February 2019

In This Issue

  • Winter Production: The Yeomen of the Guard
  • Hear the Directors’ Visions
  • Special Production Thanks
  • In Memoriam
Act One-115
The Yeomen of the Guard await your ticket purchase

The Yeomen of the Guard or The Merryman and his Maid—Tickets on Sale !

The Yeomen of the Guard will be performed at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (390 Lincoln Rd Sudbury, MA) at 8 p.m. on Fridays, February 22 & March 1; Saturdays, February 23 & March 2; and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 24 and Saturday, March 2. Tickets may be purchased at www.sudburysavoyards.org/tickets, in person from company members, or at the door. It is arguably the darkest of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, but does contain considerable humor. This is a production not to be missed!

The Yeomen of the Guard, also known as The Merryman and His Maid, takes place at the Tower of London in the 16th century. It weaves a web around the characters of Colonel Fairfax, who has been wrongly accused of sorcery and sentenced to death, Elsie and Jack Point, a pair of traveling entertainers, and Sergeant Meryll and his daughter, Phoebe, as well as a full cast of townspeople and colorful Yeomen.

Come watch the characters scheme and make discoveries in one of the most dynamic Gilbert & Sullivan operettas ever written!

The production hosts a wonderful cast of local leading characters including Randy Glidden, Randal Divinski and Carolyn Schwartz of Natick, Ed Fell and Mike Lague of Sudbury, Brad Amidon and Sara DeLong of Arlington, Matt Tragert of W. Boxford, Frank Harrigan of Westford, Janet Pohli of Somerville, Kaitlyn Robinson of Allston, and Michael Gonzalez of Fall River. Stage Direction by Tony Parkes of Billerica, Music Direction by Kathryn Denney of Marlborough and produced by Graham Daley of Sudbury.

Yeomen in rehearsal (Randy Divinski, Michael Gonzales, Sara Hauland)

Meet the Directors

Tony Parkes (Stage Director) says, “Yeomen is a personal favorite of mine. After writing several successful comedies, Gilbert (words) and Sullivan (music) both aspired to create something grander. There’s a lot of majestic music, and there are serious and even tragic scenes to go along with the comic ones. With more layers than usual for G&S, it’s a challenging show to put on, but we have a strong cast and creative team, and I’m looking forward to a production that will ‘wow’ its audiences.”

Kathryn Denney (Music Director) says, “The Yeomen of the Guard contains some of Sullivan’s most glorious music. With our 27-piece live orchestra and our many talented singers, the Sudbury Savoyards bring to life the passion, the humor, the joy and the anguish of a medieval story. Please join us for a delightful production of Gilbert and Sullivan!”

Production Thanks!

Many thanks to JP Barlett’s for their generous support in the use of space for all of Yeomen’s technical needs. www.bartlettgreenhouses.com

Many thanks to the Presbyterian Church in Sudbury and the First Baptist Church of Sudbury for their support in providing rehearsal halls for our production.

In Memoriam

Laura Schall Gouillart 
December 24, 1953 – November 15, 2018

Laura first appeared with the Sudbury company as Ruth in the 1993 production of The Pirates of Penzance and proceeded to perform the majority of the mezzo roles through the years as Lady Jane in Patience, Lady Blanche in Princess Ida, Little Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore, Dame Hannah in Ruddigore, the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers, Lady Sangazure in The Sorcerer, and Queen of the Fairies in Iolanthe in 1999 and again in 2007, where she had the utter joy of performing with her daughter, Emily, in the title role. Laura’s final appearance on the Sudbury stage was Dame Carruthers in the 2008 production of The Yeomen of the Guard.

She could also be found both on and off stage with her beloved Savoyard Light Opera Company and The Concord Players.

Laura will forever be remembered through the recordings of her beautiful mezzo soprano voice and in the hearts of all who crossed her path.

Laura Gouillart
Walter Reed

Walter Reed

Walter Reed, a self-described Gilbert & Sullivan “nut”, passed away in November 2018.

A member of the Belmont Dramatic Club and The Sudbury Players, Walter first joined The Sudbury Savoyards as Annibale in the 1964 production of The Gondoliers. From 1966-1968 he appeared in the chorus and went on to play Pooh-Bah in the 1969 production of The Mikado, followed by King Hildebrand in 1970 Princess Ida, Don Alhambra Del Bolero in 1971 The Gondoliers, Colonel Calverley in 1972 Patience, and Sergeant of Police in 1973 The Pirates of Penzance.

He returned to Sudbury to reprise his role of Don Alhambra in 1980 followed by the Pirate King in the 1981 production of The Pirates of Penzance.

Walter taught English and was the dramatics director at Curtis Junior High School in Sudbury for 40 years. He will be remembered fondly by his many students for his enthusiastic renditions of Edgar Allen Poe which was the reason one did not sit in the front row of his classroom.

From his 1973 playbill bio: “When there are loud noises to be made and vigorous gesticulating to be done, just call Walter Reed. After all, he puts on a show every day for the kids at Curtis Jr. High.”