Joyce Wright
Encyclopedia
Joyce Wright is an English
singer and actress, best known for her performances in the mezzo-soprano
roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
. She was married for a time to another D'Oyly Carte performer, Peter Pratt
.
, England. She grew up in Glasgow
, Scotland
, where she was educated at Bearsden Academy and received musical training from the age of eight. When she and her family returned to the Midlands, she won several prizes at the Midlands' Musical Festivals and sang in various choirs under the direction of Sir Malcolm Sargent
and Ernest Nash. She also performed in amateur theatricals, including with the Glasgow Players. Wright also played the piano professionally for a dance orchestra.
Wright joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company chorus in June 1947. Soon thereafter, she began to play the roles of Leila in Iolanthe
and Peep-Bo in The Mikado
, and filled in on occasion as Edith in The Pirates of Penzance
and Lady Saphir in Patience
. In 1948, she added a number of small roles and filled in briefly as Hebe in H.M.S. Pinafore
, Edith in Pirates, Phoebe Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard
, and Tessa in The Gondoliers
. She continued to play her small roles and to substitute in these larger roles, also filling in as Pitti-Sing in The Mikado, until 1951.
In 1951, Wright became the company's principal soubrette
, playing Hebe, Edith, Lady Angela in Patience, the title role in Iolanthe, Pitti-Sing, Mad Margaret in Ruddigore
, Phoebe, and Tessa. She played these roles, (except that Lady Angela was played by Beryl Dixon for several years), for the next eleven seasons.
Wright left the D'Oyly Carte organisation in 1962. After leaving the Company, she appeared in Yeomen in the 1962 Festival of the City of London at the Tower of London. She also did some work in BBC television and produced Gilbert and Sullivan
for amateur companies throughout England.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
singer and actress, best known for her performances in the mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
. She was married for a time to another D'Oyly Carte performer, Peter Pratt
Peter Pratt
Peter Pratt was an English actor and singer who is best remembered for his comic roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas....
.
Life and career
Joyce Wright was born in LeicesterLeicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England. She grew up in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where she was educated at Bearsden Academy and received musical training from the age of eight. When she and her family returned to the Midlands, she won several prizes at the Midlands' Musical Festivals and sang in various choirs under the direction of Sir Malcolm Sargent
Malcolm Sargent
Sir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works...
and Ernest Nash. She also performed in amateur theatricals, including with the Glasgow Players. Wright also played the piano professionally for a dance orchestra.
Wright joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company chorus in June 1947. Soon thereafter, she began to play the roles of Leila in Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
and Peep-Bo in The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
, and filled in on occasion as Edith in The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
and Lady Saphir in Patience
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
. In 1948, she added a number of small roles and filled in briefly as Hebe in H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
, Edith in Pirates, Phoebe Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
, and Tessa in The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances , closing on 30 June 1891...
. She continued to play her small roles and to substitute in these larger roles, also filling in as Pitti-Sing in The Mikado, until 1951.
In 1951, Wright became the company's principal soubrette
Soubrette
A soubrette is a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy".-Theater:...
, playing Hebe, Edith, Lady Angela in Patience, the title role in Iolanthe, Pitti-Sing, Mad Margaret in Ruddigore
Ruddigore
Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse, originally called Ruddygore, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written together by Gilbert and Sullivan...
, Phoebe, and Tessa. She played these roles, (except that Lady Angela was played by Beryl Dixon for several years), for the next eleven seasons.
Wright left the D'Oyly Carte organisation in 1962. After leaving the Company, she appeared in Yeomen in the 1962 Festival of the City of London at the Tower of London. She also did some work in BBC television and produced Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
for amateur companies throughout England.
Recordings
Her recordings with D'Oyly Carte included Kate (1949 Pirates), Giulia (1950 Gondoliers), Peep-Bo (1950 Mikado), Hebe (1960 Pinafore), and Tessa (1961 Gondoliers). She also sang Peep-Bo in a 1951 BBC broadcast of The Mikado and Tessa in a BBC Gondoliers in 1958 or 1959.External links
- Joyce Wright at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte
- Profile of Wright
- Photo of Wright in Iolanthe