Board of Directors

The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company is an organization run by its membership.  Once a year, at an Annual Meeting the company elects a volunteer Board of Directors from among its membership, to facilitate the production of the next show.  While eight company members serve for a one-year term, according to the company bylaws, additional Members at Large are occasionally included, as in the current season.

Current Board

The members of the Board for the 2023 to 2024 season include:

Producer: Stephen Hage
Secretary: Wendy Matsutani
Treasurer: John Orbison
Labour Pool Coordinator: Malka Key
Publicity: Waldyn Benbenek
Women’s Chorus Representative: Mallory Rabehl
Men’s Chorus Representative: Lowell Rice
Orchestra Representative: Barb Hovey
Member at Large Tom Berg

Board Member Duties

The duties of the various members of the Board may be summarized as follows:

  • The Producer is the Board’s representative to the production staff.
  • The Secretary handles company correspondence, keeps minutes and acts as company historian.
  • The Treasurer handles money, collects dues and keeps financial records for the company.
  • The Labour Pool Coordinator recruits workers to make materials and handle them at show time, including sets, props and costumes.
  • The Publicity person plans and handles publicity for the company and manages correspondence with the news media.
  • The Women’s Chorus Representative represents the female chorus to the Board.
  • The Men’s Chorus Representative represents the male chorus to the Board.
  • The Orchestra Representative represents the orchestra to the Board.
  • The Member at Large fulfills duties as assigned, in support of the Board and the company in general.

A simple majority of Board members must be present at a Board meeting to transact business.

“If you will be so good as to formulate a detailed list of your grievances in writing,
addressed to the Secretary of Utopia Limited, they will be laid before the Board,
in due course, at their next monthly meeting.”

—King Paramount
Utopia Limited