Maybe your last chance to see the Eastbourne Gilbert and Sullivan Society perform on Eastbourne’s Historic Bandstand – Their performance of Trial by Jury on the 6th August went with a zing. The dramatis personae leads learnt their words by heart as if they were performing at the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne. Trial lasts roughly 40 minutes. For the rest of the time allotted to the Society they sang and acted some of the more favourite pieces from Gilbert and Sullivan’s many wonderful works.
Last performance of Trial by Jury 13th August – 8:00pm to 9:30pm Please come and support this local Society
The bandstand to this day plays an important part in the musical entertainment on the south coast offering around 150 concerts per year.
There is a commemorative plaque at the rear of the current bandstand in memory of Eastbourne bandsman John Wesley Woodward, who was one of those playing on the Tityanicwhen it sank on 15 April 1912.
The building of the bandstand formed part of the main seafront improvements and the bandstand itself cost £28,000 and was surmounted with a stainless steel spire. The project engineer was Leslie Rosevere. The first concerts were given on the 28 July 1935 with a total of 10,400 attending all three concerts and paying 3d each. With an audience of 8,000, the bandstand was officially opened on the 5 August 1935 by the Lord Lieutenant of the county, Lord Leconfield.
For many years the bandstand played host to a full programme of military bands. On a daily basis the bands would play from Easter until the end of October. Over the years this was reduced, mainly because audience numbers were dropping and in 2001 action had to be taken as the costs of the military bands were far out weighing the audience reception. The local civilian bands were attracting similar audiences to those of the military. It was therefore decided that the military bands be cut further. If the bandstand were to survive as a musical entertainment venue, new audiences and entertainments had to be found. These cuts on the Bandstand have unfortunately included the Eastbourne Gilbert and Sullivan Society for a totally different reason – the powers controlling the Bandstand entertainment did little advertising for the Society’s concerts – therefore there was a drop in audiences as no one knew they were performing.
