Waterford's International Festival of Light Opera, a highlight of the social and cultural year in the south-east, opens this weekend in the city's refurbished Theatre Royal.
This is the event's 40th anniversary, a major milestone for the only light opera festival in these islands. The 16 shows to be staged between next Saturday and the October 4th finale will, as usual, draw huge audiences, including enthusiasts who travel annually from the US, Britain and Northern Ireland.
The acclaimed Carrick-on-Suir Amateur Operatic Society will try to repeat its international trophy success of last year with its production of Guys and Dolls. It will have to fend off strong competition from, among others, Dublin's Playback Productions' presentation of Finian's Rainbow.
Three societies new to the festival this year are the Forefront Children's Theatre, from Scotland, Trent Opera Society, from Nottingham, and Kill Musical and Dramatic Society from Co Kildare.
The festival still receives no grant aid from the Arts Council, on the grounds that it is an amateur event. The festival chairman, Mr Paddy Giles, says this is seen as a direct affront to all the musical societies and their contribution to Irish society.
In fact, patrons of light opera insist that professional-standard performances are a hallmark of many of the participating societies. Over its lifetime, the Waterford festival has lifted local standards generally, and Irish societies are regular winners of the overall award.
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