It was in 1964 that George Sheppard said to his wife Dorothy, “What this town needs is a Gilbert and Sullivan Society”. This bold statement led to the first COS production HMS Pinafore in the Shelly School in April 1965.
COS, which became CODS in 1972, has produced a Musical every year since that 1965 production.
Transforming a large and fairly unprepossessing school hall into a theatre has become an annual ‘art form’.
Most of our shows have been in the traditional proscenium arch/stage format, but since 1999 many productions have been performed ‘in the round’ which, as well as presenting some technical challenges, has given a fresh look to our staging and to the performances.
During those years cost have risen from under £200 for the first HMS Pinafore to an average of £16,000 to £18,000 for our current productions. The shows illustrated on this page are, HMS Pinafore 1965 which cost less than £200, The Grand Duchess 1982 produced for £2900, La Belle Helene £4750, Jesus Christ Superstar £19,000 in 2010 and Oliver 2011 which cost £20,500.