Pictured in this programme page is Mr E. I. Ellery who had extensively photographed a large number of the local aristocracy in the first two decades of the 1900s. Mr. Ellery was also the scenic artist and stage manager for the society and had painted the scenery for its productions since its formation. Also pictured is a photograph from a previous T.A.O.D.S production of The Mikado.
Both comic operas by Gilbert and Sullivan, the T.A.O.D.S production of Trial By Jury and The Pirates of Penzance ran at The County Theatre Truro between the 3rd and 7th of February 1931. Included in the programme is the statement that ‘to write a synopsis of this essentially Gilbertian Dramatic Cantata is almost a sacriledge: The words and the humour are so rich…’
One of Susanna Centlivre’s greatest successes, The Busy Body was written in 1709 and centres on two intertwining love plots. The T.A.O.D.S staged their own production of the play in 1967 at City Hall Truro. This photograph was taken during one of their performances of the show.
Written by Ted Willis, Doctor at Sea is a farsical comedy in three acts. It was performed at City Hall Truro by the T.A.O.D.S between the 10th and 13th of March, 1965 and was directed by John Knight. The cover features the distinctive cathedral inspired logo of T.A.O.D.S against a colourful background and bold border.
Written by Ted Willis, Doctor at Sea is a farsical comedy in three acts. It was performed at City Hall Truro by the T.A.O.D.S between the 10th and 13th of March, 1965 and was directed by John Knight. This photograph was taken during a performance of the play.
Vera Ware was the Truro Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society’s ballet mistress who not only choreographed performances but also, on occassion, produced them too. Vera had also owned her own dance school at number 3 River Street during the 1930s, where she taught ‘all branches of dancing.’
Written by Arthur Lovegrove, the play follows the story of the Fordyces family and the events that unravel after Mrs. Puffin, a complete stranger, walks into their lives with predictions of the future. This image is a photograph that was taken of the T.A.O.D.S production of they play at City Hall in March 1966.
The White Horse Inn is a musical comedy by Ralph Benatzky and Robert Stolz who adapted it from Oscar Blumenthal’s original play. It follows the story of the head waiter of the White Horse Inn who is desperately in love with it’s owner. The T.A.O.D.S staged their own production of the musical in 1965 at City Hall Truro.
Advertising the T.A.O.D.S performance of Showboat at City Hall in November 1992, this poster is an interesting example of the progression in theatre design that had resulted in sophisticated and modern advertisements by the end of the century.
First produced in 1927, the Showboat musical follows the lives and loves of the workers aboard the Cotton Blossom travelling showboat. The T.A.O.D.S performance of the musical ran at City Hall Truro between the 2nd and 7th of November 1992, although it had been produced by the society for decades. Joan and John Boreham produced this particular performance, with Joan also directing the choreography.