Gilbert and Sullivan student society of 1980s still going strong

Alumni who were members of Newcastle University’s Gilbert and Sullivan Society from 1981 – 1992 have been reuniting every two years in Yorkshire for over two decades, with the latest reunion featuring a performance of 'The Zoo' by Sullivan and Rowe.

Memories of Newcastle University in the 1980s

“I arrived in Newcastle in the early 1980s to study at the medical school, having grown up in Hull. I chose Newcastle because it did an ‘integrated medical course’ as opposed to the older style teaching and also had patient exposure during the 2nd year which is earlier than most,” David told us.

“My first year was in Ethel Williams Hall. It was a great social hall as we had to get the Metro into town, so we entertained ourselves in the halls a lot. I am still good friends with a lady called Viv who I met on the first day there. We used the get the police coming at weekends asking for volunteers to take part in ID parades which was quite fun and paid well in cash. Luckily no one ever got identified when I was doing them!”

Summarising his student days as “lots of fun!” David remembered, “We worked steadily but it didn't seem onerous even though it was 9-5 Monday to Friday with Wednesday afternoon for sport. What we didn't do is going out drinking or to night clubs. I would meet friends for a drink at 9pm when we had all finished studies but not going out all night. We also went to Tyneside cinema most months and got cheap tickets for the theatre. I remember standing to watch Anthony Sher play Richard 3rd at Theatre Royal when the RSC did its spring visit to Newcastle.”

Jo didn’t join Newcastle University until 1987 to complete her clinical training, having started her medical studies at Cambridge. Her first year was spent living in Richardson Road accommodation. She said:

“I first discovered the Gilbert and Sullivan Society via a noticeboard during a visit to campus before I joined Newcastle University, and I subsequently met David during rehearsals for the 1987 performance of Gondoliers, which was performed in the Newcastle Playhouse.

“We were playing a couple on stage and, thanks to some matchmaking by fellow Gilbert and Sullivan member Peter Bailey, we were quickly a couple in real life too! Our first date was at a restaurant just over the road from the Stage Door nightclub in Newcastle, where we went to celebrate my medical review – I can’t remember the name sadly but it had a giraffe in the corner wearing sunglasses! Peter was there too, and he was Best Man at our wedding years later.”

The couple is still in touch with Chemistry graduate Peter, who travels to Askham Bryan for the biannual reunion. Of his university days, Peter told us:

“I stayed in the new south wing of Henderson Hall in my first year.  I think I chose this after having seen Castle Leazes and felt that Henderson Hall was a smaller scale with a bit of a college feel.  My main memory was the Christmas Ball at which Sweet played including their seventies hit Blockbuster. We used to regularly walk home from nights out in the city centre over Armstrong Bridge to avoid the cost of taxis!  

“Alongside the Gilbert and Sullivan performances, I played rugby for the University second team in my first year and was in the Chemistry Department’s Hockey team.”

Peter wasn’t the only one juggling stage rehearsals with sport. Reunion attendee Claire Nightingale (BDS, 1989) “rowed for the Women’s 2^nd Eight for 2 years, played in the MK Big Band as a saxophonist and was an active member of Dent Soc in addition to the Gilbert and Sullivan Society.”

Reflecting on her student days, Claire said her favourite aspect was “all the hall events and the community experience at Castle Leazes, especially the formal dining.”

There’s no business like show business

Founded in 1952, Newcastle University’s Gilbert and Sullivan Society is one of the oldest societies at the university. In the 1980s, the society regularly had up to 40 people in the chorus – which often led to herculean efforts to get everybody on the stage!

“From the start it was a really friendly society,” said David. “Performance week was tough as I continued my medical studies, performed each evening then was out to parties afterwards. But I really got the bug for musicals. I remember the sense of emptiness on the Sunday after the show with no rehearsal to go to.”

He continued, “Our main show was just before Easter after rehearsals from the previous October and was either in the Tyne Theatre on Westgate Road or the Playhouse. In the Summer term, we often put on low key shows in the Union rooms or Gulbenkian Theatre.”

Both Peter and Claire were President of the Society during their time at university – Peter in 1988 and then Claire in 1989. Peter told us:

“My parents had been heavily involved in a local G&S society and so I had been to many rehearsals and seen many of their productions. When I arrived at Newcastle, I was really immersed in the shows and wanted to follow in their footsteps. I remember targeting and finding the stall at the Freshers Fair in 1984, so I was pretty keen to join from the beginning.

“I have to say the best memories I have of university are all around the G&S society - with the different shows, people and social events. We had summer BBQs up on Druridge Bay, pub treasure hunts, all sorts of themed parties… But most of all it is all the memories around rehearsing and performing the shows.”

Claire added, “As President, I guided the magnificent membership to a sell-out, wonderful show of the Broadway version of “Pirates of Penzance”. I vividly remember standing in the wings listening to the audience cheering the Pirates singing their rousing chorus. Within weeks I had to sit Finals and passed with 2^nd Class Honours, which was exhilarating - 1^st Class Honours hadn’t been awarded for about 40 years at that point!”

Life after graduating

After graduating from Newcastle Medical School in the late 1980s, David and Jo moved to North Yorkshire to complete their GP training – and have stayed there since!

David spent 28 years as a partner at a GP surgery in York, while Jo worked for 16 years in Leeds before transitioning into palliative care. Earlier this year, they both retired.

Outside of their careers, David and Jo have always kept one foot on the stage. They said:

“Music has always been our social outlet though, and we’ve been involved in local groups and choirs all our lives. When kids came along, we had to set up a rota to make it fair! But now we’re retiring we have more time to focus on that and other interests.”

Peter remained at Newcastle until 1991 to complete his PhD, before moving first to Oxford and then the Wirral to take up a post with Unilever, accompanied by his wife Anne (who he also met via the Gilbert and Sullivan Society!) The pair have also continued to perform where they can, recounting:

“Anne and I joined the Chester Operatic Society where we did a number of shows before our daughter was born. I continued to do principle roles off and on in the North West area before we moved to Chicago for 3 years. And since returning to the UK, I have done a handful of shows but unfortunately life and other commitments have meant I have not done as many productions in the last 10-15 years as I would have liked to.”

Claire also remained in Newcastle after graduating, taking on a House Officer role at the Dental Hospital (and keeping one foot in the door with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society). Her career ambitions then took her around the country, completing a MSc in Orthodontics at the University of Bristol, followed by Senior Registrar training at the Eastman Dental Hospital in London.

Today, Claire is a Consultant Orthodontist at Watford General Hospital, with private practice at Queen’s Gate Orthodontics in South Kensington.

“We reached out to those we were still in touch with from university – via post in the days before social media and email! – and then organised an informal afternoon of singing through some Gilbert and Sullivan classics. We edited a show down to just one half then had the other half as party pieces so people could just bring something they enjoyed singing. It was very easy and quick to put together really.

“I must admit, using email and WhatsApp has made it much quicker nowadays! And having Amazon means I don’t have to borrow sheet music from the local library anymore!”

David added, “We held our first performance in our local village hall, which has seating for around 45 people – so it was a sell-out! Since then, we’ve welcomed locals to our shows every two years and the money we raise from tickets goes back into the local community.

“The great thing is that conversation just flows without the feeling that some people may not have met since the last reunion. Our children say we regress to teenagers again when everyone is together indeed on one occasion they came downstairs in the early hours and asked us to be quiet as they were trying to sleep!”

Interested in organising your own reunion?

Your student days are a defining period in life, full of new and unforgettable experiences. Unfortunately, it’s easy for the connections and friendships to slip as time passes.

Well now’s your chance to reconnect with your old friends and course mates. Our reunion services do much of the work for you, making it easier to make contact and get people together.

We can help you organise your reunion by:

• Contacting your long-lost friends and former classmates
• Sending messages and invitations on your behalf
• Promoting your reunion through our web event listings and social media channels
• Recommending venues, accommodation and activities in Newcastle. 
• Where possible, treating you and your guests to a one-hour campus tour with a Student Ambassador