West Bridgford Operatic Society, based in Nottingham, England, was formed in 1945.  The society’s first show was The Gondoliers in 1946. After 52 years of performing Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, and having covered each of the thirteen G&S productions at least once if not several times, the society ventured into other operas and musicals starting with Orpheus in the Underworld. Since then the society has performed a mix of G&S and musical theatre productions in order to provide a more varied experience for our performers and our audiences.

The group has always included a good mix of men and women of all ages from 18 years old to over 80!  Many of the group’s members joined as youngsters and continued to perform with the group through the decades, introducing their own children to the group along the way.

WBOS performs at least one main show in Nottingham every year, usually early in the calendar year, followed by a concert in West Bridgford in early summer.  The group also sing in smaller fundraising and community concerts throughout the year.

Becoming a Charity

The West Bridgford Operatic Society became a registered charity in 2011 and a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2024 (registered charity number 1210075).

The charitable objectives of the society are:

• the advancement of the arts, in particular the dramatic arts, and the development of public appreciation of such arts by the presentation of public performances; and

• the advancement of education for the public in the art of drama, theatre work and skills such as production planning, stage design, stage management, wardrobe and use of props. We do this by:

• staging full-length musical and dramatic works

• staging concerts of assorted musical and dramatic material

• participating in the staging of musical and dramatic works by others

• social activities

• fundraising activities