When a group of friends and colleagues got together to perform in a one-off charity concert, who would have guessed that more than thirty years later we would still be in existence as an award-winning company performing light opera and musicals to appreciative Somerset audiences?

About Us

Our first concert was a semi-staged version of Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury, and Milborne Port Opera, as our group was soon named, has gone on to perform every one of the G & S operettas, from the much-loved works like The Pirates of Penzance and Iolanthe to the almost-forgotten Utopia Limited. Along the way, MPO has brought audiences more operetta from the likes of Lehar and Strauss, premiered three comic works by a talented member, and branched out into the world of musicals with stand-out shows such as Sondheim's Into the Woods and Cole Porter's Anything Goes. It has received numerous awards from the Somerset Fellowship of Drama.

One of the most remarkable features of Milborne Port Opera is that the company re-creates its own venue every year, turning Milborne Port Village Hall into a versatile theatrical space. In the early days, the Village Hall had no stage, and the shoe-string performances were somewhat rough and ready, staged on a low platform with minimal scenery. What a difference thirty years of gradual innovation can make! These days the Village Hall boasts a "small but perfectly formed" stage, which MPO extends forward, with our set designers creating amazing scenery year after year. A full lighting rig is put up, tiered seating goes in for the audience, our wonderful orchestra tunes up and we're ready for show time!