The Gilbert and Sullivan Company of El Paso is throwing a two-night Halloween vocal concert fundraiser called Haunted Savoy: Once Upon a Midnight Dreary, set for October 29 and 30 at Grace Presbyterian Church in Northeast El Paso. Doors open at 6 p.m. both nights, with performances beginning at 7 p.m.; the show is open to the public, and donations are welcome.
The concert, as reported by KTSM 9 News, will feature past and present members of the local company alongside guest performers, with a program that spans musical theater, opera, pop culture, and film music. The lineup mixes selections from the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire with music from The Nightmare Before Christmas and a rendition of La Llorona, the traditional Mexican song, according to the same report. Artistic Director Brittney M. Williams is leading the production, with Bethany Tredway accompanying performers on piano.
Midway through the show, audiences can expect a costume contest held during intermission, with prizes awarded for the most creative outfits and Halloween treats handed out, per KTSM's account. It is a seasonal twist for a company whose bread and butter is 19th-century British comic operetta, but one that lets the nonprofit diversify its musical offerings while raising money to keep its programs running.
A Company Rooted in El Paso Since 1969
The Gilbert and Sullivan Company of El Paso was founded in late 1969 by University of Texas at El Paso professor and theater critic Joan Quarm, who staged the troupe's debut operetta, Patience, in the spring of 1970, according to the Gilbert and Sullivan Company of El Paso. Quarm, who died in December 2010, was a cornerstone of El Paso's arts scene who also founded Los Pobres Theater, the city's first bilingual theater company, which helped inspire the long-running outdoor drama Viva! El Paso, per her Legacy obituary. She spent 30 years teaching in UTEP's English department while founding multiple regional theater troupes.
Proceeds from the company's fundraisers, including Haunted Savoy, support its activities, scholarships, and performances. The title Haunted Savoy references London's Savoy Theatre, built in 1881 by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte specifically to showcase the comic operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan — a venue notable as the first public building in the world lit entirely by electric light, according to the London Museum. Dramatist W.S. Gilbert and composer Sir Arthur Sullivan collaborated on 14 comic operas between 1871 and 1896, establishing storytelling and musical structures that laid groundwork for modern musical theater.
Fresh Off a 57th Season and a Summer Tour
This fall's Halloween concert follows a busy summer for the company, which celebrated its 57th season in July with a staging of The Gondoliers, or The King of Barataria — the duo's 12th operetta collaboration — according to KTEP. Beyond its home stage in El Paso, the company expands its regional footprint each summer by touring its operetta productions to the Black Box Theatre in downtown Las Cruces, New Mexico, an annual tradition since 2004 noted by the Las Cruces Sun-News.
Williams is the artistic director behind Haunted Savoy.
The troupe's seasonal offering, Haunted Savoy, is set at Grace Presbyterian Church, located at 8001 Magnetic Street. For a company nearing six decades of continuous operation, Haunted Savoy offers a lighter, spookier counterpart to its summer operettas while supporting the company's scholarships and performances.
