Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine

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Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine Located in Hancock County, Maine, we bring laughter and music through the works of Gilbert and Sullivan to Eastern and Downeast Maine every year.

Est. 1976, 501(c)3, our mission is to entertain, inspire & educate. Come see what we're putting on!

Congratulations to our 2027 Lee Patterson Vocal Scholarship Recipients!The late Lee Patterson absolutely loved to sing. ...
10/05/2026

Congratulations to our 2027 Lee Patterson Vocal Scholarship Recipients!

The late Lee Patterson absolutely loved to sing. A long-time member of our group, Lee thought everyone else should sing too. To that end, he set up and endowed the Lee Patterson Scholarship for Classical Voice Training.

Thanks to his generosity, we each year award at least two $500 Lee Patterson scholarships toward classical voice lessons. The awardee must sign up to sing in our next production as a lead or in the chorus.

This year’s scholarship recipients are Joel Creed, Vivi Gaudrault, Niamh Stinson, and Paxton Brown!

GSSME is thrilled to present the cast of our 2027 production of 'The Grand Duke'! Thank you to everyone who came out and...
09/29/2026

GSSME is thrilled to present the cast of our 2027 production of 'The Grand Duke'!

Thank you to everyone who came out and auditioned.

Interested in joining the chorus? No audition required! We will have optional music rehearsals beginning November 7th, and full rehearsals beginning January 2nd. Please reach out to [email protected] for more information.

Lee Patterson Vocal Scholarship announcement coming soon!

One more day! Did you miss your chance to audition on Monday? There will be one more day of auditions for the Gilbert an...
09/16/2026

One more day! Did you miss your chance to audition on Monday?

There will be one more day of auditions for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine's upcoming production of The Grand Duke will be at The Moore Center (125 State Street, Ellsworth) this Saturday, September 19th from 10:00-1:00. Final arrival time is 30 minutes before the end, so please plan to arrive at 12:30 at the latest.

Performances of The Grand Duke will be at The Grand (165 Main St., Ellsworth) on March 5, 6, 7 & 12, 13, 14.

This production will be going to Buxton, England in August, 2027 to compete in the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in celebration of our 50th anniversary! More information will be available at auditions.

Prepare a classical song to sing. A Gilbert & Sullivan song might be a good choice, but is not required. You may also be asked to read some dialogue.

Plus audition for the Lee Patterson Classical Voice Scholarship at the same time! Earn $500 to put towards classical voice lessons.
(Scholarship recipients must perform in The Grand Duke.)

Want to sing in the chorus? No audition needed! Just email [email protected] to sign up.



Photo by Chris Dougherty (Ruddigore, 2025)

Auditions for The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine's upcoming production of The Grand Duke will be at The Moore Cen...
09/09/2026

Auditions for The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine's upcoming production of The Grand Duke will be at The Moore Center (125 State Street, Ellsworth) on September 14th from 6:00 to 8:00PM and September 19th from 10:00AM to 1:00PM! The final arrival time is 30 minutes before the end (7:30PM and 12:30PM).

Performances of The Grand Duke will be at The Grand (165 Main St., Ellsworth) on March 5, 6, 7 & 12, 13, 14.

This production will be going to Buxton, England in August, 2027 to compete in the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in celebration of our 50th anniversary! More information will be available at auditions.

Prepare a classical song to sing. A Gilbert & Sullivan song might be a good choice, but is not required. You may also be asked to read some dialogue.

Plus audition for the Lee Patterson Classical Voice Scholarship at the same time! Earn $500 to put towards classical voice lessons.
(Scholarship recipients must perform in The Grand Duke.)

Want to sing in the chorus? No audition needed! Just email [email protected] to sign up.



Photo by Chris Dougherty (Princess Ida, 2026)

Auditions for The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine's upcoming production of The Grand Duke will be at The Moore Cen...
09/03/2026

Auditions for The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine's upcoming production of The Grand Duke will be at The Moore Center (125 State Street, Ellsworth) on September 14th from 6:00 to 8:00PM and September 19th from 10:00AM to 1:00PM! The final arrival time is 30 minutes before the end (7:30PM and 12:30PM).

This production will be going to Buxton, England in August, 2027 to compete in the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in celebration of our 50th anniversary! More information will be available at auditions.

Prepare a classical song to sing. A Gilbert & Sullivan song might be a good choice, but is not required. You may also be asked to read some dialogue.

Plus audition for the Lee Patterson Classical Voice Scholarship at the same time!
(Scholarship recipients must perform in The Grand Duke.)

Want to sing in the chorus? No audition needed! Just email [email protected] to sign up.

Performances of The Grand Duke will be at The Grand (165 Main St., Ellsworth) on March 5, 6, 7 & 12, 13, 14.



Photo by Richard Leighton (Pirates of Penzance, 2023)

In 1994, GSSME brought 'Utopia, Limited' to Buxton England for the first ever International Gilbert and Sullivan Festiva...
06/10/2026

In 1994, GSSME brought 'Utopia, Limited' to Buxton England for the first ever International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival and won.

For our 50th anniversary, we plan to go back.

To make this possible, we need your financial support! Make a donation today to make our 50th anniversary celebrations, both here and abroad, possible!

To donate, go to https://www.gilbertsullivanmaine.org/donate/, or follow the link in our bio.

Thank you all for your unwavering support over the last 49 years. None of this would be possible without the community around us!

“Do you mind me mopping while we do the interview?I’m usually on stage, but I was in another show in January and Februar...
06/01/2026

“Do you mind me mopping while we do the interview?

I’m usually on stage, but I was in another show in January and February, and I didn’t want to miss the show, so I decided to do tech.

Between the two, I like being on stage. I really like the singing and the acting...the costumes as well. I like the fancy dresses."

The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine is heading back to England!In August of 2027, GSSME will return to Buxton, Eng...
06/01/2026

The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine is heading back to England!

In August of 2027, GSSME will return to Buxton, England, to perform at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival as part of our 50th Anniversary celebration!

Our history with the festival goes all the way back to 1994, when we performed ‘Utopia, Limited’ at the very first International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival; and brought home First Place. Now, more than three decades later, we're thrilled to return with a production that's been 50 years in the making: ‘The Grand Duke’, the only Gilbert and Sullivan opera we've never produced.

Packed with sharp social satire, unforgettable music, romance, revolutionaries, mistaken identities, and even sausage rolls, ‘The Grand Duke’ promises to be a fitting centerpiece for this milestone year!

And that's just the beginning! We have exciting plans in store both in Maine and abroad as we celebrate five decades of bringing Gilbert and Sullivan to life. Stay tuned for more 50th Anniversary announcements in the months ahead.

For more information go to gilbertsullivanmaine.org, or email us at [email protected].

Please consider making a monetary donation to support our company. Ticket sales simply do not cover all of the expenses required to produce a show. Your support allows us to compensate artists fairly for their work and continue to offer exhilarating productions year after year!

To make a contribution, visit our website or click the link in our bio.


Graphic Design by Derek McGraw

“Back in the 80s a friend of mine invited me to see a Gilbert and Sullivan show at the Grand. I’d never seen any communi...
05/25/2026

“Back in the 80s a friend of mine invited me to see a Gilbert and Sullivan show at the Grand. I’d never seen any community theatre at all, and that was it....

After years of community theatre, college degrees, music degrees. I come back to Maine and end up performing in every show. It’s just a bookend-y kind of thing.

I like the light-hearted silliness of the shows layered with very serious social commentary and satire. It’s a fun combination of serious subjects done in a light way. I so enjoy it.”

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Ellsworth, ME

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