Plymouth Gilbert and Sullivan Fellowship are celebrating further success at this year’s NODA (National Operatic and Dramatic Association) – South West region awards for 2016.

Just as they are busy preparing for this year’s show Chess, they were delighted to receive the Allan Brooking award for the best Gilbert and Sullivan production at a glitzy award ceremony in Bristol on March 4 for last year’s production of Iolanthe.

The fellowship’s production was one of six nominated for the award from right across the region, which includes theatrical groups from Wiltshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Bristol, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.

The fellowship has received this award on a number of occasions, the last time being for The Yeomen of the Guard in 2015 and is a clear recognition of the high standard of productions regularly produced by the group.

PGS chairman, Gareth Davies, said ‘We are very proud to win this award again, having recently won it before in 2015. This is more affirmation of the high and professional standards we present in our productions, both in the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan and shows such as this month’s exciting production of Chess — The Musical.

Chess again brings together the talents of the internationally-acclaimed director Alan Spencer and PGS musical director Jane Warwick (who were the team behind both Iolanthe and The Yeomen of the Guard. and bodes well for the standard of this year’s production.

This production represents the most modern offering to date from PGS, formed almost a century ago to stage the evergreen works of Victorian duo Gilbert and Sullivan. Since widening its repertoire to include other works, the group has presented The Merry Widow, My Fair Lady and even the Bizet masterpiece Carmen.

This latest production, with music by ABBA’s Benny Anderssen and Bjorn Ulvaeus is ranked by its lyricist Sir Tim Rice as his personal favourite and features the numbe one hit I Know Him So Well as well as the lively One Night In Bangkok and the stirring Anthem.

 Chess opens at the Devonport Playhouse at 7.30pm, Wednesday March 29 and runs for the rest of the week, with a 2.30pm matinee on Saturday.