Amateur Operatic Society ⋆ Ross and Cromarty Heritage

Amateur Operatic Society

Attribution: unknown (The ruin of Free Church in Jamestown)

Introduction

The Chairman of the Strathpeffer Amateur Operatic Society, John M.M. Fleck, in his Foreword to the programme of ‘The Yeoman of the Guard’ (1971) wrote –

The Strathpeffer Amateur Operatic Society began in 1958, and ever since has been delighting audiences with its performances of Gilbert and Sullivan Operas. Its reputation has been achieved by much hard work and co-operation, but three people stand out as those most responsible for its high standards.

Lt. Col. Olaf Macleod, was the Society’s founder and Chairman until 1970. The magnificent costumes and scenery which characterize our productions have been designed, and in many cases made, by him. He has directed the Society’s affairs with great wisdom and energy, and its members fully realise how much they owe him and his wife.

The heavy responsibilities of these twelve years have taken their toll of time and health, and for the time being Colonel and Mrs Macleod are taking a rest from active participation in the Society.

We are fortunate in still having Mr Fred Henson who has been Musical Director from the beginning. His quiet but thorough training of the singers has given great pleasure to both members and audiences. This year he achieves his ambition of having an Orchestra to bring out the beauties of Sullivan’s fine score. Next year for the first time we shall be tackling a non-Gilbert and Sullivan Opera.

If you would like to take part in this production and are not at present a member of the Society, please complete the tear-out portion on page 5 and hand in to the Box Office as you leave the hall.

Attribution: unknown

Elizabeth Burns recalled in January 2002 the following

Col. Olaf Macleod (founder member and Chairman) designed, and, with some assistance, physically made the sets for the G. and S. operas. Being employed by the Hydro Electric he had available large stocks of strong cardboard (the cartons in which cookers, fridges, etc. were packed). He himself painted the back-cloths. He also designed all the costumes for G. & S. and these were made by the company. At the AGMs Olaf would show us a minature set painted in a shoe box with full backcloth and wings and one or two cardboard cutout figures in costume.

After 1970 costumes were designed by Elizabeth Burns, Esther Jones and Ruth Gilvray. Sets were (mainly) by John Crawford.

John Fleck, who produced most of the later Viennese and other operettas, organised the moves he wanted the cast to make, with a supply of pennies and halfpennies, labelled with the letter or number of each chorus member. These he moved about on his table and wrote down the resulting positions for instruction of the chorus.

Attribution: unknown

Productions

1959 The Mikado
1960 HMS Pinafore
1961 The Gondoliers
1962 Iolanthe
1963 Princess Ida
1964 The Yeomen of the Guard
1965 The Mikado
1966 The Gondoliers
1967 Patience
1968 Pirates of Penzance
1969 Iolanthe
1970 Ruddigore
1971 The Yeomen of the Guard
1972 The Merry Widow
1973 The Maid of the Mountains
1974 The Mikado
1975 Die Fledermaus
1976 Gipsy Queen
1977 The Pirates of Penzance
1978 White Horse Inn
1979 Glorious Gilbert and Sullivan
1980 Lilac Time
1981 The Merry Widow
1982 La Vie Parisienne

Attribution: unknown

View photographs from some of the productions

We have received some photographs from some of the productions which we have included in albums on this page. We also have further details of a couple of the productions, so please do visit the pages for more information.

Click on photo album to view thumbnails and then click thumbnail to see the full size images

Strathpeffer » Strathpeffer Places » Strathpeffer Residential

Dunnichen

Dunnichen today. Dunnichen (formerly Rondebosch) was built in 1902 for a South African on a grand scale, rich in overall form and exquisite in detail, and never sub-divided, in spite of its size, unlike other villas of the period.

No. 8 Kinellan Drive is a typical council house with an attractive garden.

Manderley

The drive to Manderley showing on the skyline one of the carved stags that used to adorn the entry gates to Brahan Castle

Manderley

The drive to Manderley showing on the skyline one of the carved stags that used to adorn the entry gates to Brahan Castle

Manderley - pond and front of house

The drive to Manderley showing on the skyline one of the carved stags that used to adorn the entry gates to Brahan Castle

Sunlight on Manderley

The wonderful view down the Strath to Dingwall from the garden of Manderley

The wonderful view down the Strath to Dingwall from the garden of Manderley. Manderley - For a contemporary house I think Angus Macdonald's "Manderley" is a worthy example of the period, also in a piended style with strong overhanging eaves, reflecting the owner's times working in the Far East. It is set on the hillside above the village with spectacular views down the strath to the Cromarty Firth. [Sadly, Angus Macdonald died in 2010.]

Raven Cottage (c. 1900)

Raven Cottage (c. 1900) A very plain but elegant and well proportioned large white harled house of about 1785, the farm-house of one of the three original farms at the head of the valley.

Rondebosch in the 1930s

Rondebosch (now Dunnichen) in the 1930s, with Provost Andrew Murray (Dingwall) and his wife Margaret.

Crancil Brae

One house not selected by Mr Murray is Crancil Brae, the photograph of which was taken early in the 20th century by the owner, T Wellwood Maxwell, the Strathpeffer chemist.

Kinettas (1999)

Kinettas (1999 ) A very plain but elegant and well proportioned large white harled house of about 1785, the farm-house of one of the three original farms at the head of the valley.

Raven Cottage

Raven Cottage An early cottage, originally thatched, tucked into the slope, now surrounded by Victorian villas and dominated by Cromartie Buildings, but it would have been in green fields at one time.

Timaru

Timaru, completed in 1877 to the design of Inverness architect Alexander Ross, is a glorious essay - or at least the frontage is - in carpenter's Gothic style with finely carved posts and balusters and eaves boards. It was built for a retired New Zealand sheep-farmer and has an air of far-off lands about it.

Santrothen

Santrothen (beside the former filling station) is an interesting example of 1950's bungalow style with a part-piended (hipped) and slated roof and bold facing brick detail over entrance and at windows on the front elevation.

Castle Leod 2021

Click on photo album to view thumbnails and then click thumbnail to see the full size images

Unknown Productions

While creating this website we found some photos from the Operatic Society which weren’t associated with any production. If anyone knows which production any of these photos belongs to, please contact us and let us know.