ONE hundred performers and supporters from America and South Africa are travelling to Skipton for a special musical weekend.

Two overseas groups will perform at Skipton Town Hall next Saturday and Sunday, August 8 and 9, as an extension of the 22nd International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival which is being staged in Harrogate.

The New York-based Blue Hill Troupe will give a special concert next Saturday at 7.30pm and the Cape Town Gilbert and Sullivan Society will stage a full production of The Mikado next Sunday at 2.30pm.

Festival director Ian Smith said he was delighted that two major performing groups had agreed to entertain outside Harrogate.

“Skipton Town Hall seemed an obvious choice," he added. "This international weekend of music is something really special and worthy of the support of music lovers of all ages."

The Blue Hill Troupe was born in the summer of 1924, when Dr and Mrs Seth Milliken decided to try to protect their children from the “dangerous influences of the Roaring Twenties” by having them put on a more sedate production of HMS Pinafore.

Today, troupe members come from all walks of life and span several generations. They donate their time and energy to produce two full theatrical productions a year - a Broadway musical or light opera each autumn and a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta each spring. In the past 25 years alone they have raised $2.5 million for New York charities.

Cape Town Gilbert and Sullivan stages both Gilbert and Sullivan operas and West End Broadway musicals to critical acclaim and provides opportunities for young performers, singers, dancers and technical crew to develop and hone their skills in a high performance environment.

The society has been treading the boards for the past 67 years and has performed at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival three times, winning awards on each occasion.

Tickets for the Skipton concerts are available from the Tourist Information Centre in the Town Hall, call 01756 792809 or visit gsfestivals.org