The Blue Hill Troupe, Ltd. (often referred to as the Troupe or BHT), is a
musical theatre performing company and
charitable organization
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definition of a ...
based in New York City. The Troupe is the only musical theatre company in the city that donates all the net proceeds of its performances to charity.
[
Formed in 1924 in Blue Hill, Maine, the Troupe moved to New York City in 1926 and has mounted annual performances ever since. It began by staging a Gilbert and Sullivan opera each year, becoming the first performing group in the United States to produce all 13 extant ]Savoy operas
Savoy opera was a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which im ...
.[ The Troupe also began to give concerts, an annual gala and "out-of-town" performances. Since 1984, it has also produced a second fully-staged work of musical theatre annually.
Each year, the Troupe selects a New York City charity as the principal object of its philanthropy, seeking to have the greatest charitable impact with the funds it raises through its performances. Over the decades, it has donated an inflation-adjusted total of more than $12 million.][ The Troupe has also served as a social outlet for its hundreds of members, who volunteer their time and talents towards its theatrical and charitable activities.
]
Early history
The Troupe was founded in the summer of 1924 near the country estate of Dr. Seth Minot Milliken (1875–1957), a member of the Milliken textile family, and his wife, Alida Lesse (1879–1975), in Blue Hill, Maine, when the couple was searching for ways to keep their teenage children busy and away from the cinema and other "pernicious influence of the roaring twenties".[Emerson, Brad]
"The Pinafore Sails Down East"
''New York Social Diary
New York Social Diary is a website that publishes photographs of "the rich and powerful" socialites and a social calendar of events that they might attend. It is maintained by David Patrick Columbia, who founded it in 2000.
History
The ''Diary'' ...
'', January 25, 2011 A musically talented friend who was staying with them, Elsie Goddard, suggested recruiting their children and neighboring summer residents to perform Gilbert and Sullivan's ''H.M.S. Pinafore
''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, whic ...
''. After several weeks of rehearsal, with Goddard directing,[Johnston, Laurie]
"Theatrical Company With a Pedigree Plays ''Pirates'' for Charity"
''The New York Times'', April 17, 1984, pp. B1 and B20 the show took place that August on the deck of the Millikens' 103-foot schooner, ''Shawna'', moored offshore.["The Blue Hill Troupe: Gilbert and Sullivan with Unflagging Zest"]
''Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'', August 15, 1957 Smaller boats delivered Sir Joseph with his sisters, cousins and aunts, to the ''Pinafore'', and floating docks held brave musicians who battled rising winds and waves sloshing over their feet including, precariously, Mrs. Walter Sullivan at the piano.["Blue Hill Troupe: Less Society and a Lot More Professionalism"]
''The New York Times'', March 12, 1972 The audience sat on the shore, the stone porches of the boathouse and the docks of the local yacht club as darkness fell, with a full moon, various spotlights and car headlights illuminating the show.[ Proceeds from ticket sales were donated to the East Blue Hill Library.
The performance was deemed a success, and the next summer, the Millikens and friends produced '']The Mikado
''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...
'', this time on dry but foggy land, in front of the Millikens' nearby home. The funds raised were given to a hospital and a church in Blue Hill.[ Filichia, Peter]
"Stagestruck by Peter Filichia: The Blue Hill Troupe: 75 Years of G&S, and More"
'' Playbill'', April 28, 1999 The following spring of 1926, the Troupe moved to New York City where, at the Millikens' Upper East Side
The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...
house, it presented ''The Pirates of Penzance
''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...
''. ''The Gondoliers
''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...
'' followed the next year, with performances in both Manhattan and Maine, and since then the Troupe has been based in New York City,[ with a mission to raise money for charity.][ The Blue Hill Troupe was not officially named until 1930.][ In 1952 the company filed a Certificate of Incorporation in New York State; its "Purpose" clause, written in Gilbertian verse, begins:
]
Description
Productions
The Troupe has performed every year since 1924, except for 1929 and 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic theatre shutdown). The company presents a Gilbert and Sullivan opera each year, generally in the spring.[ It was the first American company to produce all 13 extant ]Savoy opera
Savoy opera was a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impr ...
s,[ and some of its members were the first Americans to appear in all of them.][ The Troupe has even produced a version of the "lost" Gilbert and Sullivan opera, '' Thespis'', with a score by Sullivan and Thomas Z. Shepard. In the 1930s and 1940s, its director and music director were Benjamin T. Hoogland and Edmond W. Rickett, who together wrote the book ''Let's Do Some Gilbert and Sullivan'', a handbook used by many companies in producing the operas. Later, Charles Dodsley Walker, music director of the ]Church of the Heavenly Rest
The Church of the Heavenly Rest is an Episcopal church located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 90th Street, opposite Central Park and the Carnegie Mansion, on the Upper East Side of New York City. The church is noted for the architecture of i ...
, conducted the Troupe for 35 years. In 1984, the Troupe began to perform a second fully-staged work of musical theatre each autumn.[Nutt, Bill]
"NYC's Blue Hill Troupe to stage ''Iolanthe'' from April 8 to 16"
MyCentralJersey.com, April 2, 2016
The group also organizes its members to sing Christmas carols in hospital wards and at fire stations, and gives concerts, as well as an annual gala and additional out-of-town performances;[Melvin, Tessa]
''The New York Times'', May 1, 1983, Section 11, p. 24[Davidson, Spencer. "The Blue Hill Is Alive with the Sound of Savoyards", '']Avenue
Avenue or Avenues may refer to:
Roads
* Avenue (landscape), traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees, in the shifted sense a tree line itself, or some of boulevards (also without trees)
* Avenue Road, Bangalore
* Avenue Road, ...
'', April 1982, pp. 136–140 during World War II, it sang concerts at West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
.[ For many years in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Troupe performed annual concerts at the ]Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
.["Blue Hill Troupe"]
'' NYC Arts''. Retrieved October 27, 2022[Jones, Kenneth]
"NYC's Blue Hill Troupe Goes ''Into the Woods'' for a Good Cause Nov. 7-15"
''Playbill'', October 15, 2008 It has twice performed concerts in Carnegie Hall accompanied by The New York Pops
The New York Pops is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States, and the only professional symphonic orchestra in New York City specializing in popular music. Led by Music Director Steven Reineke, the orchestra performs an annual ...
.[ Other concerts are given annually at such venues as university clubs and nursing homes.][ The Troupe has also twice performed at the ]International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival was founded in 1994 by Ian Smith and his son Neil and is held every summer in England. The two- or three-week Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan opera performances and fringe events attracts thousands ...
in England, once winning the festival with its production of ''Patience
(or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when face ...
''. During the 21st century, the Troupe has usually performed its spring shows at the theatre of El Museo del Barrio
El Museo del Barrio, often known simply as El Museo (the museum), is a museum at 1230 Fifth Avenue in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is located near the northern end of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile, immediately north of the Museum of the Cit ...
.[Gardner, Ralph Jr]
"Theater Group Is Tonic for Our Times"
''The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', March 15, 2016
''Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' judged the Troupe "very, very good, even by professional standards".[ A ''New York Times'' critic, Theodore W. Libbey Jr., called the Troupe's '' Iolanthe'' "flawless from a technical standpoint and showed polish on all levels. Aside from a few overly busy scenes ... stage business went smoothly. ... The musical preparation of the chorus was impressive, as was the work of many of the principals." In '']National Review
''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...
'', John O'Sullivan thought the Troup's production of ''Utopia, Limited
''Utopia, Limited; or, The Flowers of Progress'', is a Savoy opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was the second-to-last of Gilbert and Sullivan's fourteen collaborations, premiering on 7 October 1893 for a ...
'' "sparkling, witty, and thoroughly entertaining". Tim Page, writing in ''The New York Times'', commented that a Troupe production of ''Princess Ida
''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Theatre on 5 January 1884, for a ru ...
'' showed "a remarkable flair for the impeccably proper lunacy that is the soul of the Savoy operas." ''Times'' critic John Rockwell
John Sargent Rockwell (born September 16, 1940) is an American music critic, dance critic and arts administrator. According to '' Grove Music Online'', "Rockwell brings two signal attributes to his critical work: a genuine admiration for all ...
's review of ''Pirates'' said that the company's "productions are actually quite lavish, even quasi-professional. ... There was also some stalwart acting".
Charity
The Troupe gives all of the net proceeds from its performances to New York City Charities, usually a new one each year.[Catton, Pia]
"Theater Troupe's Acts of Charity"
''The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', June 30, 2011 It is the only musical theater group in New York City that donates its net proceeds to charity.[Cristi, A. A]
"Blue Hill Troupe Presents ''City of Angels'' 4/21"
BroadwayWorld, February 6, 2017 The Troupe seeks to have the greatest charitable impact with the funds it raises through its performances; charities to which the group donates have often included hospitals, and those that focus on healthcare, education, disadvantaged youth and families, and the elderly. Others have included God's Love We Deliver
God's Love We Deliver (GLWD) is an American charitable organization founded in 1985 based in New York City. Despite its name, the organization is secular.
God's Love We Deliver prepares and delivers meals to ill New York residents and serves ove ...
, Prep for Prep
Prep for Prep is a leadership development and gifted education program dedicated to expanding educational access to students of color. The organization's programs are targeted toward high achieving New York City minority students and helps with ...
, Covenant House
Covenant House is a large, Catholic, privately funded agency in the Americas, whose primary purpose is to promote Catholicism. It provides shelter, food, immediate crisis care, and other services to homeless and runaway young people. Covenant Ho ...
, National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in New York City as the Association for Advancement of Research on Multiple Sclerosis on March 11, 1946 by Sylvia Lawry. Ms. Lawry was a lawyer looking fo ...
, I Have a Dream Foundation, The Legal Aid Society
The Legal Aid Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit legal aid provider based in New York City. Founded in 1876, it is the oldest and largest provider of legal aid in the United States. Its attorneys provide representation on criminal and civil m ...
, New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Goodwill Industries
Goodwill Industries International Inc., often shortened in speech and writing to Goodwill (stylized as goodwill), is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides job training, employment placement services, and other community-bas ...
, Children's Aid, The Doe Fund, Rocking the Boat, the Young People's Chorus of New York City
Young People's Chorus of New York City is an internationally acclaimed children's chorus based in New York City. The Young People's Chorus (YPC) provides children of all ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds with a unique program of music e ...
and the Fortune Society.[ By combining performing, social activities and charitable giving, the Troupe's members "get back in happiness whatever they give".][King, C. J. "Blue Hill Troupe members give the performances that they love", '']Manchester Journal
The Manchester Journal is a weekly newspaper in Manchester, Vermont. The paper, founded by Charles A. Pierce, published its first issue on May 28, 1861. According to the American Newspapers Representative database, the Manchester Journal has a week ...
'', August 18, 2000, p. 4B Over the decades, the company has donated an inflation-adjusted total of more than $12 million.[Cristi, A. A]
"Blue Hill Troupe Kicks Off Its 99th Season with ''The Addams Family'' This Friday"
BroadwayWorld.com, November 3, 2023
Membership
The hundreds of members of the Troupe[ volunteer their time to rehearse and perform, create the sets, costumes, props and lighting, provide stage management, manage the house and sell tickets and program advertising, and do the administrative tasks of running a large theatrical and charitable organization. Since its early years, however, the group has employed professional stage and music directors, including ]Andy Sandberg
Andy Sandberg is an American director, writer, actor, and producer. A 2005 graduate of Yale College, his Off-Broadway directing credits include ''Straight, Application Pending'' (also author), ''Shida, Craving for Travel'' (also author)'', Operat ...
,[ choreographers, including ]Dan Knechtges Dan Knechtges () is a director and choreographer, for musicals, opera, television, film and music videos. ,[Collins, Glenn]
"Sing Ho for Those Swashbuckling Sailors"
''The New York Times'', April 11, 1999 accompanists, including George Malloy,[ and orchestra musicians.][ Not everyone who joins the Troupe has a desire to perform onstage: some apply for membership as "frontstagers" and must pass musical auditions, while others may be admitted through an interview as dedicated "backstagers".][ New applicants are considered each autumn.
The Troupe was known, early on, as "a cultural outlet for the Upper East Side’s blue-blood set",][Kilgannon, Corey]
"Oh, Joy! Oh, Rapture! A Leaner Gilbert & Sullivan Troupe Turns 94"
''The New York Times'', March 26, 2018 and many members in the Troupe's early decades were listed on the Social Register
The ''Social Register'' is a semi-annual publication in the United States that indexes the members of American high society. First published in the 1880s by newspaper columnist Louis Keller, it was later acquired by Malcolm Forbes. Since 2014, ...
.[ Later the Troupe's membership became mostly professional people and diversified.][ The first black member was artist ]Philemona Williamson
Philemona Williamson (born 1951) is an artist from New York City.
Biography
Williamson was born in NYC in 1951.
Her African-American parents were employed by a wealthy Greek family, and she grew up in their Manhattan home.
She recalls a diversi ...
, who joined in the early 1980s.[ Other notable Troupe members have included Jonathan Rabb, Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff, Dyllan McGee and Emily Rafferty, the last of whom served as the Troupe's president.][ Members often stay involved with the Troupe for decades, and over 100 couples have met and married through the company: Debutante Lois Lindon Smith joined in 1931 and soon married navy officer John Jay Schieffelin (later a Rear Admiral); they were both active lifelong members, and her membership lasted for 74 years until her death in 2007.]["Paid Notice: Deaths – Schieffelin, Lois"]
''The New York Times'', February 18, 2007 Other members have parents and children involved in the Troupe.[ Members enjoy the friendships made and find camaraderie of the Troupe infectious.][ The company often designs its performances, and even its choice of charity partners, to provide social opportunities for its members, for example by scheduling out-of-town performances are part of a long weekend getaway.][
]
References
External links
official website
BHT
featured on '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', 1996
BHT
on WNYW
WNYW (channel 5) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secaucus, New Jersey–licensed MyNetworkTV flagsh ...
, 2016
{{authority control
Gilbert and Sullivan performing groups
Musical groups established in 1924
Musical theatre companies
New York City opera companies