Newton
Musical Director: Eric Keats
BBLOC’s second show was the southern amateur premier of ‘NIGHT IN VENICE’ – again performed at the Hippodrome in Boscombe. The company were guinea pigs as the new version was still in manuscript. Eric Maschwitz, who wrote the book and lyrics, came to see a performance with a view to editing and streamlining it
Director: George Stone
Musical Director: Eric Keats
The show was produced by George Stone who in 1919, in collaboration with Miss Dorothy Rowe, founded the Bournemouth Little Theatre Club, which later built the Palace Court Theatre in Bournemouth. This was sadly the first and last occasion when George produced for the company as he died later in the year. Production costs were in the region of £1,500.
The souvenir programme cost 1/- (10p in today’s money) and a notice in the programme stated: ‘It is particularly requested that members of the audience will refrain from smoking until after Act 1’ … Imagine!
KATINKA was produced in aid of the Missions to Seamen – described by Arthur Ball as ‘a very worthy cause deserving the highest support, for we can never forget the sacrifices made for us during the War, and the great service our seamen are rendering now’
